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‘TWITTER BLUE’ IS PAID TWITTER
$2.99 a month and a slew of features that some argue should be free or aren’t really features. Is Twitter about to kick an own goal on its quest to make megabucks? Quite possibly so.
Researcher Jane Manchun Wong, broke the news late on Friday. Twitter has made no attempts to hide its subscription ambitions, but the details are telling exactly how the company is thinking when it comes to feature sets or levels. Most commenters/detractors spotted that the proposed ‘undo’ button is very much like the ‘delete’ feature that already exists (also, people can still screenshot any part of Twitter). I am most intrigued by ‘Collections’, a feature that will let users save and organise their favourite tweets into collections - something that other apps previously allowed (Flipboard, for example). Collections offer Twitter a big opportunity to pump a lot of signal back into and out of Twitter. The other opportunity is to bundle in a company that Twitter acquired last week, Scroll. Why Scroll? The platform lets people read content (blog posts etc) without ads which is something that research shows time and again is something that people are willing to consider paying to see removed. Engadget sums the issue ahead of Twitter up nicely:
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The biggest area of concern - or interest - is whether the move will mean fewer ads and suggested content. Power users (many journalists in particular) voiced concern in this area. There is a lot of sense around Twitter turning off ads for premium users, but it’s unlikely right now as it learns who will pay for these features. The ‘Blue’ play is another in a series of monetisation plats (TipJar being another) that Twitter is pushing. The platform is looking to the future with a range of potential new features after a busy period with an ex-President and a renewed sense of purpose and opportunity laid before the company amidst interesting times. The question is, will users go blue?
__ DO __ Watch this move closely; it's a pivotal moment for Twitter's future. // __ DON'T __ Think this is a popular move; many expect and want Twitter always to be a free and fair platform. This move goes - somewhat - against this, but the realities of having stakeholders who need to see returns and plays made is a powerful one that even CEO Jack Dorsey can't resist forever.
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