X, formerly known as Twitter, will begin charging new users $1 a year to access key features

[brooklynite]

Source: Fortune

X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, will begin charging new users $1 a year to access key features including the ability to tweet, reply, quote, repost, like, bookmark, and create list, according to a source familiar with the matter

X owner Elon Musk has long floated the idea of charging users $1 for the platform. During a recent livestreamed conversation with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month, Musk said “It’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots.”

The company also published “Not-a-Bot Terms and Conditions” today outlining its plan for a paid subscription service that gives users certain abilities on their platform, like posting content and interacting with other users. This program is different from X Premium, which offers more features like “Undo” and “Edit” for posts for $8 a month.

Read more: https://fortune.com/2023/10/17/twitter-x-charging-new-users-1-dollar-year-to-tweet/amp/

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Clearly an effort by Musk to “prove” people wrong and to go there rather than a serious effort to raise money.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. What? Musk won't charge us just to read?

[JohnSJ]

2. one dollar isn't going to stop bots or misinformation. How many users does twitter have?

[oldsoftie]

10. But a lot of bots are for numbers. I dont think they'll pay 1000s

It'll be interesting to see what goes away

[cstanleytech]

38. It depends on what the goal is for those that run them.

[intrepidity]

3. Slippery slope

He just wants to jump the main hurdle of getting people to submit payment info.

Then the fees increase...

[sybylla]

32. Not only that, but for the low price of $1

you get to give him all your personal information and a credit card number.

Everyone knows he's not going to protect that.

But when people abandon the site wholesale, he's going to claim they were all bots and declare victory. "See, we didn't need to employ all those people to make sure the Russoganda got deleted." And it will still be there.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. That's it. I'm done with it. I will not give one nickel to that Rat.

YouTube is trying fees to avoid ads now. When growth fails they all seek to maintain profit levels. Soon they'll all be like FeeBay. Remember when the internet was free, the best deal ever? Let's party like it's 1999!

[brooklynite]

7. I don't remember when the internet was "free"

You always paid for internet service and any quality content should come with a payment model to reimburse the producer.

[bucolic_frolic]

14. Actually there were times in the early days when venture capital startups paid users

to contribute to their websites, depended on their business model. I was a member of an investors site that paid traders to write brief articles to recommend stocks, the idea being you would get more followers and eyeballs if your content paid off, so the site could pay you. I got a couple of modest 3 figure checks. But by the end they laid off all the employees and the CEO ran it for its last month, and paid out the rest of the venture capital grubstake.

Any tech MBA could pitch a startup business model to venture capitalists. They laid out tens and tens of millions on such startups. That's the grass roots of the engines of capitalism.

There were also free dialup services briefly. As I recall they limited you to a few hours a day, and ads were shown on their service. Then some had free regional numbers where you could dial-in without charge. They didn't last long either. Seems to me the early Kmart BlueLight internet access was such an item.

[highplainsdem]

15. It says "new users" so it shouldn't affect you if you already have an account.

[airplaneman]

20. I remember when you could look up a phone number for free and get an answer.

Now they look up the number but you pay to get it.
-Airplane

[marmar]

5. .......

[msongs]

6. maybe DU should charge X a dallar each time an X is posted here nt

[ananda]

8. Good idea!

Get his payment info and go from there!

No way would I put my payment info on X,
much less become a user.

[womanofthehills]

48. You can pay with Apple Pay without giving X your info

The majority of people have iPhones.

So, my 12 yr old grandson texts me last week - he was at the gas station and wanted to buy snacks. “Hey Grammie - can you send me $5,00?” I thought he was hacked but no - he asked me to send it thru Apple Pay. New world !!

[SouthernDem4ever]

9. Xitter sux already, this will just make it suk more

[womanofthehills]

49. Without Twitter and TicToc

We would be less aware of the horrors of this war.

I think the thousands of pics of injured, crying and dead children need to be seen. Gen Z is seeing this over on TicToc and the compassion from America kids in their replies is heart wrenching. Our kids all want to hug and take care of the injured kids. They are afraid the draft will come back

[SouthernDem4ever]

51. Except you have no idea who is taking the film and when it was taken

There is no vetting of the news you are seeing on social media. Reputable media companies are still doing this.

[womanofthehills]

56. Almost everyone has a cell phone now - most often you get multiple videos from multiple people

Hundreds of injured kids talking on video tell the story.

[Marthe48]

11. Seems like a good way to get peoples' account info

So much can/will go wrong.

[highplainsdem]

12. Yes. I just read there and copy some more interesting tweets here.

[Initech]

17. Yeah you might as well have a sign on your back that says "hack me".

[DonCoquixote]

31. especially since x is a right wing hive

can you say hacking and doxxing boys and girls?

[womanofthehills]

50. No problem- just use Apple pay

Most everyone has an iPhone nowadays

[ShazzieB]

54. Actually, a lot of us don't have iPhones.

Every smartphone I've owned so far has been an Android. Same goes for the tablet I'm typing this on, and I have no plans to switch. Apple products are too expensive for me.

I wouldn't give Eloon a dime of my money anyway. Not that I'll be asked to, because I'm not a new user. I've had a Twitter account for years that I practically never use but can't bring myself to delete for some odd reason.

