microblogging

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Users Flock to Plunk Down $50 on New Social Network

App.net promises to shield you from ads, spam

(Newser) - There's a new social network in town, or at least there soon might be. App.net is asking potential users to pay $50 to join, and in return it promises users a "real-time social feed without the ads." That must sound good to quite a few people,...

China's Censors Crack Down on Bloggers

Microblogs, TV muzzled to prevent 'excessive entertainment'

(Newser) - After years of appearing to lighten up, China’s Communist Party is clamping down on free expression. This week it ordered 34 major satellite television stations to limit themselves to two 90-minute entertainment shows a week, and to broadcast state-approved news daily, the New York Times reports. Government officials say...

Farhad Manjoo: Twitter Should Allow Tweets to Reach 280 Characters
 Why Tweets 
 Should Be 
 Twice as Long 
opinion
Jul 21, 2011 1:07 PM CDT

Why Tweets Should Be Twice as Long

You can't have 'meaningful interaction' in 140 characters

(Newser) - Call him a rebel, but Farhad Manjoo wants Twitter to double the number of characters allowed in a tweet. To many users, that’s sacrilege. But on Twitter’s fifth anniversary, “the 140-character limit feels less like a feature than a big, obvious bug,” Manjoo writes on Slate...

Twitter CEO Evan Williams Steps Down, COO Promoted

Dick Costolo will head day-to-day operations

(Newser) - Twitter co-founder and CEO Evan Williams is relinquishing leadership of the microblogging site to COO Dick Costolo, reports the Wall Street Journal . "Building things is my passion," Williams offers as explanation for the move, adding that he asked Colstolo to take over. Adds Costolo, recently "it became...

Teens: Um, Twitter Is for Lame Oldsters

Turns out it's only un-hip adults who use it

(Newser) - Sure, you keep hearing about the 140-character miracle that is Twitter, but that’s because old people are writing about it, not because all the cool kids are doing it. When old person Patrick Goldstein asked some teenagers about the microblogging site, he found out how the next generation feels:...

Ads Hit Twitter—Today
 Ads Hit Twitter—Today 
Apr 13, 2010 6:38 AM CDT

Ads Hit Twitter—Today

But, will users actually click on them?

(Newser) - Social media darling Twitter finally has a fancy new business model: a little something the media like to call selling ads. After years of speculation, the micro-blogging site will today launch an advertising platform called 'Promoted Tweets.' Advertisements will now appear at the top of search results, much like...

Twitter Closes In on 10B Tweets

Total posts up from 1B a year ago, 5B just 4 months ago

(Newser) - Twitter isn’t growing as explosively as it used to, but the volume of traffic on the microblogging site is still expanding fast enough that it should hit 10 billion total tweets in the coming days. That’s up from a billion about a year ago, and 5 billion just...

Twitter Hijacked by 'Iranian Cyber Army'

Hackers shut down site, leave anti-American message

(Newser) - Twitter was hacked last night, leaving millions of microbloggers tweetless for two hours. During that time, those who tried to access the site were greeted by a green flag and a strange message: "This site has been hacked by Iranian Cyber Army." The hackers also left this message:...

'Shit My Dad Says' Heads to TV
 'Shit My 
 Dad Says' 
 Heads to TV 
TWITTER TAKEOVER
Nov 10, 2009 11:21 AM CST

'Shit My Dad Says' Heads to TV

Son's lucrative exploitation also includes book deal

(Newser) - Move over, Al Bundy: A project based @shitmydadsays, the Twitter feed engineered by the son of a cantankerous father, has been picked up by CBS. The creators of Will and Grace are on board as executive producers, with that selfsame transcriber of a son taking writing duties. The microblog’s...

Brit Court Serves Injunction Via Twitter

Order means days of spoof Twitter accounts may be numbered

(Newser) - Britain's High Court has delivered what's believed to be the first-ever injunction served via Twitter. An anonymous Twitter user who created a spoof account called "Blaney's Blarney" using the photo of lawyer and right-wing blogger Donal Blaney has been sent a message via the site telling him to stop...

