Twitter posts

Twitter is used by different people for different things. It’s a communication tool for some, a news aggregator for others, and a way to spread a message for individuals and groups around the world. From the perspective of the US government, it can be a beacon of freedom as well as a source of international intelligence, which is why it makes no sense that Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman is leading the charge to have Twitter block propaganda being spread by Islamic extremists. The Senator cites a portion of the Twitter terms of service that states, “You may use the Services…

In the past, the best way to review the year was to look back through newspaper headlines and pick out the stories that were thought to be the biggest. It wasn’t an exact science and required intuition and subjective reasoning to decide what was most important to the people that year. Today, social media gives us a relatively-accurate indicator about what the general population finds interesting enough to discuss. 2011 was loaded with major events from falling regimes to natural catastrophes. Celebrities made foolish mistakes. Politicians tanked their careers. Tech companies rose. Tech…

Stunning. Intuitive. Brilliant. Worthless? The first three words in the series can clearly be used to describe the CNN #COP17 Ecosphere Project, a real-time visualization of the climate change discuss that led up to the UN Climate Change Conference 2011 being held now in Durban, South Africa. The fourth word in the series is up for debate. CNN is putting much emphasis on coverage of the conference both through their television presence as well as on the web. They have a show dedicated to the event that ran frequently in November and will continue until the end of the year. The Ecosphere project is…

The precedent has been set and it’s a very bad one. A US judge ruled that Twitter must release all of the details of Birgitta Jonsdottir’s account, as well as two others. Their links to WikiLeaks has put them under the scrutiny of the Justice Department after last year’s video of US helicopters shooting two Reuters reporters in Iraq. Speculation is that Jonsdottir is not the target but rather a piece of the case they’re currently building against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. “This is a huge blow for everybody that uses social media,” said Jonsdottir. “We have to have the same civil rights online…

One aspect of social media that is widely understood but rarely discussed is the ego-boost through empowerment that it allows. In most cases, the “empowerment” is perceived more highly than the reality, but it’s present for many of those who have never had a public voice but who now can use social media to reach people. Klout changed its algorithm earlier this week and there was (apparently) an outcry. I checked mine when I heard about it. I wasn’t sure whether it went up or down (I hadn’t checked it in months) but it has never been important enough to follow. For others, it really struck a cord. People…

They made the mistake in the beginning by not slapping a Trademark on the word that has become synonymous with the posting on their site. Now, Twitter will finally have the rights to the word, “Tweet”. James Eliason, CEO of Twittad, announced in an interview that he would transfer the registered trademark of “Tweet” over to Twitter in exchange for them dropping the lawsuit they filed against his company in September. “We’ve arrived at a resolution with Twittad that recognizes consistent use of Tweet while supporting the continued success of Twitter ecosystem partners like Twittad,”…

When Justin Bieber stopped trending on Twitter, fans were up in arms. The #occupywallstreet hashtag has never trended and the protesters are starting to take notice, even loosely starting an #occupytwitter hashtag. Much of the claims stem from investment; JP Morgan Chase, one of the targets of the protest, is an investor in Twitter. “The bottom line is that trends on Twitter are NOT the most popular terms,” said Sean Garrett, head of communications at Twitter. “They are the most ‘breaking’ and reward discussions that are new to Twitter. We are not blocking terms related…

If you use Twitter regularly, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen something about Justin Bieber in your Twitter stream. Even if you’re not friends with any of the masses of teen girls who worship the young pop star, his name is mentioned more than just about anyone. What does it say about Twitter? About social media? About society? For Twitter and social media in general, it means that there is still a “growing up” process that is currently in process. Those who were watching the Bieber phenomenon in the early days (a mere 2 years ago) are likely aware that it was fueled by its own consumption. Justin…

Let’s look at the lighter side of social media. With so many privacy concerns rolling around, turmoil around the world fueled in many ways by social media, and general shenanigans dominating status updates, we want to lighten things up a bit and have a chuckle or two. What would happen if social media sites were actually your neighbors? That’s the questions that our infographic designers at Column Five Media tacked in their latest take on offbeat visual news. Click to enlarge. …

The buzz and obsession that once was Twitter has leveled off in the last year to a level that is nearly sane. It’s being used more now as a communication tool, a news aggregator, and an opinion-expression machine. The days of “the more mundane, the better” are behind us. Well, most of us. Yet, when I mentioned to a friend that they were the “Twouble with Twitters” she didn’t know what I was talking about. I had to hunt down this old video (yes, 2 and a half years is old on the internet) and show her. She nearly cried laughing, not simply because it was hilarious but because it still holds a degree of truth even…