Slashdot Mirror
Twitter Considers Premium Version After 11 Years As a Free Service (reuters.com)
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.
Twitter+Premium. what a maroon!
You've gotta be fucking kidding. I'd rather pay for a subscription to MySpace, Facebook, or AOL Online.
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.
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 shitter.
Do they actually make money now?
Tweetdeck is an optional interface for Twitter, not Twitter itself.
There will be something else soon. Hell, I remember when IRC was the thing.
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!
So I ignored it. Come Mr Trump, still sounds like twaddle.
Why would I pay for a service that has for years amplified the twaddle of idiots?
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.
John_Chalisque
....they are considering a subscription for using Twitter!
What'd reddit do now?
Most people still wondering what's the point of Twitter after 11 years.
#DeleteFacebook
It's making a change of some type, no one really knows any details, so naturally slashdotters assume it's going to kill itself.
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.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Still use IRC constantly. There's been several xkcd cartoons that cut a bit close.
Waiting for an amusing sig.
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.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
Tweets can be 150 characters.
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
Could be walled in both ways.
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.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
But before asking for money, they should hire a designer. Took me many years to grock Twitter, and now that I kind of like it, I am turned off by its design. Too much chrome and too little content. If you want to read a discussion, you are presented with a narrow column, very aired, and with both screen sides acting as a "back button". It feels bad. I much prefer reading discussions on Slashdot, Reddit or Ycombinator. On Twitter it's not clear who's replying to what. There is no way to fold a part of the conversation. I am always afraid of generating unwanted clicks and touches while scrolling it. The whole page should not be a clickable area - just select parts of it, under 10%.
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 that actually do. Just writing this comment on Slashdot is exhausting. (I hope they put a word limit in place here someday too. You know, for the environment).
Now excuse me, I have to get back to CEO'ing. (Twitter search: "environment"... That should do it)
Then, either use a PAY version, or be bombed by ads! Some of these software people are worse than drug dealers. Get these short attention span, gotta tweet every little thing about my life hooked on something, then make them pay to not see ads.
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.
Started typing "Twitter..." in the subject line and "Twitter and profit" auto-completed from a previous post.
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.
Tat Tvam Asi
If Facebook pulls a stunt like that now, this would be a perfect week.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
This will surely turn things around for them. /s
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?"
He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
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.
Facts are history now plebs have politics for religion on social media.
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.
I wonder how much Republicans would be ready to pay to silence Trump's opinions.