We've been estranged for a while, Twitter and I. Of late, I've only been using the platform to snoop. But with the latest news that Twitter is expanding its tip features to users around the world so that followers can now show love to their peers via tips in either fiat or bitcoin, I guess it's time for me to crack my tweeting fingers and head on back.
Jack Dorsey, show me the money!
Okay, seriously, let's unpack this.
Twitter's Tip Jar
In early May of this year, Twitter rolled out its Tip Jar on a trial basis, however, this feature was not universally accessible.
At the time, the microblogging site stated:
"Tips is an easy way to support the incredible voices that make up the conversation on Twitter... For now, a limited group of people around the world who use Twitter in English can add Tips to their profile and accept tips. This group includes creators, journalists, experts, and nonprofits.
Universal Tips
This month, the company announced that it would be expanding the feature, now called Tips, and rolling it out to everyone with more payment options to choose from- even crypto.
The feature was rolled out on iOS devices today but will be expanding to people on Android in coming weeks.
Go, Bitcoin!
Twitter's addition of the cryptocurrency feature should come as little surprise to anyone as Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has been open about his love for bitcoin and, in addition to speaking of plans to introduce bitcoin to Twitter in the past, he has also spoken of other pro-bitcoin plans.
I see you, Jack, I see you. Get more people talking about Bitcoin, and then drop the decentralized exchange on 'em. Bam!
But seriously, how do Tips work?
Users must enable Twitter's Payment Feature and select supported payment platforms. Once the payment feature is enabled, there will be a money icon on their profile. Depending on where they are located, supported payment platforms can include PicPay, Bandcamp, Cash App, Chipper, Patreon, Razorpay, Wealthsimple Cash, Venmo and GoFundMe.
If, like me, you'd prefer cryptocurrency, Bitcoin payments will be facilitated by the Bitcoin wallet app, Strike, which runs on the Lightning Network protocol. All you have to do is share your Strike username and add a Bitcoin address to your profile. And might I add, Strike allows users to send and receive payments anywhere, instantly, for free. Like, show me the mo- Alakazam!
Now, I'm anxious, cuz I've got a million things I wanna tweet about. But first, let me head on over to Strike.
On the real though, guys, I think this is a good strategic move by Twitter which will certainly drive adoption, not only for cryptocurrency in general, and bitcoin, in particular, but it's also an excellent initiative for the company as it can certainly expect to see user engagement increase in the coming months.
But what do you think? Do you think this is a step in the right direction? And if you aren't already doing so, will you be establishing a presence on Twitter and adding that Bitcoin address to your profile anytime soon? I'd love to hear your take on this.
Well that's it for me today, guys. I'm off thinking about pithy lines to tweet.
As always, until the next one, be safe!
