Twitter Blue Could Roll Out In India 'In Less Than A Month', Elon Musk Tweets
After the launch of the Twitter Blue subscription service on Saturday, Musk wrote on Twitter that the microblogging platform will soon add the ability to attach long-form text to tweets.
After Twitter launched a premium subscription service for Twitter Blue on Saturday, November 5, allowing users to buy the verification symbol for a monthly fee of $7.99 (INR 655), several Indians started asking the microblogging platform's new owner, Elon Musk, about when the Twitter Blue service will roll out in India. Replying to one such question, Musk said: "Hopefully, less than a month". This means that people in India can avail the premium Twitter Blue subscription service this year onwards.
Hopefully, less than a month
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2022
iOS users in India can avail the some of the features of the initial launch of the new Twitter Blue subscription service by updating the app to the new version. One will have to pay for Twitter Blue to get verified on the microblogging platform, the latest update on the Apple App Store says.
The Twitter user replied to Musk that it would be interesting to see if the cost of the service is inclusive of Goods and Services Tax (GST) or if the price will rise to $10 in case GST has not been included already. $10 is equivalent to INR 819.82.
The user said: "Super, that’s fast! Looking forward and guessing it could be INR 649 or so. Will be interesting to see if it’s incl GST or if it will take it to close to 10$."
Super, that’s fast! Looking forward and guessing it could be INR 649 or so. Will be interesting to see if it’s incl GST or if it will take it to close to 10$.
— Prabhu (@Cricprabhu) November 5, 2022
ALSO READ | Twitter Officially Rolls Out Paid Blue Tick Verification Service, iOS Users Get Option
People can soon attach long-form text to tweets, Musk says
After the launch of the subscription service, Musk wrote on Twitter that the microblogging platform will soon add the ability to attach long-form text to tweets, ending the "absurdity of notepad screenshots".
Twitter will soon add ability to attach long-form text to tweets, ending absurdity of notepad screenshots
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2022
Twitter to introduce creator monetisation: Musk
Followed by creator monetization for all forms of content
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2022
He also said that there will be creator monetisation for all forms of content.
A Twitter user with the username 'Everyday Astronaut', who runs a YouTube channel of the same name, expressed his happiness about the idea of monetisation for content creators on Twitter. He wrote that if Twitter can offer a similar monetisation system like YouTube does, he would consider uploading his full videos on the microblogging platform too.
If twitter could handle the full length feature videos that I produce and can offer a similar monetization system like YouTube does, I would consider uploading my full videos here too for sure. https://t.co/JsYw9DI9oO
— Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) November 5, 2022
Replying to him, a Twitter user said that YouTube gives creators 55 per cent of advertisement revenue, for what it's worth.
YouTube gives creators 55% of ad revenue, FWIW.
— Quinn Nelson (@SnazzyQ) November 5, 2022
Musk replied: "We can beat that".
We can beat that
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2022
The SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO also wrote on Twitter that initially, people can share 42-minute videos, followed by videos which are several hours long, in a month or so.
42 mins to start, then several hours in a month or so
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2022
Comparisons between Twitter and Substack
Some people started making comparisons between Twitter and Substack, asking Musk if one will be able to subscribe to pieces of writing on Twitter, similar to Substack.
Twitter VS Substack
— Adam Foster (@AdamFostermusic) November 5, 2022
Will people be able to subscribe / donate to pieces of writing like this?
Thanks 🙏
Substack is an email newsletter platform for journalists and writers.
A person wrote that Twitter has its own rival to Substack called Revue, but it has "extremely poor implementation" on the microblogging platform. The user said it should be "baked right" into Twitter, to which Musk replied: "Absolutely".
Absolutely
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2022
Musk criticises "search" within Twitter
Criticising Twitter's search feature, Musk said it reminds him of Infoseek in 1998, an American search engine founded by American entrepreneur Steve Kirsch in 1994, and one of the first major search engines. The billionaire wrote that Infoseek will also get a lot better "pronto", meaning that the old search engine will work more promptly or quickly than "search" within Twitter. He also wrote that fixing search is a "high priority".
Search within Twitter reminds me of Infoseek in ‘98! That will also get a lot better pronto.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2022
Will verified accounts without Twitter Blue subscription lose their verification status?
Aaron Cohn, an American right-handed pitcher for the Oakland Athletics Organization, asked Musk if the people with an already existing blue-coloured tick on Twitter will lose their verification status right away. He also asked what the timeline for the changes to be implemented is.
Will we lose our verification status right away ? What is the timeline for the changes to be implemented ?
— Aaron Cohn (@aaroncohn30) November 5, 2022
Musk replied: "Couple months". This means that people with blue-coloured ticks who do not subscribe to Twitter Blue could lose their verification status in two months or so.
Couple months
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2022
Online feud between Musk and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Over the past few days, a feud has been going on between United States representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Musk on Twitter. Ocasio-Cortez had not been supportive of Musk's decision to roll out a paid service to obtain verification status on Twitter. On November 3, she shared a screenshot which showed that she had received no notifications from other "verified accounts" on the microblogging platform.
Yo @elonmusk while I have your attention, why should people pay $8 just for their app to get bricked when they say something you don’t like?
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 3, 2022
This is what my app has looked like ever since my tweet upset you yesterday. What’s good? Doesn’t seem very free speechy to me 🤔 pic.twitter.com/e3hcZ7T9up
Ocasio-Cortez claimed that her app has looked like this ever since her tweet "upset" Musk, and that this does not seem very "free speechy" to her. She was apparently taking a jibe at Musk, who claims himself to be a harbinger of free speech.
Quoting Ocasio-Cortez's tweet, American actor Mark Ruffalo, popular for playing Hulk aka Bruce Banner in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), wrote that Musk is destroying his credibility, and that it is not a good look. Ruffalo requested Musk to get off Twitter for the "love of decency" and asked him to hand over the keys to someone who does this as an actual job.
Elon. Please—for the love of decency—get off Twitter, hand the keys over to someone who does this as an actual job, and get on with running Tesla and SpaceX. You are destroying your credibility. It’s just not a good look. https://t.co/34aMtU5h62
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) November 4, 2022
Replying to Ruffalo, Musk said that not everything AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) says is completely accurate.
Hot take: not everything AOC says is 💯 accurate
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 5, 2022