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0 pointsbradly3y ago0 comments

I believe LeBron James said recently he isn't going to waste his money on a blue checkmark, so it should be interesting to see what stays and what goes.

0 comments

anigbrowl3y ago

Most of the major news outlets are not doing so either. The Elon stans are crowing that this will be the long-overdue end of legacy media, but it strikes me that the new 'blue check twitter' might end up becoming even more of a social bubble than what it replaced. There are so many low quality accounts sporting a checkmark now that users who value substance will soon be incentivized to just block anyone they find annoying.

Avshalom3y ago

yeah, they, uh seem to have realized that's gonna be a problem.

https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/twitter-business-month...

and of course all this means is that the organizations most likely to be able to afford it won't have to

anigbrowl3y ago

Good find! It'll be funny to see if the incumbents respond with 'don't do me any favors.' Also to see whether Musk's frens sulk aboit him selling out to the elites or so - their gratitude has an extremely short half-life.

MKais3y ago

NY Times, WaPo, LA Times and other major accounts too https://www.thewrap.com/ny-times-la-times-not-pay-for-twitte...

nonethewiser3y ago

Seems dumb of them. Cost is trivial and their competition that isn’t so politically motivated will have a much further reach.

The smart move would be silent on the policy change, pay, and support rival platforms as they can. Instead they will eventually pay and look like they lost.

fooey3y ago

It's smart because Musk already blinked

The top 10,000 are getting exemptions and won't have to pay

https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/twitter-business-month...

mullingitover3y ago

> Seems dumb of them. Cost is trivial and their competition that isn’t so politically motivated will have a much further reach.

It's wild hubris for twitter to try to invoice/penalize the very users and organizations that make twitter anything but insolvent. There should be money exchanged here, but it should be flowing generously and most importantly in the other direction.

VWWHFSfQ3y ago

maybe they can make their own twitter and give themselves a big blue check mark there

runako3y ago

For the NYT to verify their official accounts plus those of their reporters (using the Twitter Blue Affiliations feature) would be $1m annually. This, for a budget line item that has heretofore been $0. In this economy, that's a reach.

I don't think the NYT is worried about "reach."

tick_tock_tick3y ago

> I don't think the NYT is worried about "reach."

LOL they are desperate for reach. Incredibly so; have you not listen to any podcast by them? They are begging people to go to their site. They get a fraction of the organic traffic they used to and nearly everything is driven from other site like Twitter, Google News, Facebook, etc. The internet age has not been kind to classic news orgs.

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nonethewiser3y ago

> I don't think the NYT is worried about "reach."

Then why are they on Twitter?

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mgiannopoulos3y ago

How do you get the 1 million figure?

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Auracle3y ago

We’re in a time where ideology trumps revenue for some companies. You know, “Get woke, go broke.”

flangola73y ago

Everyone says that about things that made tons of money though.

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myko3y ago

The phrase is "Better Broke Than Woke", we'll see how it works out for folks

dazc3y ago

I had to search who this person is, and I still could not care less.

drstewart3y ago

Depends on how they weight the is_user_china_mouthpiece variable

nonethewiser3y ago

So you need a blue check mark to reach non followers and Lebron won’t get one? Sounds like it’s making Twitter better already.

zaroth3y ago

LeBron doesn’t get $84 of value from Twitter? Definitely not a political statement going on there.

TaylorAlexander3y ago

Parent didn’t say it’s not “political”. It’s reasonable for a wealthy person to feel that a system that discriminates against the poor is not a system they want to participate in.

(Note that I use discriminate in the literal sense, as a simple statement of fact.)

nonethewiser3y ago

But the example you give is an appeal to a universal moral good. Not partisan politics. So despite saying it’s not not political, your justification is that it’s not political.

Also, how did you get a blue check before being able to buy one?

TaylorAlexander3y ago

Some people unfortunately view concern for the poor as political. However my point of mentioning politics is to say that “it’s political” is not any kind of gotcha when it was never denied as being political. Regardless of the actual justification being political or not, the “political” gotcha is nonsense.

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web3-is-a-scam3y ago

lol you don't actually believe that's his reason do you?

TaylorAlexander3y ago

LeBron started a school where poor kids can get free food and clothes. The man obviously cares.

