Twitter is preparing to roll out two new features today in the form of group direct messaging and in-line video recording and editing. The group DMs are new for Twitter, but that video thing looks an awful lot like Vine.

The new DM feature lets you start a conversation with any of your followers, even if they don't know each other. Messages in this thread are visible to all participants, but no one else. It's not really a new idea, obviously, but it's new for Twitter.

As for the video recording, adding a video in the Twitter app will be a very basic experience. Press and hold the capture button to record one or more clips. Total time limit is 30 seconds, and they can be rearranged or removed with the editing interface. Then you can share it to your timeline with a thumbnail preview. It's basically Vine inside the Twitter app.

Both features are rolling out to users in the coming weeks, but you'll be able to participate in group DM conversations started by others immediately. Videos will also work in your timeline, but I suspect that didn't require any changes on the client side. Support for importing videos from the gallery to the Twitter app will come in a future update.

[Twitter Blog]