Twitter lets people leave tips for some tweeters
Twitter on Thursday started out letting some users add virtual tip jars to accounts so persons can support their tweets by tossing in money.
A restricted number of users all over the world who tweet in English can truly 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 you want to make it easier so that you can support each other beyond Follows, Retweets, and Likes," Crawford wrote in a weblog post.
"This is an initial part of our work to create new ways for folks to get 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 for example Patreon, PayPal or Venmo to send money to a creator, according to Crawford.
Twitter does not take any cut of tips, she said.
"Soon, more people should be able to add Tip Jar with 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 persons spending more time at the service.
Twitter the other day reported weaker-than-expected earnings and disappointing user growth.
Twitter has struggled to expand beyond its core audience of celebrities, journalists and political leaders, regardless if it has become a crucial 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.
Source: japantoday.com
