Twitter to charge commercial users

Twitter is set to launch an enhanced version of its service this year, specifically designed for commercial users, according to founder Biz Stone.

The micro-blogging social networking service has brought forward plans to start charging commercial users, in order to generate more revenue by next year.

Stone confirmed the network’s commercial expansion, saying: “We have lots of time for experimentation with regard to revenue generation, so we’ll probably be trying a few different things this year.

“We think there will be opportunities to provide services to commercial entities that help them get even more value out of Twitter,” he added.

Twitter is becoming more and more popular among business users – Microsoft and online marketing company Federated Media both launched ExecTweets on Monday, a website that allows users to see Twitter messages from business executives.

CRM provider Salesforce.com also launched a Twitter application this week, which costs $995 (£686) per month.

Around seven million people used the sight in February, according to data from Nielsen Online.