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__jem3y ago

Twitter doesn’t get $84 of value from Lebron?

katamarimambo3y ago

Lebron famously uses the free version of Spotify. Maybe he just does not see the value of paying for the blue mark.

oneeyedpigeon3y ago

He may well, but he may have also concluded that the indirect cost of having a blue tick outweighs the benefits.

6d6b733y ago

Like it or not but it's the twitter that gets value from celebrities. How many people are on social networks jusy so see what their fav celebrites are doing?

nonethewiser3y ago

It obviously goes both ways. Social media is a megaphone and ego boost for celebs.

mullingitover3y ago

The problem for twitter is it isn't the only game in town when it comes to social media, not by a long shot. They're not even in the top ten. They're a megaphone in a large pile of megaphones, and those other megaphones don't bite the hand that picks them up.

ceejayoz3y ago

Twitter needs the LeBrons of the world far more than they need Twitter.

1 more reply

dazc3y ago

What their fav celebrites say -v- what 'the media' says?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

anigbrowl3y ago

Avshalom3y ago

yeah, they, uh seem to have realized that's gonna be a problem.

https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/twitter-business-month...

and of course all this means is that the organizations most likely to be able to afford it won't have to

anigbrowl3y ago

MKais3y ago

NY Times, WaPo, LA Times and other major accounts too https://www.thewrap.com/ny-times-la-times-not-pay-for-twitte...

nonethewiser3y ago

Seems dumb of them. Cost is trivial and their competition that isn’t so politically motivated will have a much further reach.

The smart move would be silent on the policy change, pay, and support rival platforms as they can. Instead they will eventually pay and look like they lost.

fooey3y ago

It's smart because Musk already blinked

The top 10,000 are getting exemptions and won't have to pay

https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/twitter-business-month...

mullingitover3y ago

> Seems dumb of them. Cost is trivial and their competition that isn’t so politically motivated will have a much further reach.

VWWHFSfQ3y ago

maybe they can make their own twitter and give themselves a big blue check mark there

runako3y ago

I don't think the NYT is worried about "reach."

tick_tock_tick3y ago

> I don't think the NYT is worried about "reach."

1 more reply

nonethewiser3y ago

> I don't think the NYT is worried about "reach."

Then why are they on Twitter?

1 more reply

mgiannopoulos3y ago

How do you get the 1 million figure?

1 more reply

Auracle3y ago

We’re in a time where ideology trumps revenue for some companies. You know, “Get woke, go broke.”

flangola73y ago

Everyone says that about things that made tons of money though.

1 more reply

myko3y ago

The phrase is "Better Broke Than Woke", we'll see how it works out for folks

dazc3y ago

I had to search who this person is, and I still could not care less.

drstewart3y ago

Depends on how they weight the is_user_china_mouthpiece variable

nonethewiser3y ago

So you need a blue check mark to reach non followers and Lebron won’t get one? Sounds like it’s making Twitter better already.

zaroth3y ago

LeBron doesn’t get $84 of value from Twitter? Definitely not a political statement going on there.

TaylorAlexander3y ago

Parent didn’t say it’s not “political”. It’s reasonable for a wealthy person to feel that a system that discriminates against the poor is not a system they want to participate in.

(Note that I use discriminate in the literal sense, as a simple statement of fact.)

nonethewiser3y ago

But the example you give is an appeal to a universal moral good. Not partisan politics. So despite saying it’s not not political, your justification is that it’s not political.

Also, how did you get a blue check before being able to buy one?

TaylorAlexander3y ago

1 more reply

web3-is-a-scam3y ago

lol you don't actually believe that's his reason do you?

TaylorAlexander3y ago

LeBron started a school where poor kids can get free food and clothes. The man obviously cares.

1 more reply

__jem3y ago

Twitter doesn’t get $84 of value from Lebron?

katamarimambo3y ago

Lebron famously uses the free version of Spotify. Maybe he just does not see the value of paying for the blue mark.

oneeyedpigeon3y ago

He may well, but he may have also concluded that the indirect cost of having a blue tick outweighs the benefits.

6d6b733y ago

Like it or not but it's the twitter that gets value from celebrities. How many people are on social networks jusy so see what their fav celebrites are doing?

nonethewiser3y ago

It obviously goes both ways. Social media is a megaphone and ego boost for celebs.

mullingitover3y ago

ceejayoz3y ago

Twitter needs the LeBrons of the world far more than they need Twitter.

1 more reply

dazc3y ago

What their fav celebrites say -v- what 'the media' says?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse