You can hate or admire Elon Musk but to use Twitter meaningfully you need to pay $7.99 monthly. Period. Musk has rolled out the Twitter Blue with verification subscription plan. A lot of things are still not clear as Musk himself is providing information in bits and pieces. He has also fired the entire Twitter communications team in India, so, to get any kind of information, you will have to wait for the world’s richest man to reply to your query on Twitter. So, here’s a roundup of the five big questions that are in the minds of Indian Twitter users.
Can anyone get the verified Twitter account by buying a Twitter Blue subscription?
Yes. Musk is giving this power to the people. But it is only available for iPhone users right now. If you pay for the Twitter Blue subscription, “your account will get a blue checkmark, just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow." Having said that, you will have to provide a photo ID proof like a passport, Aadhaar card, etc. Your account will be scanned to see whether or not you have been involved in spam or scam. Basically, you will have to prove that you are a real person on Twitter. Also, if your account is caught behaving like bots then it may be suspended. While the ‘pay-to-get-blue-tick’ plan sounds cool, you just can’t open a Twitter account and pay to get the Blue Tick immediately.
When will it roll out in India and how much will Indian users have to pay?
Twitter Blue with verification subscription is coming to India by the end of November as Musk has confirmed that it will be rolled out in India in less than a month. Twitter Blue with verification is available only on iOS and in regions like the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. The benefits will be exactly the same but Indian users are expected to be paying less keeping the “purchasing power" in mind. There are chances that the subscription be rolled out on Android as well very soon.
Twitter Blue subscription price in India is expected to be under Rs 200 per month. It won’t be surprising if Musk charges anything around Rs 299 monthly as well, considering the average cost of a coffee at Starbucks in India.
Having said that, the subscription may be rolled out in packaged deals as well. For example, Rs 200 per month if you take an annual subscription of Rs 2,400 or pay Rs 300 every month. There may be few other deals like quarterly or half-yearly.
If you already have a verified Twitter Account do you still need to pay to retain the Blue Tick?
Yes. Musk is completely pushing everyone to pay for using Twitter. So, if you already have a verified Twitter account, you will be required to subscribe to Twitter Blue or lose the Blue Tick. So, basically, you will be now paying for something you already have and get some extra features like others.
What happens if you don’t pay to get Twitter Blue?
Well, for starters, your tweets will not get much visibility, you will see more ads and the possibility to get verified will be zero. Twitter will also highlight verified accounts more often and your Twitter clout may take a hit. Also, there will be limitations on video post durations.
What Extra Will You Get Apart from the Blue Tick For Buying Twitter Subscriptions?
There are two aspects of this. For content creators, the Twitter Blue may make sense as they will be able to upload long videos of up to 42 minutes. Their posts will get more visibility and priority in ranking. Musk may even start a revenue sharing mechanism with content creators like YouTube. For content creators and someone who wants to be a Twitter influencer, the Blue subscription would be the first step.
On the other hand, if you are just a regular Twitter user, apart from the Blue Tick, you can expect to see less ads, post longer tweets and videos. There isn’t much for the general user to get out of the subscription apart from the lure of the Blue Tick and perhaps to help the richest man in the world make some more money.
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