• #TwitterTip

    Friday, November 19, 2010

    Tip #43: Use your mobile phone to get @replies and mentions via text message.

    Planning a super busy weekend away from your computer? Take one key part of Twitter with you while you're on the go. Read on to learn how to get all your @replies and mentions delivered to your mobile phone via text message.

    Why is this helpful? Say I post a Tweet asking for happy hour recommendations before heading out for drinks on Friday. When my friend @mischa gets back to me by posting a reply on Twitter, the message will be delivered to my mobile phone as a text message. I don't even have to sign in to my Twitter account to see it!

    Here's how you set this up: make sure you've added your phone to your Twitter account. Then just turn on "mentions and replies" notifications in your account's mobile settings tab. Or, from your phone, you can text the phrase "set mentions on" to your local shortcode to activate these notifications. After that, you’ll receive a text message anytime someone mentions your username in a Tweet.

    Posted by @ at 3:26 PM

  • Instant Notifications

    Tuesday, November 16, 2010

    When you’re out and about, your phone probably isn’t always in front of you. It might be in your pocket or purse or on a table – perhaps with the screen off. We want to make sure you see important Tweets even when you’re not looking at Twitter at the moment. To help with that, today we’re launching push notifications for @mentions.

    Whenever an account that you follow mentions you, you’ll immediately receive a notification. You’ll know who is talking to or about you on Twitter, and you’ll be able to continue the conversation in real-time. Notifications for @mentions will initially be available on SMS and on the latest version of Twitter for iPhone, which you can download today from the App Store.

    In addition to @mentions, we’re also bringing push notifications for Messages to Twitter for iPhone, as we’ve already done with SMS and Twitter for Blackberry. We’re working hard to introduce this feature to Twitter for Android and Twitter for Windows Phone soon.

    To turn on SMS notifications, go to twitter.com/devices and check the boxes under “Text message notifications”. You can change your notifications settings at any time. For example, text “set mentions all’ to turn on notifications for @mentions from everyone, rather than just those whom you follow, and ‘set mentions off’ to turn off @mentions notifications.

    Posted by @ at 2:37 PM

  • More Cities, More Trends, More Understanding

    Monday, November 15, 2010

    We're happy to announce two improvements that will help people connect and discover what's new -- no matter where they are in the world or what languages they speak.

    Almost any topic you can imagine is being discussed on Twitter. The most mentioned ones get highlighted as a Trending Topic in real time, letting people zero in on hot news in specific locations as it’s bubbling.

    Trending Topics is in high demand from folks in cities that aren’t yet on the list, so today, we're expanding local trends to include 14 new countries and 6 new cities*. These new locations include some of our fastest growing markets. More cities and countries to come.


    Second, since Twitter is a global communication tool, there are many different languages spoken in Tweets. We are now using Google Translate to display Tweet translations in the details pane to give people more access to what people are talking about around the world. This feature is currently available to a very small percentage of users and will be rolling out to everyone over the coming weeks.


















    We hope these updates will help you get the most from Twitter’s amazing global population!

    *Countries: Argentina, Australia, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Turkey, Venezuela. Cities: Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis, Rio De Janeiro, Sydney, Toronto

    Posted by @ at 1:56 PM

  • Discover: Music

    Friday, November 12, 2010



    Now that you can preview songs from iTunes within Twitter.com, discovering and sharing music is even more fun on Twitter. With that news, it seems apropos to highlight some of the best accounts and sources to follow, so awesome recommendations are delivered right to your timeline when you need them.

    • Digital retailers like @Amazonmp3 tweet daily deals on digital downloads, giving you an easy way to sample new music everyday–catch them before they expire.
    • Radio and magazine accounts like NPR's @AllSongs, @Stereogum and @Pitchforkmedia share news about new bands and give quick reviews of albums, while @Hypem lets users tweet links to songs that are playable in full.
    • If there's a local venue you frequent, search to see if they have a Twitter account (and if they don't you should tell them they need one!). @theRoxy Tweets when new shows are announced, @Bluenotenyc Tweets last-minute ticket giveaways and backstage perspectives, and @CarnegieHall shares both new and historic news from their account.
    • Follow vendors like @LiveNation to snatch tickets to hot shows before they sell out.
    • Tune into live music events as they unfold. Just this week, the MTV European Music Awards and the Latin Grammy Awards took place. Watching the festivities fly by in Tweets was a useful way to experience the festivities first-hand.
    • And, obviously, you can find and follow your favorite artists to hear what they're up to and get inside news about their shows or contests. Scan the Music list in your "Browse Interests" section to find anyone from @LadyGaga and @iamwill to @Ricky_Martin and @TheDecemberists. You can also follow labels like @Universal_Music that aggregate Tweets and info about their artists.

