Twitter Considers Premium Version After 11 Years As a Free Service (reuters.com) 84
Twitter is considering whether or not to build a premium version of its site for select users. It's unclear what the cost would be at this time, but it's very possible it could be in the form of a subscription. Reuters reports: Like most other social media companies, Twitter since its founding 11 years ago has focused on building a huge user base for a free service supported by advertising. Last month it reported it had 319 million users worldwide. Twitter is conducting a survey "to assess the interest in a new, more enhanced version of Tweetdeck," which is an existing tool that helps users navigate the network, spokeswoman Brielle Villablanca said in a statement on Thursday. She went on: "We regularly conduct user research to gather feedback about people's Twitter experience and to better inform our product investment decisions, and we're exploring several ways to make Tweetdeck even more valuable for professionals." There was no indication that Twitter was considering charging fees from all its users. Word of the survey had earlier leaked on Twitter, where a journalist affiliated with the New York Times posted screenshots of what a premium version of Tweetdeck could look like. That version could include "more powerful tools to help marketers, journalists, professionals, and others in our community find out what is happening in the world quicker," according to one of the screenshots posted on the account @andrewtavani.
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Tweets are pretty low-latency per their nature. I'd like to see a high-latency filter put on DJT - Long enough for somebody (Kellyanne? Spicer? Ivanka?) to ask, "Mr President, are you sure about this?"
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I am all for charging for Twitter, it will wall the morons up in their own private space to twit at each other and leave the rest of us in peace.
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There will be something else soon. Hell, I remember when IRC was the thing.
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What'd reddit do now?
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If Facebook pulls a stunt like that now, this would be a perfect week.
oxymoron (Score:4, Funny)
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It's a bugs bunny reference. If you're young you may not get it.
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Premium tweets? Now I've heard it all.
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Yeah, they're called ads/sponsored messages/reminders/alerts/you may also...
All I can say is.. (Score:5, Interesting)
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No. None. Nada. Zip. I get twitter for free and it's barely worth that. I had facebook and free was too expensive, they would have to pay me to go back.
Maybe... (Score:2)
Maybe it's the "No Twitter" pay service?
You pay... and Twitter disappears from your world.
It would probably require cranial surgery in order to get the necessary hardware in... but it might be worth it.
Then again, one could get lobotomy for free... and it's equally tempting as getting a Twitter account.
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You pay... and Twitter disappears from your world.
Shut up and take my money!
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Shut up and take my money!
This is the literal interpretation of the premium twitter accounts.
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I'd pay for a twitter subscription if I could get it Ad-free, Nazi-free, MRA-free and Tweetdeck-free.
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Opting in to the echo chamber, eh?
As a CEO Twitter is vital (Score:2)
Where else can I re-post industry related articles 16 times a day to show people that I'm really up on things, and that I'm doing my job? And where else can I virtue signal my positions on feminism, diversity, Trump loathing and my adherence to liberal dogma?
Without Twitter it's surprisingly hard to publicly justify my paycheck on a daily basis. Simply put, Twitter is the ultimate "expert-status signaller". Without which I'd have to pen cogent long-form thoughts and wouldn't be able to just retweet those th
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It's probably not aimed at you. The advanced features will be of interest to corporations and celebrities who want tools to manage their social media profiles. Might even be as simple as priority support.
Premium virtue signaling (Score:2)
I wonder how many people and companies are willing to pay for the privilege of virtue signaling?
My guess is very few. It is all well and fine to join an online Twitter mob when it is free, but having to pay for it is another matter entirely.
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Can we please get back to English instead of weird shit like "virtue signaling" where it's unclear whether its mention means an insult, irony or a quest for a "look at me" award?
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Re:Premium virtue signaling (Score:4, Insightful)
Considering you used that pointless little alt-right phrase you are either in the broadcaster, recipient or collatoral damage category, so they would expect you to sign up with your dollars - or at least send a vast amount of advertising targeting you. Can we please get back to English instead of weird shit like "virtue signaling" where it's unclear whether its mention means an insult, irony or a quest for a "look at me" award?