The day he starts charging existing users will be the day I get rid of my account once and for all.

[FakeNoose]

13. I'd never give X my credit card info or my ID

... so I'm done with him, done with X.

I really hope X-linked posts are banned by DU very soon.

Screenshots are OK for those who are able, but the live links would be a mistake.

[highplainsdem]

16. It says "new users." Nothing about this applying to existing users.

[FakeNoose]

21. I'm not an existing user of X

The only time I can see a Xweet is when someone posts it on DU.

[XorXor]

25. That is where services like privacy(.)com come in

Even if not for Twitter, it's a useful service to have. Create virtual cards with various limits and use whatever name and address you want. It acts as a proxy for your real card.


*I refuse to call it X

[womanofthehills]

55. You want to ban a sight that is one of the largest sources of news in the world?

Basically, every congress person and the President post on X.

Without X and other social media sights, we would right now be unaware of what is really going on in the world right now. Thousands rallying around the world in every county and in all our big cities and the traditional news is not covering it.

[FakeNoose]

58. I'm not sure how you got that idea

I didn't say X should be banned from anywhere.

What I've been espousing is that DU posters should only use screenshots of Xweets (with no live links) on DU. Many other DUers seem to agree because we are doing exactly that - posting screenshots rather than live links that reopen on X.

You want to go there and spend your time there? It's a free world. DU doesn't need to be creating more traffic for them.

[brooklynite]

60. You wrote: "I really hope X-linked posts are banned by DU very soon"

[BadGimp]

18. I like to approach and would gladly pay the fee

The immediate effect is it will clean up the customer base by making the management of Bots prohibitively expensive. At least I think it will.

I'm one of those rare birds that has long felt Twitter was a very valuable platform.

[SoFlaBro]

22. Used to be. Now it is all fucking liquid shit on the floor and a piss-soaked user experience.

shit

[womanofthehills]

36. Obviously you don't know how to use it

It’s great if you do. You can follow all your favorite journalists, authors, artists, news organizations etc. You can follow Biden, Obama and congress people you like. I love it when I get into a discussion with some of my favorite authors. I can get lots of Covid info from around the world and I actually follow people who have long Covid and researchers working on understanding side effects.

[SoFlaBro]

46. Then it is great because I do know how to use it. The first 20 replies on anybody I fucking follow is Nazis and shit. I hate that goddamn shit.

nhygft

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

19. Sorry Elon.

You ain't getting my money.

[PlutosHeart]

23. If he does charge the regulars

I think I am out. Finally have the final nail.

[XorXor]

24. Giving the benefit of the doubt that it's not just a money grab

I don't think this will do much stop big players in the influence campaign business. The most concerning and problematic ones have lots of money behind them. It's a hard problem to solve. Maybe it would impact it, but I don't have much hope. At least it won't have enough positive impact to make up for the negative impact from lost legitimate users

[Bernardo de La Paz]

26. Musk still thinks he has monopoly power with his Xitty service. . . . nt

[Bucky]

27. That's called a camel sticking his nose under the tent

This dumbass doesn't know how to monetize his own business

[samnsara]

28. i dont want that nutter to have any of my financial info!

[IronLionZion]

29. Even Bill Gates had floated fee ideas to thwart spam on platforms

Could be a good plan to reduce the number of bots. I read tweets but don't do anything else so I hope that stays free.

[SouthernDem4ever]

42. This won't stop bots

one bot can do plenty of damage.

[IronLionZion]

43. It can reduce it

The thinking is that fewer bots can do less damage.

[samnsara]

30. everyone should just send him 4 quarters in the mail

[Yavin4]

33. Real Headline: "Richest man in the world wants you to send him a dollar". n/t

[Kennah]

34. Do they take crypto?

[PatrickforB]

35. I laughed when I saw this earlier today. Yep. Good luck with that Elon!

I don't even go on there anymore.

You know, I'm not sure what it would look like, but we really, really need a twenty first century Fairness Doctrine. These darned social media platforms have way too much influence, and are way too vulnerable to things like Russian Cozy Bear, which arguably swayed the '16 election for Trumpy.

We have to get a handle on this Brooklynite.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

37. If you click on an X link it takes you to a twitter.com URL.

Reporters always refer to it as "'X' , formerly known as Twitter." (DU even does that at the bottom of each page.)
We're just waiting for Musk to screw it up and have to sell it at a huge loss. Then the new owners can rename it Twitter.

[Aussie105]

39. Such an easy way to save a dollar! Every year too!

Count me in! Or rather, count me out.

[marble falls]

40. Would that come under "nuisance" tax?

[dembotoz]

41. do i trust him with my credit card info?

nope

[SouthernDem4ever]

44. He will probably make your info available to our domestic terrorists

When they don't like you posting negative comments about DRUMP.

[keithbvadu2]

45. Once they get their fingers into your credit card...

[ificandream]

47. He won't stop there.

[Mike Nelson]

52. Well...

... I won't be paying. Twitter is a sewer!

[Maraya1969]

53. Sorry, I don't have a dollar.

[LiberalFighter]

57. Does he promise it will only be $1 a year? He won't change it to $1 per day?

I'm sure he will trick users like Trump does with his followers.

[Skwishy]

59. Musk has ruined Twitter

Maybe on purpose.