On May 3rd local time, Twitter officially launched Spaces, a live voice conversation feature that had already been partially tested. Offers the ability to host (create) a Space for any account with more than 600 followers on Twitter.
Space is a function that allows users to invite friends and followers to their “room (Space)” on the Twitter app for iOS / Android and have a voice conversation. Since December 2020, the iOS app has been tested with a very limited number of accounts, and since March 2021, the Android app has also been tested.
When a user you follow starts or speaks in a space, a purple bubble is displayed at the top of the timeline (the same column as Fleet, whose posts disappear after 24 hours), and anyone can participate as a listener. You can react with pictograms and check the captions (subtitles) of pinned tweets and remarks. It is also possible to request a statement from the host. A page summarizing how to use the space and its functions is posted on Twitter's help center for Japan.
As for why spaces can be hosted (created) for "accounts with more than 600 followers", Twitter said, "There is an existing audience, so it is suitable for hosting live conversations." It is explained that
In addition to reading people's opinions in tweets, the company will now be able to hear and speak live in spaces about what's happening and what's important. We encourage open conversations with depth and strength. It can be used for small conversations with a few people, or for large discussions with thousands of listeners, such as connecting with artists, playing games, and summarizing the latest news.
From now on, "Ticketed Spaces", which realizes monetization for hosts (organizers), will be available to some groups within the next few months. The host sets the price and number of tickets by himself and sells the tickets, and gets most of the sales, and Twitter also takes a "small amount (of commission)" from it.
In addition, we plan to provide a function to register spaces scheduled in the next few weeks as reminders, to be notified when it is time to start, and a function to co-host with multiple people. It also supports pausing and customizing live subtitles. We're also enhancing the way people find active Spaces on Twitter, showing their profile picture in a purple bubble on their timeline so they can join the Space they're in.
now, everyone with 600 or more followers can host a Space.based on what we've learned, these accounts are likely to have a good experience hosting because of their existing audience.before bringing the ability to create a Space to everyone , we're focused on a few things.
— Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) May 3, 2021We've been testing and tweaking and learning from you about how to make @TwitterSpaces accessible. Today marks a huge roll-out to more accounts. host it, or join in!pic.twitter.com/VXbgP2qoJj
— Twitter Accessibility (@TwitterA11y) May 3, 2021