    Posted by @ at 11:09 AM

  • Twitter + Ping = Discovering More Music

    Thursday, November 11, 2010

    Every day, millions of people use Twitter to follow and share what they care about. Twitter users now send over 95 million Tweets a day, many of which are about the music they're listening to.

    Starting today Ping, iTunes' new social network for music, and Twitter are making it even easier for people to share music discoveries with their friends by putting Ping activity, song previews and links to purchase and download music from the iTunes Store right in their Tweets on Twitter.com.


    Click here for a screenshot of the integration.

    How does it work?
    On Ping you can easily link to your Twitter account to instantly find Ping users among the people you already follow on Twitter.

    Once you’ve linked the accounts, whenever you Post, Like, Review, or tell your friends why you purchased a song or album on Ping, this activity will also be tweeted to your Twitter followers – complete with playable song previews and links to purchase and download music from iTunes.

    When you click on a Tweet that's sent via Ping or that contains an iTunes link, you'll see the song or album in Twitter’s details pane, with the ability to listen to song previews from iTunes, making the experience even richer.

    iTunes song previews are available on Twitter.com in the 23 countries where the iTunes Store offers music.

    Posted by @ at 9:01 AM

  • #TwitterTip

    Wednesday, November 10, 2010

    Tip #367: Learn to pay attention to the filmstrip icon.
    Studies have shown that a short break during the day to watch (or share) something entertaining raises dopamine levels in the brain, which leads to clearer thinking and increased productivity. Just the other day, my friend tweeted this message with a fantastic video from RadioLab – watching it provided a much-needed breather in the middle of my busy day.

    To quickly find and watch videos others have shared on Twitter.com, simply scan your timeline for Tweets marked with the filmstrip icon. Clicking the icon will open a details pane beside your timeline in which you can watch the video.

    Want to share a video and give others an excuse to take a so-called “YouTube” break in their day? Just use YouTube’s sweet and simple link shortener. Grab the video ID (that jumbled set of letters and numbers in the video’s URL on YouTube) and insert it into this little URL: http://youtu.be/[videoID] These types of links will display the video in Twitter’s details pane, and will mark your Tweet with the filmstrip icon.



    Wasn’t that fun? Now, back to work!

    Posted by @ at 1:16 PM

  • Account for Haiti

    Thursday, November 04, 2010




    Nine months after the earthquake, Haiti is now shelled with another crisis: a cholera outbreak in the western region. More than 300 people have died so far, and aid organizations of all sizes are working to provide rapid support to contain it.


    We're intrigued by the new Red Cross Twitter account, @kwawouj, which was created specifically for this outbreak to send updates in Haitian Creole that direct locals to the resources they need on the ground.


    Thanks to the support this weekend from Voila, one of Haiti's leading wireless communication providers, locals using their service were encouraged to follow @kwawouj’s cholera updates via SMS through our fast follow function. This new feature is the quickest way to begin receiving updates from a Twitter source on your mobile phone without having a Twitter account of your own. Since the launch of @kwawouj, over 1,000 people without accounts have opted to receive important Tweets relevant to this particular crisis through the Fast Follow feature.


    It's wonderful to work with a mobile partner like Voila who is on a similar mission to provide the best tools possible to help strengthen the region through connectivity. We are working to build similar relationships with carriers around the world that have the potential to engage their customers through collaboration.


    The Red Cross account is currently in our Promoted Tweets for Good program through Hope140, which gives special ad platform benefits to selected non-profits who are using Twitter for their campaign. Follow @hope140 to stay updated on this type of news and to provide feedback on how Twitter could be used effectively as a force for good.


    To see how mobile updates can be used to connect victims with resources, check out information on crisis mapping of the cholera outbreak here.



