The thorny problem of how creative people might get paid for content they put online has persisted for the best part of 20 years.
Jack Conte, chief executive of creative content platform Patreon – one of the companies seeking to solve that issue by encouraging subscription payments to creators – sees those past two decades as a period when distribution was thoroughly figured out, but the economics remained elusive.
“The next 20 years is going to be [about] rebuilding the financial engine to get creative people paid,” he said in a recent podcast interview.
[These features] will allow creators and publishers to be directly supported by their audience and will incentivise them to continue creating content that their audience loves
Twitter
Today, across the web, you can see that challenge being tackled head on. Social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are introducing new ways for creators to be paid for their music, jokes, advice or expertise.
Whole platforms, such as Substack, have been built on this single idea: audiences paying creators directly for what they do, rather than clicking on adverts to generate meagre pocket money.
Twitter is now launching two new features which seek to capitalise on this trend. Super Follows allows creators to accept subscription payments through the platform in return for exclusive content. Ticketed Spaces, meanwhile, expand Twitter’s burgeoning Spaces feature – essentially an audio chatroom, not dissimilar to a live podcast – to allow charging for admission.
“[These features] will allow creators and publishers to be directly supported by their audience and will incentivise them to continue creating content that their audience loves,” said Twitter.
Super Follows is being tested in the US, with a view to launching globally. To join the scheme you must be at least 18 years old, have 10,000 followers or more and tweet regularly (at least 25 tweets in the previous 30 days). If your application is accepted, you could charge people $2.99, $4.99 or $9.99 a month to become your Super Follower. But what do you give them in return?
“It could be tweets, it could be DMs [direct messages]” said Kayvon Beykpour, product lead at Twitter, on The Verge podcast. “It could be subscriber-only Spaces. It could be subscriber-only newsletters. Think of it as stitching together all the current and new and upcoming forms of content that someone can create on the platform, and really having this new subscriber layer – a new community, essentially.”
This idea of community is central to Twitter’s new initiatives. Like Patreon, it believes that it isn’t about the quantity of content an audience member might get for their $2.99, but more about them recognising and rewarding creators whose work they value.
Ticketed Spaces has a similar community thrust: creators can charge a ticket price of between $1 and $999 in order to connect with their followers using voice, rather than the strict limits of a 280-character tweet.
Spaces has clear parallels with other new audio platforms such as Clubhouse and Greenroom, but Twitter is the first to offer paid admission (as opposed to a tipping feature), and Beykpour said that it’s “fundamentally Twitter”, for good or bad. It just has a new wrapper.
“I think the rise of this audio renaissance that’s happening right now is interesting,” he said. “[Having] serendipitous conversations with people, but doing it in a way that is synchronous rather than asynchronous, and powered by the human voice.”
After many years of remaining fairly static as a platform, these two new initiatives are part of a suite of features being added to Twitter as the firm seeks new revenue streams, including the forthcoming Twitter Blue subscription service, which is rumoured to include new features such as “undo tweet”.
Advertising accounted for 86 per cent of the platform’s revenue in 2020, according to Twitter's annual financial report, but a feature such as Super Follows could, if it works, net a new income stream for the firm, as well as the creators they’re trying to support.
Twitter will take 3 per cent of the first $50,000 in revenue (that’s after Apple and Google’s inevitable commission on in-app purchases), which increases to 20 per cent thereafter.
But the jury is out on whether it will work. One of the attractions of Twitter over the years has been its level playing field, enabling people in and out of the public eye to freely converse in a way they were never able to before.
Putting content behind a paywall could create a platform that’s far less egalitarian; more of a “them and us” scenario, where some people broadcast and the rest listen.
Creators may also have to get used to smaller audiences. Currently, Twitter can direct thousands or millions of people to viral tweets in a very short space of time, but charging will hugely restrict its visibility. It’s a reiteration of the burning question at the heart of the creator economy: do you want exposure or do you want to be paid?
Some percentage of your super fans will totally be willing to pay for content that is exclusive
Kayvon Beykpour,
product lead at Twitter
Lastly, there’s the ever-present question of whether people will want to pay for things they’ve traditionally had for free – particularly when there’s a massive oversupply of things for us to read, watch and listen to.
Bekypour’s take is, naturally, a positive one: “You have a tremendous amount of incentive to create some form of content for all to see, because that’s how you build an audience. And then some percentage of your super fans will totally be willing to pay for content that is exclusive.”
Patreon has shown that the idea of a closer community yielding a financial pay-off can work, but when YouTube tried it – with paid channels, fan funding and channel memberships – none caught on. Patreon’s Conte believes that enabling a flourishing, financially rewarded creative sector is really down to trust in the platform itself.
Whether we trust Twitter to successfully mediate between talent and audience is something that the next few months will slowly reveal.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
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ILT20%20UAE%20stars
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Honeymoonish
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What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
SECRET%20INVASION
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Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Allardyce's management career
Clubs (10) - Limerick (1991-1992), Perston North End (1992), Blackpool (1994-1996), Notts County (1997-1999), Bolton Wanderers (1999-2007), Newcastle United (2007-2008), Blackburn Rovers (2008-2010), West Ham United (2011-2015), Sunderland (2016), Crystal Palace (2016-2017)
Countries (1) - England (2016)
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Company%C2%A0profile
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
more from Janine di Giovanni
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