Twitter now allows users to add virtual tip jars to their accounts so others can support their tweets- Technology News, Firstpost

tech2 News StaffMay 07, 2021 15:04:50 IST

Twitter on Thursday began letting some users add virtual tip jars to accounts so people can support their tweets by tossing in money. A limited number of users around the world who tweet in English can add a “Tip Jar” feature to their profiles, according to Twitter senior product manager Esther Crawford.  The group included creators, journalists, experts, and non-profits.

“You drive the conversation on Twitter and we want to make it easier for you to support each other beyond Follows, Retweets, and Likes,” Crawford wrote in a blog post. “This is a first step in our work to create new ways for people to receive and show support on Twitter – with money.”

A Tip Jar icon on a profile page indicates an option to be taken to services such as Patreon, PayPal or Venmo to send money to a creator, according to Crawford.

Twitter does not take any cut of tips, she said. On Android, tips can also be sent within Spaces.

“Soon, more people will be able to add Tip Jar to their profile and we’ll expand to more languages,” Crawford said.

The one-to-many global messaging platform is keen to broaden its ranks of users and get people spending more time at the service.

Twitter last week reported weaker-than-expected earnings and disappointing user growth.

Twitter has struggled to expand beyond its core audience of celebrities, journalists and political leaders, even if it has become an important forum for policy debates.

Twitter has faced challenges in tackling misinformation and abusive content even as it strives to become a platform for political discourse.

Earlier this week, Twitter also started rolling out the Spaces feature to a wider audience. While for the rest of the world, the feature is available only to users with more than 600 followers, in India, the feature has rolled out to all Twitter users on Android and iOS.

(Also read: Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces are the Goldilocks zone of conversation – they are just right)

Twitter also announced that it is working on Ticketing Spaces, so that hosts of the conversations can be awarded for the experience they create.

Ticketed Spaces: we’re working on a way for hosts to be rewarded for the experiences they create and for listeners to have exclusive access to the convos they care about most. soon, we’ll test ticketed Spaces with a small group where hosts can set ticket prices and quantity pic.twitter.com/uHxxvmo3wC

— Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) May 3, 2021

Twitter will soon also allow users to choose up to two people to co-host a Spaces conversation with.

Co-hosting: sometimes, it’s fun to host a Space with other people. or you may want help selecting people to speak. soon, you’ll have the ability to choose up to two other people to manage participants and info about the Space, such as the title and description.

— Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) May 3, 2021

Twitter Spaces will also allow users to schedule and be notified about Spaces conversations they want to participate in.

Scheduling: no more setting your own alarms. we’re building a way to schedule a Space. this way, you can sign up to get notified when it begins. pic.twitter.com/d22pENridK

— Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) May 3, 2021

With inputs from Agence-France Presse