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Comment by fshbbdssbbgdd | Hacker News Reader

I think the idea is to encourage all non-bot users to pay for it. Or at least get a big portion of them, kind of like how it’s normal to pay for Spotify or Hulu.

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Which doesn't go with the idea of a public square free speech platform. Real public squares don't require you to pay to enter. And actual free speech should be influenced by those who are willing and/or able to pay for the privilege

https://twitter.com/somebadideas/status/1588876465915166721?...

I doubt anyone is really going to care all that much if all the unchecked randos lose their voice on twitter. It will clean up the noise by a lot.

It's normal to pay for Spotify and Hulu because you get access to stream copyrighted materials monthly for a small fee. It would not be normal to pay for those services just to get a blue checkmark on your profile.

It's not only a verification service, you get more features.

verified account tweets get amplified so you are paying for that, also you are paying to reduce cybersquatting of your name (if it is of value to you)

You would think the opposite would be true... amplifying tweets sounds an awful like turning it into a cesspool of marketers like LinkedIn.

I suppose this is the value prop:

1. For people who post, you will be treated better by the ranking and spam systems. The blue checkmark may be like the “blue bubbles” iMessage thing where it’s not-so-subtly a marker of ingroup status.

2. For readers, you get to see less ads.

I don’t use Twitter much, but I could imagine it being worth it for people who spend a lot of time on the app.

So spammers can now pay $8 to better circumvent spam systems? Sounds like a terrible idea ripe for abuse.

Spammers are usually cycling through accounts rapidly. If they pay, that gets a lot harder. You’d still enforce against spammers who pay the $8, but the requirement to pay will reduce the volume and make the problem more manageable.

I guess it depends on what your definition of spam is. I think it people are paying to be promoted then it is the same as an ad, and to me ads are a form of spam if I don't want to see them.

$8 doesn't sound like the right price either. Most users will not be able to afford this (not that they can't pay it with their saving. It isn't worth it).

If that is the “normal people” tier, it’s too much. I should not pay the same as McDonalds or even a C list celebrity.

I would swing $4 if they added encrypted DMs.

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