Over a third of businesses would not pay for Twitter if the popular micro-blogging site began charging companies for use, according to the latest V3.co.uk reader poll.

Some 37 per cent of respondents said that Twitter should remain free to all, while 11 per cent felt that the site should make its money from online adverts.

Only seven per cent of respondents said their firm would pay if it meant that they could monitor their brand across Twitter, while 10 per cent would agree to a charge if it reduced the risk of cyber squatting. Around 36 per cent of respondents indicated that they do not use Twitter as a business tool.

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said in an interview with Bloomberg last week that the firm was planning to charge businesses to verify their accounts, in an attempt to reduce the increasing incidents of cyber squatting on the site.

Initially, Twitter will target a few big name firms, including Dell and Starbucks, whose names are likely to be attractive to cyber squatters, the firm said.