Twitter Blue returns to the market. The paid version of the social network returned on Monday with several new features, including a new verification system. After the fiasco a month ago, Musk decided to try a new version. This time, the checks will be differentiated by color. Thus, gold will be for companies and the media; gray will go to government entities and other institutions; and the usual blue check will be used by individuals, whether celebrities or not. The new golden verification system started appearing as of Monday on several accounts:
The gray check, which will be intended for the accounts of government entities and other institutions, has not yet been officially implemented but, according to Twitter, it is expected to do so during the week:
we’ll begin replacing that “official” label with a gold checkmark for businesses, and later in the week a grey checkmark for government and multilateral accounts
— Twitter (@Twitter) December 10, 2022
Verification, foolproof?
Another notable change is that in order to ensure that accounts are always real, the check on an account would disappear until it could be re-verified by the company if, for example, the profile picture, username or profile name was changed.
In addition, Musk announced that anyone who had the check before he acquired the company, whether as a journalist, celebrity or public figure would lose the check if they did not pay for Twitter Blue. On Monday, the CEO, tweeted the decision:
In a few months, we will remove all legacy blue checks. The way in which they were given out was corrupt and nonsensical.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 12, 2022
Companies do not seem to be convinced by the obligation to pay for the check. A survey by Capterra of 300 marketing and advertising professionals in the country found that 53% of brands said they were"unlikely" to pay $7.99 per month for Twitter verification.
Fewer ads, longer tweets and price increases to certain devices
This is not the only new feature of Twitter Blue. The company led by Elon Musk also announced a price increase for users who purchase the paid version on iOS devices (i.e. Apple devices) from $8 to $11 per month. The rest of the devices would maintain the price of $8 per month, as announced by Twitter:
we’re relaunching @TwitterBlue on Monday – subscribe on web for $8/month or on iOS for $11/month to get access to subscriber-only features, including the blue checkmark 🧵 pic.twitter.com/DvvsLoSO50
— Twitter (@Twitter) December 10, 2022
In addition, those who pay the subscription will not only enjoy their blue check, but also, during the next updates they will see less ads, they will be able to tweet higher definition 1080p, and longer videos, they will also be able to access the so-called "Reader mode," a version that eliminates clutter and distractions and includes support for users with dyslexia. Along with this, they will also be the first to enjoy Twitter's new character limit from 280 to 4,000 characters.
