The Wonder of Tech

You are here: Home / Social Media / Twitter Blue — Is It Best for You?

/

Twitter Blue — Is It Best for You?

The estimated reading time for this post is 5 minutes

If your life includes a daily dose of Twitter, you may want to check out a paid subscription service called Twitter Blue. This service adds new features that could help you make the most of Twitter, including some features you may not even realized that you wanted.

New Subscription Service

Find out how to take better control of your Twitter followers with => Twitter Launches “Soft Block” — A New Way to Deal with Annoying Followers

About Twitter Blue

Twitter Blue was first launched in June, exclusively in Canada and Australia. Since then, Twitter has been testing Twitter Blue and figuring out which features to add for a wider launch.

Last week, Twitter announced that Twitter Blue was bringing the service to the United States and New Zealand and expanding its features based upon user feedback. Now, Twitter users in these four countries have access to Twitter Blue with its advanced features.

Features for Twitter Blue Subscribers

Subscribers to Twitter Blue pay ($2.99 per month in the U.S.) for these features:

Ad-free Articles

If a Twitter Blue subscriber clicks on a link to an ad-free article in Twitter, they’ll see the article without advertisements. Participating publications will share in the proceeds from Twitter Blue, which Twitter says helps support journalism. Twitter explained in its announcement:

In continuing our commitment to strengthen and support publishers and a free press, a portion of the revenue from Twitter Blue subscription fees goes directly to publishers within our network. Our goal is to help each publishing partner make 50% more per person than they would’ve made from serving ads to that person. A better experience for readers – and more support for the journalism they care about.“

In the U.S., publications that have ad-free articles available on Twitter Blue (as of this writing) include The Washington Post, L.A. Times, USA TODAY, The Atlantic, Reuters, The Daily Beast, Rolling Stone, BuzzFeed, Business Insider, Vox, Recode, Salon, and The Hollywood Reporter.

A full list of Twitter Blue ad-free publications is available here: Twitter Blue ad-free publications.

Articles Ad-Free Twitter Blue

Note that Twitter Blue does not remove advertising or promoted tweets from Twitter, so you’ll still see those in your Timeline if you subscribe. Also, Twitter Blue does not remove publication paywalls, so any articles that are blocked by a paywall will still be blocked with Twitter Blue.

Top Articles

People who use Twitter as a news source may appreciate the Top Articles feature of Twitter Blue. With the new Top Articles section in Twitter Blue, subscribers can see the top articles shared within the past 24 hours by their network.

Update: Twitter announced a few hours after this article was published that Top Articles is now available on iOS as well as Android and desktop:

Reader View

Do long Twitter threads confuse you? Reader View for Twitter Blue solves that problem. With Reader View, Twitter threads are combined into a single tweet so you can read uninterrupted. You can also enlarge the size of the font of the single tweet from a thread.

Customize Your Twitter Experience

Twitter Blue also lets you customize the colors of your Twitter experience. Choose from different colored Twitter icons and themes in a variety of colors:

Subscribers can also customize the icons in their bottom toolbar to include six of their favorite destinations.

Undo

Similar to Gmail Undo, Twitter Blue offers Undo. Within seconds of sending a tweet, Twitter Blue subscribers can hit the Undo button to prevent the tweet from being posted. You can set the time period of Undo up to 60 seconds.

In other words, with Twitter Blue Undo Twitter waits up to 60 seconds before actually sending a tweet (which non-subscribers could do on their own with patience and practice).

Twitter Blue Undo

Are you prone to regrets? Learn more about Gmail Undo at => Gmail Undo Send – Saving You from Your Mistakes

Bookmark Folders

Subscribers to Twitter Blue can create folders to organize their bookmarks.

Bookmark Folders Twitter Blue

Longer Video Uploads

Twitter Blue subscribers who upload videos will no longer be limited to 2-minute videos. Instead, subscribers can upload videos up to 10 minutes in length.

Pin Favorite Conversations

Much like having pinned text message threads in the iPhone Messages app, Twitter Blue subscribers can pin up to four conversations at the top of their Direct Messages.

First to Try New Features

Twitter Blue users will be the first to try new features and be able to give feedback. These new features may end up being offered exclusively to Twitter Blue subscribers, become available for everyone on Twitter, or be eliminated, based on Twitter Blue feedback.

Poll

Are you interested in subscribing to Twitter Blue: Vote in today’s Wonder of Tech poll to share your opinion:

Availability and Pricing of Twitter Blue

Twitter Blue is currently available in these countries for these monthly subscription fees:

  • Canada – $3.49 CAD
  • Australia – $4.49 AUD
  • New Zealand – NZ$4.49
  • The United States – $2.99

The Twitter apps for both iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Android have Twitter Blue available, though not all features are currently available on all platforms. For example, colorful themes, custom navigation, and pinned Direct Messages are only available on the iOS app. And longer video uploads are only available via Twitter desktop.

