Tweets mocking Twitter’s missing fleets won’t disappear in 24 hours

If you’re Twitter and launching a new feature, you can expect tweets (about tweets and tweets) to make fun of it. Twitter’s Snark Brigade did not disappoint on Tuesday, sparking a steady stream of jokes and memes in reaction to Twitter Fleet Announcement, a new format that allows users to share text, photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours.

Tweeted Late night with Seth Meyers, “Fleets are exactly what Twitter needed!” (Below that line: a warning message “this claim is in dispute”).

As my colleague Queenie Wong reports, Fleets represents Twitter’s attempt to capitalize on the social media trend toward more ephemeral content that began after Snapchat introduced Stories, a format that has been copied by other sites like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

“I keep opening my Twitter and then I close it, because I think it’s Instagram.” a Twitter user wrote.

Some of the humor came from the Fleet label, also the name of a line of enemas. One Twitter user asked: “Were the people working at Twitter too young to know that Fleets is an enema?” No they weren’t, the Twitter communications team assured the world.

But the name of the show doesn’t conjure up gut images for everyone. “I keep reading the fleets as feet,” observed another Twitter user.

Aside from the jokes about the name (and the very existence) of Fleets, Fleet-ing tweets on Tuesday also focused on trying to understand what the stories are, exactly, and when and how to use them.

In a blog post, Twitter said global tests of the feature indicated that the tool helped people feel more comfortable joining public conversations on the service.

Read more: Twitter launches disappearing tweets while copying Snapchat and Instagram stories

“Those new to Twitter found that Fleet was an easier way to share what they had in mind.” the company said. “Because they disappear from view after a day, Fleets helped people feel more comfortable by sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions and feelings.”

And, apparently, sharing cat content.

“I don’t care about fleets” one wrote, “but I’m glad that 90% of the ones I’ve seen so far have cats.”

He wrote another, “430 people saw my fleet if I have so much power with the fleets.”

The show’s debut on Tuesday brought its share of complaints about the product, with some people saying fleets were frozen, delayed or made his Twitter crash. “We are aware of some problems that people may have and we are working to fix them,” said a Twitter spokesperson. Twitter had no numbers to share for the first day of Fleeting, but suggested that it is watching the response closely.

“Some of you hate … but we see you fleeting” the company tweeted.