Come up with features to make the Twitter blue check mark worth paying
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Miloš StankovićNov 02, 2022
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Twitter is proposing a new monetization approach where the fame blue check mark that signals a verified profile would be paid via an $8 per month subscription.
As suggested by the new Twitter owner Elon Musk, the blue check mark will bring:
a priority in replies, mentions, and searches. The other goal of this is to fight spam messaging.
half as many ads
ability to post long video and audio
Twitter already has a Twitter Blue $4.99 subscription service that offers benefits like the ability to undo tweets and prioritized customer support. The two will be combined with the new model.
Public figures will be marked with a secondary tag underneath their name in order to battle the profile impersonators who will have a similar name or handle and will pay to have the blue check mark.
Yet it's safe to say that these mentioned benefits the subscription model will bring are not worth for the majority of Twitter users. It's nearly as much as streaming platform's charge for their vast entertainment libraries.
If not enough people decide to pay up, this proposed way for battling fake accounts will fail.
So what features can we come up to make the paying subscribers more willing to pay the fee?
Note: this is not the place to discuss whether the subscription model can work or whether it's a good thing. Just what can incentivize it enough for it to be worth paying to more people.
Niche filter your timeline with an airtight lock topic shield
Miloš StankovićNov 07, 2022
Have the ability to filter your timeline through quick topic buttons in the style of a YouTube homepage or suggested videos. So "sports" or "music" or "movies".
Trends exist, but they are very broad and aim at the largest common denominator. Other people's lists are sometimes public yet they are user-generated and by definition subjective.
Having an algorithm based quick niche filtration option would be an upgrade on itself.
But I propose to add the shield element to the service.
Meaning you get to pick the niche you want to browse for, but you can also select the niche you don't want creeping in.
You want sports, but not at the cost of politics getting into your sports. So you could select "+sports", and then on the drop down menu "-politics". And you wouldn't get any topics that are coming from sports figures, influencers that talk about politics or news regarding politics in sports.
The algorithm should recognize the phrases and words that are political in nature.
Or you want sports but you don't want any international sports, only club sports. So you would select "+sports" and "-international".
I think the benefits are clear, you get more of exactly what you want to consume. A higher signal to noise ratio.
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Access to "unbiased" recommendations
Povilas SNov 14, 2022
The subscription lets you access an unbiased side of the twitter recommendation algorithm which recommends things based solely on what it knows about you so far. This means that:
People's status (number of followers they have and other factors) doesn't make the algorithm prioritize them as someone you might be interested in following or seeing posts from.
Adds don't appear in your feed and people can't pay to get their content or themselves force-fed to you (a vice-versa case to what Miloš Stanković suggests in his contribution).
The algorithm only recommends content and people based on the chance that you'd actually like them. It tries to find posts you'd truly enjoy and people you'd likely form good connections with.
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Shubhankar Kulkarni2 years ago
Yes, it would be great if the user had the option to sort their feed. One way of sorting is using the original Twitter recommendation algorithm. Secondly, what you suggested in this contribution.
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Increasing the chance of your profile being promoted on the sidebar
Miloš StankovićNov 03, 2022
Have the blue check mark also improve the chance of your profile getting promoted on the You Might Like suggestion bar that features profiles the user is not yet following.
The more months you keep the streak of subscription going, the more your profile gets a higher chance of being featured. The multiplier is adjusted to geographical location and topical/niche matches.
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Equally validating evidence across the table
Subash ChapagainNov 03, 2022
Have the Twitter algorithm suggest you equally validating ideas/narratives from the opposing side of the political spectrum. For this blue-tickers should have the option to have their political inclination assessed (without making it public). Whenever s/he posts something that is too much bent towards one political ideology, the algorithm then suggests links/posts/other accounts which present a different view to the person. The suggested ideas/narratives need to be as much data and evidence driven as possible.
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Miloš Stanković2 years ago
I am sure this would be a deterrent, not an incentive to pay for the vast majority of people.
If anything, having the platform present opposing views to everyone, check or no check, and then having the option for it to stop doing this if you pay the subscription would be a greater incentive. Yet it would be a damaging feature as it leads to more polarization, as I mentioned in this comment.
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Unlocking the online version of the real uncensored world
jnikolaNov 07, 2022
I am not sure if this is just a bold try to make social media more dangerous, but I'll try.
The idea is to allow people who pay subscriptions to see full and uncensored content. In other words, Twitter could allow people to express themselves freely, without ce**ored or blacked-out content, and be rude or nasty towards each other if they feel to. Unfortunately or not, that's how the real world looks like and there is no reason why someone should limit social media to only the good and positive stuff. The price of speaking freely or seeing the real nature of the world could be the subscription model they proposed. The money from the subscription could go into fighting lawsuits, legal battles, etc. Regular users without subscriptions and kids until they reach adulthood (depending on the country) would continue to use "basic Twitter".
What do you think?
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Miloš Stanković2 years ago
It's not hard getting to the full and uncensored content without the fee. Meaning sexual content, swearing, insults, and graphic images are just a click away. There's a warning for 18+ content and a question about whether you want to view it that has to be there in case you're browsing in public.
The only thing that is really censored is the political views not aligned with the company's values/instructions. This is the exact reason Elon Musk bought the company, so now charging to have it uncensored would be hypocritical and would result in Elon's supporters losing a lot of good faith in him.
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jnikola2 years ago
Miloš Stanković I was referring to political censorship, too. I think you are right, it could result in Elon losing its supporters.
However, it is important that people understand the benefits of this (and if they exist at all). One way to explain it could be that Elon will also have to pay the price of serving people by directly paying the legal fees and charges raised against the platform or the people on it and by losing partnerships and governmental support. The legal price could be covered by "subscriptions" and the hypothetical by the people's trust.
It could be that that's exactly what it takes to create true freedom of speech - the most influential man on Earth willing to serve all humankind for a price.
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Miloš Stanković2 years ago
J. Nikola From a PR standpoint, the only way I could see this working is if Elon renounced the ownership of the company and made it so that he is not entitled to the profits or the possible re-sale money of Twitter. If it went to charity or something. Which I don't see him doing.
Without this, it would be adding fuel to the fire of his critics. They would just say he has been using the proclaimed good cause to turn a profit.
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General comments
Darko Savic2 years ago
Zero ads/spam got me to pay for Youtube premium
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Miloš Stanković2 years ago
Darko Savic I barely get any ads on Twitter already, but that could be down to my market.