UK Court Serves Injunction Over Twitter

Conservative blogger uses tweet to notify impersonator of injunction

(Newser) - In a micro-blogging first, the UK’s High Court has ruled that a court order may be served via Tweet. The case concerns an anonymous wag who has been impersonating right-wing blogger Donal Blaney on Twitter, sending out tweets under his name with “mildly objectionable” content, the BBC reports....

Hello? I'm Calling From Twitter

Tweeters can use microblogging service to make phone calls starting today

(Newser) - Twitterers will be able to use the microblogging service to make phone calls beginning today, reports CNET News. A third party system by Jajah will make it possible to call any Twitter account by typing @call@username. The calls, which can be made for free, will be limited to two minutes...

New Twitter Rules 'Leave the Door Open' for Ads

Microblogger makes users' ownership of tweets explicit

(Newser) - Twitter’s new terms of service allow advertising, although the company has not proposed or implemented any yet, the East Bay Business Times reports. "We leave the door open for advertising. We'd like to keep our options open, as we've said before," wrote creative director Biz Stone. The...

To Sell or Not to Sell?
 To Sell or Not to Sell? 



Aug 27, 2009 7:35 AM CDT

To Sell or Not to Sell?

(Newser) - The founders of Twitter keep insisting it's not for sale, but perhaps they should think again, writes Ben Parr of tech blog Mashable. Only two weeks ago Twitter looked smart for refusing its suitors—but then Facebook made a series of big moves, from buying FriendFeed to launching a speedy...

Twitter Is Just a Fad
 Twitter Is Just a Fad 
OPINION
Jul 29, 2009 5:27 PM CDT

Twitter Is Just a Fad

Social networking site has no long-term viability: Friedman

(Newser) - Jon Friedman doesn’t really like Twitter, he writes for MarketWatch. He thinks the 140-character cap keeps Tweets superficial—which is why Ashton Kutcher loves it. It proved useful for Iranian protesters, but for those of us in relatively stable countries, Friedman agrees with blogger Jon Taplin: "Twitter has...

Landlord Sues Tenant Over Derogatory Tweet

Chicago firm claims libel after resident posts mold complaint

(Newser) - Twitter enthusiasts may want to watch what they write—a Chicago landlord has sued a tenant for libel after she posted a Tweet complaining about her apartment, the Tribune reports. “Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon realty thinks it’s okay,” Amanda...

Got 250 Twitter Followers? Best Buy May Have Opening

It may be the first time social-networking popularity has been a job requirement

(Newser) - For possibly the first time, an active Twitter following is a job requirement, the Telegraph reports. Best Buy asked that candidates for a senior marketing position at the company’s Minnesota headquarters have at least 250 followers for their Twitter pages. The posting also lists “1 year of active...

Twitter a Delicious Marketing Tool, Restaurants Find

Microblogging website allows for quick communication with customers

(Newser) - Restaurants are finding Twitter a highly useful marketing tool, allowing for direct communication with customers other forms of advertising can’t provide, the Boston Globe reports. Boston’s Tupelo (@tupelo02139), for example, used a Twitter feed to post updates as the restaurant passed inspections, set the décor and decided...

Google Set to Add Microblog Search
Google Set to
Add Microblog Search
ANALYSIS
Jun 15, 2009 2:07 PM CDT

Google Set to Add Microblog Search

But unlike Twitter's own search, it will strive for relevance

(Newser) - Evidence suggests that Google will soon introduce a “MicroBlogsearch” feature, indexing and searching Twitter and its imitators, Ars Technica reports. Google-watchers noticed a reference to the new feature hidden in Google’s translation service. Unlike Twitter’s own search, which seeks out any and all tweets containing the search...

To Entice Burglars, Just Tweet About Vacation

Even robbery doesn't stop microblogging fanatics from self-promotion

(Newser) - Going on vacation? Post a 140-character update on Twitter and you can tell all your friends—plus burglars who now know you're not at home. One prolific Twitterer returned home to Phoenix to find his house broken into, and rather proudly insisted that the criminals must have read his microblog,...

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