Mike Masnick ✅
So, uh, not pleased that Elon is now implying I might be a gullible sucker who would pay him his monthly "I'm a gullible sucker" fee. Dude should just take away our legacy blue checks like he promised.
Apr 2, 2023 at 8:52pmWeb
Show threadMike Masnick ✅Apr 2, 2023

So, as @chancerydaily points out, legacy blue checks who don't want the blue checks are currently stuck with the blue checks and Musk is implying they may be paying.

And the only way to hide the blue check is if you actually do pay, where you will soon get an option to hide the fact that you pay.

This truly is the dumbest timeline.

Show threadRairiiApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick @chancerydaily and yet the API responses still show legacy verified and other verified as separate lol
Show threadSarahApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick @chancerydaily I *think* a workaround would be to change your Twitter username, which in the past has led to at least temporarily losing verified status? So someone could do that then change it back? But honestly that sounds like a hassle and who knows if that would even work at this point
Show threadFelix SalmonApr 2, 2023
@SarahOestreich @mmasnick @chancerydaily This used to work (change your handle, change it back) but who knows whether it still does
Show threadFelix SalmonApr 3, 2023
@SarahOestreich @mmasnick @chancerydaily confirmed it still works https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1642701686346006528?s=46&t=9QGxqBnWoSXrckYfuY6KQA
Matthew Yglesias on Twitter

“Thanks to folks who gave me the tip that changing your username will get you de-verified. 👍”

Twitter
Show threadhybrid havocApr 2, 2023

@mmasnick
I'm not a lawyer, so I wonder about the legality of falsely claiming endorsements from public figures, and if this text lying about popular figures paying for Blue would fall into such a category.

Or maybe you're all in the top whatever percent of users that may be given Blue for free. Whether you want it or not.

Show threadAlex ZaniApr 2, 2023
@hybridhavoc @mmasnick Re-read the text above. It's not lying.
Show threadDirk HohndelApr 2, 2023

@mmasnick
Or you could just, you know, hear me out here, not give a duck and leave the stupid hell site.

But that's the thing. Too many people crave the attention. I haven't been on Twitter in five months and am thrilled.

Edited to add...
This was NOT meant to imply that Mike is craving the attention (but poorly phrased). It's meant to say that so many people still spend so much time over there and it seems just not giving a duck about Twitter would be better...

@chancerydaily

Show threadMike Masnick ✅Apr 2, 2023
@dirkhh @chancerydaily as I keep saying, I kinda need to be there for my job. My account is locked down and I barely tweet, so maybe don't scold people you don't know?
Show threadDirk HohndelApr 2, 2023

@mmasnick
Not sure I'm "scolding"
I just think that less attention to Twitter would be better.

@chancerydaily

Show threadThat Anonymous CowardApr 2, 2023

@mmasnick @chancerydaily

Elmo found out that all these people wouldn't pay, so he created yet another way to get paid.

The fake tweet from his mother about him being a disappointment doesn't seem harsh enough now does it?

Show threadCarlGApr 2, 2023

@mmasnick @chancerydaily It's surprisingly brilliant. Sure, Musk is devaluing the blue check and killing the verification which attracted both creators and readers alike.

But now he's protecting his subscribers from being blocked en masse, and effectively extorting actual notables into paying to remove the mark of chumps.

Show threadDon WhitesideApr 2, 2023
@CarlG314 @mmasnick @chancerydaily now really, what’s the more likely thing here? Brilliant strategy or they have just jerked up another enhancement such that it displays incorrectly? I know where I’d bet.
Show threadCarlGApr 2, 2023

@donw @mmasnick @chancerydaily Blind squirrel, acorn etc.

What's funny is that Musk intended to sell prestige (the blue check), but this move is a recognition that all he's done is devalue it so much it now has a stigma attached to it.

Show threadNick 'The Viking'Apr 2, 2023

@mmasnick @chancerydaily

Gotta admit, it seems effective at extorting nearly everybody but it seems lots of work vs. just changing it to subscription and calling it a day.

But that method would be far less enshittifying so perhaps that's the draw.

Show threadMartin Vermeer FCDApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick @chancerydaily "Nice blue check you have there. Would be a shame if all your friends could see it"
Show threadsynApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick @chancerydaily can I pay even more to see which people are hiding that they pay?
Show threadMichał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦Apr 2, 2023

@mmasnick @chancerydaily so basically the one real service Twitter Blue offers to owners of formerly verified accounts is the ability to hide that checkmark?

Absolute genious.

Show threadAntipope SuperstarApr 2, 2023
@rysiek @mmasnick @chancerydaily it's honestly an amazing move I respect it
Show threadAlexander The 1stApr 2, 2023
@rysiek @mmasnick @chancerydaily "If you refuse to pay the protection fee, we can't do anything if somebody happens to coincidentally verify who you are..."
Show threadRob ArthurApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick @chancerydaily you can change your display name, right? should get rid of your blue check (worked for me, though that was a while ago)
Show threadDanApr 2, 2023

@mmasnick @chancerydaily

So it gets even more interesting: I have not updated my app since Musk took over. As of this weekend, I no longer see paid verified badges at all. I only see real legacy ones.

A Musk reply-guy who shows up as "verified" on the web, has no check on my app. He must be paid.

Meanwhile, real verified folks like you do have a check and are listed as “This account is verified because it's notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category.”

Show threadauthor_is_stribikaApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick @chancerydaily Bluecheck-jacketing.
Show threadMichael O’NealApr 2, 2023

@mmasnick @chancerydaily

So the question for @Popehat : if this situation persists past their self-imposed deadline, is this defamation by implication? Since it implies you were dumb enough to pay and you can’t get rid of it?

