Twitter has reportedly begun the process of introducing new features as part of a paid service, including items such as an “undo send” button and employer badges.
Here’s a summary of some possible features or services the company could charge for:
- Tweetdeck. Power users love Tweetdeck, which has never had ads or generated revenue, because they can get tweets from multiple timelines.
- Exclusive content ‘Tipping’: Giving users ability to pay people they follow for exclusive content. Twitter just acquired Revue, a newsletter startup, so it’s clear the company is interested in this general model.
- “undo send” feature to allow users to recall a tweet up to 30 seconds after sending it. Twitter currently offers no ability to edit or recall a tweet after it is sent, but users can delete a tweet.
- Ad-free feed. This may be a popular idea among consumers, but doing this would also put Twitter’s most prominent business at risk.
- Consumer features. Profile-customization options such as custom colors for their profiles and badges. You get a badge(s) on your profile that links you to businesses you own or work for. Example: A journalist can have a badge showing the magazines they write for.
- Higher-quality video. twitter has mentioned this idea, which makes more sense for video creators who want to upload high-quality video or clips that are longer.
It is still unclear which products will eventually reach Twitter consumers.
Twitter’s vision to build a subscription service was also complicated by rivals, including Facebook Inc., which has always been free.
Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has argued that charging users would cut into growth and hurt the company’s mission to connect the world.
When it acquired the messaging app WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014, it killed the app’s $1 annual subscription to encourage more people to sign up.
