Welp, they did it. They updated the app. Earlier today, I noticed a new version of the Twitter app in the Apple App Store, and didn’t pay much attention. Then, I noticed the release notes.
Now, as someone who used to write these exact updates, I have a special interest in how well done release notes for apps are in general. For my money, Slack has been constantly the best in the business. But these? These were a special form of hell. We’ll start small: The punctuation, and inconsistent application of it, is atrocious. Voice and tone? I think we know whose voice it is by how well it mimics his tone-deafness. And that just leaves the stunningly surprising content.
The rumors of the $8 per month price (negotiated in an open argument with Stephen King on Twitter) have now proven true. And what does that get you? A Verified checkmark, “just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow.” Seriously‽ Now, anyone with eight bucks can pass themselves off as having gone through what used to be a — yes, confusing and slow — rigorous review to make sure you were exactly who you said you were? It’s bonkers!
Before I go on, let’s take a moment to review a little history. Verified accounts first started appearing in 2009, in an effort to “help people distinguish the authenticity of accounts that are of high public interest.” In an unbelievably prophetic nugget I found tonight, The CDC was one the first accounts to receive verification. Seriously, look for yourself.
“… the @CDCGov was one of the first Twitter accounts to be verified, in an effort to help citizens find authentic and accurate public health information straight from the source.”
But now opting in to the Twitter Blue subscription service will give you the same visual indicator, as well as higher ranking in timelines and replies, as a government entity or journalist or world leader who had to apply for verification, submit identity-affirming documentation, and agree to additional rules and restrictions about how and when your display name could change. Like I said, bonkers.
The other side of this is that if you haven’t been following each and every drop of ink spilled about the palace intrigue going on inside the bird-themed meeting rooms of 1355 Market Street, you’ll have no idea that this change has taken place. You could have been just living your life, touching grass this weekend, and Monday, you’ll see a Tweet from a newly “verified” account, and assume, “Well, they must be who they say they are because they have a blue check.” B.O.N.K.E.R.S.
I know the history of verification, and its many starts and stops, have aided its cloudy definition. It became a status symbol instead of an indicator of identity. But to just use it as-is for a price, rather than putting in the work to create a new system is not just lazy and short-sighted, it’s potentially dangerous.
There are lots of good ideas of how this could have been handled better. Heck, I have a few myself. But I haven’t work for The Bird App for more than two years, and I’m definitely not working for free for this ownership, so my ideas will remain private, for now (but if anyone still inside cares to look, there’s definitely a Google doc or two with my name on it which could help). I know that many people who are smarter about this than I have worked on these problems before and can offer intelligent, well considered options for how to make this work. Those are the verification processes and policies that should be built. Not this bonkers, desperate avarice.
I realize I’m ranting again, but that’s the point of these, isn’t it? (These are supposed to keep me from Tweeting.) So, as I continue to think out loud, a few questions:
What happens to accounts which are currently Verified if they chose not to pay for a subscription?
How soon after paying this extortion does the blue check mark appear?
Are there going to be exceptions for certain accounts which will get the blue check for free?
What kind of education will people see about the change in the process?
Can I subscribe to Twitter Blue, get the check mark, and then change my display name to something else, maybe, like, Elon Musk?
I think it’s pretty obvious that the exactitude that used to exist at Twitter is gone, replaced by the urgency to do what the owner says, when the owner says it, or be shown the door. But with all the recent reporting about some employees who got the boot being asked to come back to fix the mess the boss has created, I don’t have much confidence that this won’t get worse before it gets better. And all just days before we’re supposed to look to trusted accounts for accurate, reliable election results. I may have mentioned this before, but it is absolutely bonkers.
Never Named
05 November
My voice is my passport.
Welp, they did it. They updated the app. Earlier today, I noticed a new version of the Twitter app in the Apple App Store, and didn’t pay much attention. Then, I noticed the release notes.
Now, as someone who used to write these exact updates, I have a special interest in how well done release notes for apps are in general. For my money, Slack has been constantly the best in the business. But these? These were a special form of hell. We’ll start small: The punctuation, and inconsistent application of it, is atrocious. Voice and tone? I think we know whose voice it is by how well it mimics his tone-deafness. And that just leaves the stunningly surprising content.
The rumors of the $8 per month price (negotiated in an open argument with Stephen King on Twitter) have now proven true. And what does that get you? A Verified checkmark, “just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow.” Seriously‽ Now, anyone with eight bucks can pass themselves off as having gone through what used to be a — yes, confusing and slow — rigorous review to make sure you were exactly who you said you were? It’s bonkers!
Before I go on, let’s take a moment to review a little history. Verified accounts first started appearing in 2009, in an effort to “help people distinguish the authenticity of accounts that are of high public interest.” In an unbelievably prophetic nugget I found tonight, The CDC was one the first accounts to receive verification. Seriously, look for yourself.
But now opting in to the Twitter Blue subscription service will give you the same visual indicator, as well as higher ranking in timelines and replies, as a government entity or journalist or world leader who had to apply for verification, submit identity-affirming documentation, and agree to additional rules and restrictions about how and when your display name could change. Like I said, bonkers.
The other side of this is that if you haven’t been following each and every drop of ink spilled about the palace intrigue going on inside the bird-themed meeting rooms of 1355 Market Street, you’ll have no idea that this change has taken place. You could have been just living your life, touching grass this weekend, and Monday, you’ll see a Tweet from a newly “verified” account, and assume, “Well, they must be who they say they are because they have a blue check.” B.O.N.K.E.R.S.
I know the history of verification, and its many starts and stops, have aided its cloudy definition. It became a status symbol instead of an indicator of identity. But to just use it as-is for a price, rather than putting in the work to create a new system is not just lazy and short-sighted, it’s potentially dangerous.
There are lots of good ideas of how this could have been handled better. Heck, I have a few myself. But I haven’t work for The Bird App for more than two years, and I’m definitely not working for free for this ownership, so my ideas will remain private, for now (but if anyone still inside cares to look, there’s definitely a Google doc or two with my name on it which could help). I know that many people who are smarter about this than I have worked on these problems before and can offer intelligent, well considered options for how to make this work. Those are the verification processes and policies that should be built. Not this bonkers, desperate avarice.
I realize I’m ranting again, but that’s the point of these, isn’t it? (These are supposed to keep me from Tweeting.) So, as I continue to think out loud, a few questions:
What happens to accounts which are currently Verified if they chose not to pay for a subscription?
How soon after paying this extortion does the blue check mark appear?
Are there going to be exceptions for certain accounts which will get the blue check for free?
What kind of education will people see about the change in the process?
Can I subscribe to Twitter Blue, get the check mark, and then change my display name to something else, maybe, like, Elon Musk?
I think it’s pretty obvious that the exactitude that used to exist at Twitter is gone, replaced by the urgency to do what the owner says, when the owner says it, or be shown the door. But with all the recent reporting about some employees who got the boot being asked to come back to fix the mess the boss has created, I don’t have much confidence that this won’t get worse before it gets better. And all just days before we’re supposed to look to trusted accounts for accurate, reliable election results. I may have mentioned this before, but it is absolutely bonkers.
See you tomorrow?