Introduction
This article covers monetizing 1.5 billion Twitter handles that will become available after Elon Musk deletes the inactive Twitter profiles. NOT how to monetize your current handle. Let’s jump right in.
Looking for a way to capture the Twitter handle or handles you’ve been eyeing since you first created a twitter account?
Then check out https://handle.horse/ by @marckohlbrugge on Twitter. And get notified when your favorite Twitter @handle becomes available.
Speaking of which, does anybody know who owns @moonkid on Twitter? The user hasn’t posted since 2016… This isn’t real, right?
Anyway, I set up my alerts using handle.horse so I’ll be notified via email when @MoonKid becomes available. I set up a few other alerts but with only two Twitter accounts I’m not sure I’ll be able to get any. Which leads me to…
Monetizing 1.5 Billion Twitter Handles
Sure, getting an email notification is great. But by the time I read the email and log into my user settings it will probably be gone.
Monetizing Twitter Handles with Bots
I’ve built a couple twitter bots. Twitter’s API is fairly simple to navigate and their forum is top notch. Check out more HERE. If you were able to create a bot that automatically registers a newly available handle, you could charge a subscription for the service. How I’d do it:
- Price: $100/week per handle (Musk moves fast)
- Use bots to reach out to domain community and large accounts with less desirable names
- Get domainers to retweet your bot and let the viral nature of Twitter take off
Monetizing Handles via a Marketplace
Instead of allowing users to use your bot for their desired handle. You could keep the handles for yourself and create a marketplace for buyers. This is a little trickier since the handle has to be associated with an active account.
Careful Consideration:
This is just a blog and not advice. I’m brainstorming early on a Saturday morning. Take a look at Twitter’s Username squatting policy HERE.
It seems you can make a case for the bot method of helping users acquire the recently available names since the handles in question are not under your control. Proceed at your own risk. I know I’d pay for this.
When will the Twitter accounts be deleted?
Like I said, Musk moves fast. He officially took control of Twitter on October 27, 2022. Roughly a week later he laid off half of Twitter’s workforce and rolled out the new Twitter Blue. By November 11, Musk paused the new verifications.
Given it has been less than two days since Musk made the announcement it is hard to tell when these stale handles will hit the market. I am guessing this will be sometime in early January. Unless, Musk finds a way to monetize or market these handles it will be less of a priority than anything surrounding making Twitter profitable.
Ethical Considerations
Look, we all know Hal Finney created Bitcoin (source?). And the tweets above address a valid concern. What do we do with a deceased person’s social media profile?
Control/Data/Usage
Who should control the content of the profile after their death? Let’s look at Facebook, sorry, Meta. Users have the option to choose a “Legacy Contact” who will be able to moderate the profile after their death. The Legacy Contact also has the option to delete the profile if they choose. I’m in favor of this route.
Another ethical consideration is how to handle the data associated with deceased accounts, such as profile pictures, posts, and messages. Should these be preserved, or should they be deleted in order to protect the privacy of the deceased user?
Finally, what about accounts with active subscribers? Should they be preserved as is, open for continued tweeting, or shut down? A limit on new interaction could serve two purposes:
- Protect current subscribers from possible exploitation from bad actors.
- Protect the deceased account’s family members from harassment.
This is a difficult and polarizing topic.
Conclusion
Let’s get the handles we want.