Show threadMike Masnick ✅Apr 2, 2023
@onealmp @chancerydaily @Popehat it's not. The "or" easily saves him, among other things...
Show threadMichael O’NealApr 3, 2023
@mmasnick @chancerydaily @Popehat I guessed it wouldn’t be. Hadn’t considered the mitigating effect of the description.
Show threadPPNApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick @chancerydaily the funny part is that Musk thinks that his trolling worked and he is being smart. But he really is a dumbass. He just had the text changed, the flags are still there 🤣
Show threadThird spruce tree on the leftApr 3, 2023

@mmasnick @chancerydaily So, if I have a blue check and don't want a blue check, I'm stuck with a blue check that shows I want it.

Doc: *Yeah*.

And If I want to get rid of the check, to show I don't want it, I have to buy the check. Then once I have the check, I can get rid of the check.

Doc: *You got it*.

<long whistle>

Yosarian: Thats some check, that Check-Twenty-Blue

Doc: *Its the best there is!*

#catch22 #birdsite #yossarian #bluecheck

Show threadThird spruce tree on the leftApr 3, 2023
@mmasnick @chancerydaily Not to imply Musk is as handsome as a young John Voight, but flying half his Twitter staff to Sardinia because they can get a great deal on eggs for the mess-hall seems totally like what Musk would be doing right now.
Show threadMike Masnick ✅Apr 3, 2023
@tezoatlipoca @chancerydaily bravo, bravo... one of my favorite books...
Show threadahistorical immaterialistApr 3, 2023
@mmasnick @chancerydaily easy to hide the blue tick if you delete your account and log off 🤘
Show threadSam GrossApr 3, 2023
@mmasnick @chancerydaily Heu, they successfully incentivized you to pay so.. that’s a win?
Show threadJarvis SlacksApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick You could always, I don't know, get off Twitter.
Show threadMike Masnick ✅Apr 2, 2023

@Jayslacks I kinda need it for work.

What is it with so many people on Mastodon who feel they should tell other people what they should or should not do?

Show threadASP ¯\_(ツ)_/¯Apr 2, 2023

@mmasnick @Jayslacks

Its a very enthusiastic community 🤷‍♂️

But you are correct, heard similar explanations from other journalists. Its still a bigger platform with many more users. If you need this platform for communication you have to be active on this platform. No one to blame for that

Similar reason why people have to use Windows even if there are enough alternatives like Linux. If you need a certain program and its only available on Windows there is almost nothing you can do about it.

Show threadLouis IngenthronApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick @Jayslacks While I agree with you that that can be annoying in general, it does seem to be a somewhat reasonable response to a complaint about a major social network posted on a competitor network. I'd expect a similar response on Post, Gab, even Facebook. I don't think it's unique to Mastodon.
Show threadJarvis SlacksApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I'm just very anti-Twitter. And if every single journalist got off Twitter, it would almost instantly collapse. That website needs you, not the other way around.
Show threadMike Masnick ✅Apr 2, 2023
@Jayslacks the account is locked down. I only use it to tell people to come here. But I need to read stuff on the site for my job.
Show threadOldHoundApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick @Jayslacks Yup! Though with the way Elon is running the company into the ground, I'm not sure that there will be a Twitter left in a year's time.
Show threadGrathApr 2, 2023
@Jayslacks @mmasnick Also if he deletes his account, Elon will let someone else use that username and buy a blue check to scam people.
Show threadCraryApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick his follow-through on announced plans is truly something to behold.
Show threadSheldonApr 2, 2023

@crary @mmasnick
this makes me suspect the lack of follow through is sometimes intentional. It works in their favor this time because it implies that all sorts of people are quietly paying for Twitter Blue... and maybe you should just give in and pay up too.

That everyone knows they've been having difficulty executing turns into plausible deniability.

I'm guessing that you can't hide your checkmark as a legacy verified account unless you also pay for Twitter Blue.

What a hustle.

Show threadAlexander K.Apr 2, 2023
@mmasnick Is this because he knows people are going to go on a blocking spree once we can see who paid for Twitter and he's trying to muddy the waters so it's hard to tell the difference? It's very clear that no matter how this goes, people are going to just give up soon.
Show threadMlepApr 2, 2023
@Alexx9811 @mmasnick I went on a blocking spree of all checkmarks for a while, but found it much easier to quit twitter.
Show threadASP ¯\_(ツ)_/¯Apr 2, 2023

@mmasnick

He will probably bill you 1000$ going forward to remove this symbol of social media shame

Show threadWhitney McNamaraApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick Wait, is Elmo actually trying to go with questioning whether or not you've paid for Twitter stupid when he definitively knows otherwise (assuming any engineers who can answer the question still respond to him)?
Show threadWu Evar 🇪🇺🇺🇦Apr 2, 2023

@whitneymcn

I see two possible explanations:

1) he might intentionally muddy the water, guessing that not many people will subscribe. By keeping the legacy checkmarks he inflates the visible subscription indicators. More people might pay because you don’t look like a paying sheep and account xyz also has a blue checkmark and might pay.

2) The backlash on revoking the “legacy verification” was too big.

I think it’s option 1.

@mmasnick

Show threadJohn MinnihanApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick well you are a doofus how do you plead
Show threadhybrid havocApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick
The supposed status symbol of the check doesn't mean anything if all the cool people that were given checks for being cool are also too cool to now pay up.
Show threadGlenn FleishmanApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick Discovered it would blow a hole in the systems
Show threadJay LeeApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick I feel unclean
Show threadNormanApr 2, 2023
@mmasnick so he's now basically saying "If you want to NOT have a checkmark that might indicate paying, $8 please."