    Posted by @ at 11:30 AM

  • Twitter for Android: Update available

    Wednesday, November 03, 2010

    Today we’re releasing an updated version of Twitter for Android, which includes some awesome enhancements and introduces a more consistent experience across our mobile clients.
    • Tweet details page. We changed the layout of the timeline and introduced a Tweet details page, which you can access by simply clicking on a Tweet. This feature – which is already available in Twitter for iPhone, Twitter for iPad and Twitter for Windows Phone – makes it easier to click on links and reply to, retweet, or favorite a Tweet.
    • Speed. The app is now even faster. In this version, we’ve tried a new way of drawing a timeline of Tweets that optimizes for scrolling speed. Try it out, and you'll see how much faster and smoother the timeline loads and scrolls.
    • Polish. We added some more nice touches to the application as well:
      • Pull to Refresh: This popular feature, which was first available through our iPhone app, functions just as it sounds – when you’re at the top of your timeline, simply pull down to load new Tweets.
      • Swipe to Reveal: Swipe across a Tweet to get quick access to several options, such as viewing a user’s profile, sharing a tweet, or replying.
      • Quote a Tweet: Clicking the retweet icon now gives you the option to quote a Tweet. Of course, you can still retweet as you normally would.
      • Hi-res avatar photos

    You can download this version of Twitter for Android from Android Market on devices with Android 2.1 and higher, or you can just scan the barcode below.

    Posted by @ at 1:59 PM

  • U.S. Midterm Elections 2010

    Monday, November 01, 2010


    Tomorrow the balance of power in both houses of Congress is up for grabs, as is control of more than half of the nation's gubernatorial seats. Many of the races are still too close to call, and debates are raging about how the 2010 midterm elections will change the country. This is also the first election day you'll be able to follow in its entirety--via text and video--on Twitter.com.

    We've rounded up some illuminating accounts and coverage below. But remember: none of this matters if you don't vote.

    Parties and Candidates
    Follow different sides of the conversation by checking out Twitter feeds from the Democrats (@thedemocrats), the Republicans (@gopconference), the Tea Party (@TPPatriots), and the Libertarians (@LPNational). @CSPAN has also compiled comprehensive lists of all the House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates on Twitter.

    Election Coverage
    Our @twittermedia team is working with top media outlets to integrate Tweets into their election coverage--and to bring that coverage onto Twitter.com.

    • The @WashingtonPost will make news themselves tomorrow as the first news organization to sponsor a Promoted Trend on Twitter. Click on #Election on the Twitter.com home page to see the Post’s election coverage, including breaking news on race results, reports from the polling places, and live video in the details pane.
    • The @NYTimes is incorporating Times journalists' Tweets into its election coverage. The Times also has a percolating visualization showing Tweets to and from the candidates in races around the country.
    • @CNN is analyzing tens of thousands of Tweets on Tuesday, creating a new way to understand the different shades of the tweeting public’s thoughts and conversations about key races and issues. View interactive maps indicating why people in different regions vote, and track Tweets about specific races, like the California gubernatorial elections. CNN will share the results live on-air.
    • And don’t miss MSNBC.com's videos, including a live stream starting at 9:00 PM ET, which you can watch in the details pane on Twitter.com. Follow @msnbc_video, @msnbc, @breakingnews and @nbcnews.

    Hashtags
    Add the hashtag #votereport to a Tweet about your experience at your polling place; those reports will be aggregated at TwitterVoteReport.com. In New York City, use #NYCvotes.

    And after you cast your votes tomorrow, use the hashtag #ivoted to catch people's attention and remind them to participate in shaping the future of this country.

    Posted by @ at 3:13 PM

  • Promoted Tweets: Testing in the Timeline

    When we launched Promoted Tweets in April, we outlined our plan for gradually rolling them out in all of the places people experience Twitter: first in search on Twitter.com, later in search through our partners, and eventually in the user timeline. We’ve accomplished the first two steps and, starting today, we are beginning to test syndication of Promoted Tweets in user timelines. Initially, we are testing these with our partner, HootSuite.

    As we have done since the beginning of our Promoted product efforts, Twitter is taking a deliberate and thoughtful approach to this test. We’re carefully looking at how Twitter users react to and engage with Promoted Tweets in the timeline. We want to display Promoted Tweets in a way that’s both useful and authentic to the Twitter experience.

    During this testing period with HootSuite, we will experiment with where and when Promoted Tweets are shown in the timeline. Not all HootSuite users will see Promoted Tweets and those who do may see different Promoted Tweets in different places in their timeline. As with Promoted Tweets in search, we will display Promoted Tweets in the timeline when they are relevant. Similar to our Promoted Account recommendations, we use several signals to determine a Promoted Tweet’s relevance to a user, including the public list of whom they follow. We will expand the rollout only when we feel we're delivering a high-quality user experience.

    Since their introduction, users have engaged with Promoted Products on Twitter at rates that far exceed typical forms of online advertising. This next phase will bring Promoted Tweets to a wider audience and help even more people discover interesting accounts, people and information they may otherwise have missed.

    Posted by @ at 12:00 PM