To sign up for Twitter Blue, go to twitter.com or the Twitter app and look for the Twitter Blue tab in the main menu.

Subscribe to Twitter Blue

For more information, follow @TwitterBlue on Twitter.

Your Thoughts

What do you think of Twitter Blue? Do you think the price is fair for all of the new features? What features would you like to see offered by Twitter Blue?

Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin6
6 Shares

Subscribe to The Wonder of Tech!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa Sicard says

    Hi Carolyn, the only feature I really like is the undo but I’m disappointed you still see the ads and such in the stream. I do not need the topic articles as I have lists for that that I use.
    It will be interesting to see how these blue accounts pan out. I do think they may get better reach and engagement for the premium they are paying. Thanks for sharing the good and bad of Twitter Blue Carolyn!

    • Carolyn Nicander Mohr says

      Hi Lisa, Yes, promoted tweets can often be jarring if you’re seeing them in the middle of a conversation or a topic.

      I did end up subscribing and am enjoying the Top Articles being curated in one section, though I find it frustrating that the Top Articles feature isn’t available on the iOS app.

      You’re right, it will be interesting to see whether Twitter Blue succeeds and what new features will be added in the future.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Twitter Blue with us, Lisa!

  2. Tom Pick says

    Excellent summary Carolyn, thanks for putting this together! I view this as a good start, though I’m not sure Twitter Blue is compelling based on these features yet.

    • Carolyn Nicander Mohr says

      Hi Tom, I’m so glad you found this article helpful.

      Good point, people on the fence may want to wait to see what additional features Twitter Blue offers in the future before signing up for a Twitter Blue subscription. I signed up and am enjoying Top Articles, but am hoping that feature comes to the iOS app soon.

  3. Ajasa says

    Thanks for sharing Twitter Blue, the piece was top-notch!. Twitter adding a poll-features looks promising in terms of user engagement

  5. Barbara Klein says

    Apparently, interesting features would come with Twitter Blue. As a Twitter addict, I like it. And the price is okay too. Thanks for the information, Carolyn!

  6. Ileane Smith says

    Hi Carolyn
    Fantastic review of Twitter Blue. I’m a huge fan of using it so far.
    One of my favorite features is uploading longer videos. I noticed the Top Articles feature finally made to my iPhone yesterday and that’s another feature I’m excited to use.
    Thanks!

    • Carolyn Nicander Mohr says

      Hi Ileane, Yes, I updated this article to let readers know that Twitter Blue brought Top Articles to iOS soon after this article was published. I am a big fan of Top Articles and enjoy having it on my iPhone as well as my computer.

      That’s great you’re able to upload longer videos to Twitter now with Twitter Blue. Your videos are wonderful, they’re like visiting in your home with a cup of coffee and chatting with a friend while learning fascinating information. I’m glad you’re able to share more on Twitter with Twitter Blue now, Ileane.

  7. Praveen Rajarao says

    Hi Carolyn,
    Great review of Twitter Blue, it’s new to me and I think there is great value in the service (just $2.99 a month). However, I am looking at a social platform which provides a “reel” like feature. I am more hooked onto Pinterest now, where I can create my Idea Pins and its pretty solid in reaching audience of similar interests.

    • Carolyn Nicander Mohr says

      Hi Praveen, Yes, I’m a big fan of Pinterest also. I wonder whether Pinterest will follow and offer a premium subscription level.

      Twitter is certainly setting an affordable price for Twitter Blue. That will probably help to draw subscribers who want to try it out.

  8. Sushma says

    HI Carolyn,
    Great Post! I think for those who prefer to read tweets in chronological order, this is a useful feature that combines all of the tweets in the same thread into one larger post.
    Overall, I think it’s a good deal if you use it often. The problem is that if they raise prices without introducing new features, it’s probably not worth it for the vast majority of people.

    • Carolyn Nicander Mohr says

      Hi Sushma, Good point, if Twitter raised the price of Twitter Blue without offering any new features, they probably would lose subscribers. But you don’t have to commit to the subscription, you can cancel for the next month.

      Alternatively, if Twitter Blue adds new features without raising the price, they may gain new subscribers. If the features currently offered aren’t enticing enough for you, wait to see what new features Twitter Blue offers in the future.

  9. Aden Falcon says

    Great review about the pros and cons of Twitter Blue. Maybe I should give it a try in the future.