Twitter on Tuesday added the ability to send a private message to a group as well as adding a video recorder that allows users to shoot, edit and post video directly from Twitter’s mobile apps. The video and messaging features brings Twitter on par with Facebook, which has offered group messaging and integrated video for some time.

The group messaging service allows Twitter users to send a private message to up to 20 people, either predefined as a group or created on the fly. While any kind of message can be sent, the feature is geared toward sharing and discussing a tweet.

The video software is aimed at capturing live events and sharing them with the public. From the box where you post tweets, you will be able to touch a camera icon to fire up the software, which allows you to shoot and combine snippets of video into a clip of up to 30 seconds.

Twitter’s new video product could increase traffic and the amount of time that current users spend on the service, and better messaging could keep them from turning to pure messaging apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat.