As of April 15th, 2023, only verified subscribers will be able to vote on polls and have their posts recommended to fellow Twitter users, in a shake-up of the company’s blue tick verification policy.
Following Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media platform, it’s fair to say that it’s been a tumultuous time for users and employees alike at the tech giant.
In November 2022, paid verification opportunities were introduced onto the platform, in a drive to turn the behemoth into a profit making business.
However, after an initial slew of fake accounts gaining blue tick verification – which lead to a spike in scam, spam and celebrity impersonation accounts – the service was suspended before being relaunched in December.
Notable bouts of housery included many verified accounts spoofing as the Twitter and Tesla boss, Elon Musk.
Chaos also emanated from the platform when a fake account was created for the US pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly. After the account tweeted the message “insulin is free”, the share price of the actual publicly listed organisation temporarily went into freefall.
This week’s announced changes to the paid blue tick verification services highlights the company’s drive to tackle AI bots from overrunning the social media site.
Boss of Twitter, Elon Musk, is quoted as saying that the amended policy would be “the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle.”
Paid Verification on Twitter
Twitter has different priced verification options, depending on the location of a user and the type of device they’re using.
According to the company, once a user has subscribed to the service, “all Twitter Blue features will be available immediately except the blue checkmark, which will appear on eligible profiles after a review to ensure subscribed accounts meet all eligibility criteria.”
Features included within the Twitter Blue package give users access to:
Edit Tweets
This feature gives users a 30 minute window to make a limited number of changes to published Tweets. It can be used to make updates, tag someone, or reorder attached media. Edit Tweet currently only applies to original Tweets and quote Tweets.
Undo Tweets
Undo Tweet gives users the option to retract a Tweet after it’s been sent, but before it’s visible to others on Twitter. It’s not an ‘edit’ button, but a chance to preview and revise Tweets before they’re posted for the world to see.
Prioritised Rankings in Conversations
This feature prioritises replies on Tweets that the user has interacted with.
Longer Video Uploads
Twitter Blue subscribers can upload videos up to ~60 minutes long, and with a file size up to 2GB (web only).
Longer Tweets
Longer Tweets allow Blue subscribers to Tweet up to 4,000 characters. Users can also compose longer Tweets in a Quote Tweet or reply. Standard functionality like posting media, creating polls, and using hashtags still apply. Everyone will be able to read longer Tweets, but only Blue subscribers can create them.
Top Articles
Top Articles is a shortcut to the most-shared articles in a user’s network. This feature automatically lists the most-shared articles from people they follow, in addition to people those folks follow, too.
Bookmark Folders
Bookmark Folders let Twitter Blue subscribers group and organise bookmarked Tweets into folders for faster discovery later. Twitter Blue presents users with an unlimited number of bookmarks and Bookmark Folders which are always private.
Custom Navigation
This feature lets users choose what appears in their navigation bar, so they’re able to get quick access to bespoke content and Twitter destinations. Users can select between two and six items to keep in their bottom navigation bar.
Spaces Tab
The new Spaces Tab is a place to find podcasts, themed audio stations, recorded Spaces, and live Spaces. This feature test requires in-app language settings to display in English. It’s currently only available to Twitter Blue subscribers on iOS and Android devices, and a select number of people globally.
Custom App Icons
With Custom App icons, users can change how the Twitter App icon displays on their phone.
Themes
Twitter Blue Themes let users choose colorful options for their app theme.
NFT Profile Pictures
After a temporary connection to the user’s crypto wallet, Twitter Blue customers will be able to set up an NFT as their profile picture. Digital asset displays in a special hexagon shape that identifies the specific user as the owner of that NFT.
Reader
Twitter designed Reader to let users enjoy threads with less noise, by turning long threads into an optimised reading experience.
SMS Two-Factor Authentication
Twitter Blue subscribers can add another layer of protection to their accounts with access to two-factor authentication via SMS.
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