Twitter to launch a paid-for service for businesses

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone has announced plans for a paid-for business version of the service as well as new foreign-language versions, according to reports.

Stone said that in exchange for paying a fee, businesses that sign up to the new commercial accounts would get access to Twitter's marketing machine and other tools, according to the Dow Jones.

The new foreign language versions of the service in the pipeline include French, German and Spanish, Stone said.

The firm also plans to make a syndication platform available, which Stone said would give a useful insight into user behaviours and trends.

Speaking at an event held by professional services giant Ernst & Young, Stone said the additions would come soon, but would not give any further release details.

Enterprises may appreciate a business specific account, but will be hoping that it comes with more protection than Twitter's Verified accounts for celebrity users.

Just yesterday a Twitter account operated by pop singer Britney Spears was hacked, changed, and updated.

Earlier this week, the firm announced that it had suspended a limited trial of its retweet service after being plagued by technical problems – just days after it went live.