When did it stop meaning "Look at me - I'm thinking the right thoughts"?
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Like "SJW" it appears to be used most often as an insult by people who are too cowardly to use a real one than actually meaning anything specific.
Thus not just unclear but totally opaque and annoying as fuck.
Re:Premium virtue signaling (Score:4, Interesting)
I wonder how many people and companies are willing to pay for the privilege of virtue signaling?
Quite a lot, actually:
* $1398 from 374 patrons [patreon.com]
* $2769 from 822 patrons [patreon.com]
* $3225 from 481 patrons [patreon.com]
Professional victimhood is a cottage industry.
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WTF... someone actually pays these lowlife pieces of harassing scum?
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What did you think was the reason they do it?
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Professional victimhood is a cottage industry.
Interesting. It seems that all three of them produce stuff, not only being harassed.
Do you get an extra 140 characters with Premium? (Score:2)
How the fuck would that actually work, anyway? Maybe only premium users can be "Verified" and also get the benefit of 3 factor authentication (CC# required to change passwords, for example). Maybe give premium users the ability to have blinking text?
Maybe I just don't "get" twitter... I have an account, I've maybe posted once in the past year. I don't let social media rule my life. I'm also not a sociopath with a narcissist complex who gets drunk and tweets stupid petulant rants at 3am from the Presidential
Not Twitter (Score:2)
Tweetdeck is an optional interface for Twitter, not Twitter itself.
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What's wrong with Hwil Hweaton?
Woot! (Score:2)
Why settle for any old useless social media when you can PAY for it instead? Introducing the brand new and reformulated Twitter, now with extra bots!
Free service sounded like a lot ot twaddle (Score:2)
Why would I pay for a service that has for years amplified the twaddle of idiots?
Target market likely 'social media pros' (Score:2)
There are many who make a tidy income out of social media, and reaching people through Twitter is part of that. I imagine that is a sensible and reasonably sized target market for one level of 'premium'. Heavy users who can spare a few dollars/pounds per month and are basically Twitter junkies would make another sensible target market. But since Twitter surely can't keep losing money every quarter, it's gotta start thinking of this stuff.
you did not get it!!!! (Score:2)
Alternate title (Score:2)
Most people still wondering what's the point of Twitter after 11 years.
What's the killer use case? (Score:1)
Still more ways to shadowban and silence those who express non-SJW opinions?
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Pay for freedom or pay for a SJW internet.
Pay and SJW will not report and ban communications. Only with other paying accounts users who have the same account settings.
Pay for the ability to enjoy freedom of speech and freedom after speech.
A sealed area thats free of SJW but only with other paying users?
Pay and SJW have whitelisted all interactions so the net is extra safe? Pay to be safe from all freedom of speech.
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What I'd pay for (Score:2)
You know what I'd pay for? I'd pay to never see another tweet or hear the name "Twitter" ever again. Seriously, I'd pay for that. Not much, but something.
This reminds me of when the phone company started charging you for a dial tone on a landline phone, something that was just part of the service. But then one day it became a "connectivity service" and whaddya know, now you had to pay for it.
Added benefits of Premium Version (Score:2)
Tweets can be 150 characters.
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Social Media: Never before have so many people had so much to say to so few.
Took me many years to grock Twitter... (Score:1)
Get em addicted (Score:2)
Proof that Gab is influential (Score:1)
Most of Twitter's new "innovations" came to Gab before Twitter. Editing? We had it first. Pro version? Gab announced it like 2 months ago and made it available a few days ago. Anyone who thinks that Twitter isn't pulling a Bill Gates era Microsoft on Gab is kidding themselves.
Twitter and profit... (Score:2)
Twitter should consider themselves as a not-for-profit service, retain its independence and so on. (May be the business model of Craigslist.) For that to happen, the current management and the VCs need to be nuked from the orbit.
For an already struggling company... (Score:1)
Time to leave social media "ghettos" (Score:2)
Maybe Drudge has the right idea.
Social media means censorship (brazen and hidden - i.e. shadow banning), obtrusive advertisements, and spying.
Might make more sense to go back to websites.