Why Twitter Shouldn’t Charge Super Users

Robert Scoble asks if Twitter should charge super users, a concept raised by Om Malik. For those of you who aren’t using this service - it is a much hyped notification platform that I wrote about in the past.

Well, NO. Twitter shouldn’t charge super users such as Scoble because they the soul of the service and its best promoters. When Scoble, Pulver and others use this service, they attract cutting edge users and social media addicts - the early adopters of new technologies. Charging them for usage will diminish its popularity.

Is there a business model for Twitter? Open and honest, the only way I see Twitter making money is if they create an enterprise offering. Currently there is no major barrier of entry for twitter competitors. Twitter is a young, unstable platform, and any attempt to charge for it in its current state will be a huge mistake.


  • I have already approached Twitter informally about putting an installation behind the firewall for one of my enterprise clients & been firmly rebuffed as it is not part of their 'vision'.



    It was the first application of the technology that I thought of when I saw it.
  • Kate, yep that's true.. however, you can use a wordpress template for that.
  • It's like the movie business -- the "vision" of your "garbage" script is unassailable -- but once the studios come a-knocking with the six-figure signing bonuses, somehow, guano -- almost alchemy-like -- converts to gold.
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