• Celebrating a New Year with a New Tweet Record

    Thursday, January 06, 2011



    Well, that didn’t take long. Just four seconds after midnight in Japan on January 1st, Twitterers set an all-time record in the number of Tweets sent per second (TPS). At that moment, the world sent a staggering 6,939 TPS wishing friends and followers a fond “Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu” (“Happy New Year!”).

    On Oshogatsu (Japanese New Year), Japan virtually shuts down as people spend the day with family and the people with whom they are closest. People make it a point to call their friends and connect with everyone they know to celebrate. With a population of over 127 million, Japanese mobile networks have been known to crash under the strain of this collective cheer. This year, on New Year’s Eve, many people turned to Twitter to celebrate.

    The new record more than doubles the previous one of 3,283 TPS, set during Japan’s victory over Denmark in last summer’s World Cup. In fact, on New Year’s Eve, that all-time TPS record was shattered more than 68 separate times within a single 3-minute period.

    Japan wasn’t alone. On New Year’s Eve, we saw epic Tweet activity around the world as people in each time zone inaugurated 2011. The East coast time zone alone almost amassed the same amount of Tweets at its peak of 3,000 TPS as the entire world did during the peak moment of the World Cup.



    The video above visualizes New Year's Eve Tweet data across the world. The circles get bigger as more Tweets are being sent at that moment, which means it's probably midnight in that timezone. Notice that the circle over Tokyo gets so big it nearly swallows Japan.

    Needless to say, we‘re looking forward to seeing what the Year of the Rabbit has in store. And, we’re humbled by moments like this that show how people around the world are connecting and celebrating on Twitter.

    Posted by @ at 11:33 AM

  • Twitter for Mac

    Twitter is proud to introduce an appropriately slick and simple desktop application for Mac computers. Twitter for Mac has launched today as part of the Mac App Store.

    This app gives Twitter users another fast and convenient way to stay connected to what they care about the most. Tweets appear in real-time (using our streaming API), and the app auto-shortens URLs and has lots of useful keyboard shortcuts.

    The app is also three times faster than its original version that was previously called Tweetie for Mac. Tweetie for Mac was a desktop client that was originally created by atebits developer Loren Brichter prior to our acquisition of atebits last April. Twitter for Mac is a new version updated by Loren and team during Twitter’s first Hack Week in October.

    We acquired atebits with a focus on launching our own Twitter iPhone application. Since then, we’ve been asked repeatedly for a new version of Tweetie for Mac. We decided that the new version fits well into our goal of ensuring that mainstream users will have the best possible experience on popular platforms. We hope you enjoy it.

    Posted by @ at 9:04 AM

  • Ready for Kick-off

    Wednesday, January 05, 2011

    It’s time for the @NFL playoffs, and they are sure to generate more Twitter conversation than ever before. And, this year, the teams and players, themselves will have lots to say. All 12 playoff teams and a full one-third (200+) of the players in the playoffs have Twitter accounts.

    To help you keep up with these teams and players, we created a list of Twitter accounts relevant to the playoffs. You can follow @drewbrees and the @Official_Saints as they try to repeat as World Champions or @MikeVick of the @eagles as he continues his comeback. The list also includes folks like @JimIrsay, owner of the @NFLColts, and @PeteCarroll, coach of the @Seahawks.

    You also can receive Tweets via SMS on your phone even if you don’t have a Twitter account or a smartphone. Just text “follow [username]” - for example “follow Packers” - to 40404 in the US. (Short codes in other countries are here.)

    Posted by @ at 10:12 AM

  • "I will dig you out."

    Wednesday, December 29, 2010

    It began with a simple “let me know” Tweet a few hours after Sunday’s blizzard dumped more than two feet of snow on New Jersey’s largest city. Soon, Tweets by Newark residents were providing Mayor @CoryBooker with critical real-time information as he directed the massive cleanup.


    Booker is no stranger to Twitter. He has logged nearly 5,000 Tweets and gained more than one million followers since joining in 2008. In the last four days, he’s demonstrated to his community tangible examples of individual engagement that may have even inspired others to act in kind.

    Patrolling the streets of his city with a Blackberry in hand, Booker responded to a report of a woman in labor – arriving to aid the expectant mother before EMS could get to the scene. As residents reported unplowed streets and stuck cars, the mayor dispatched city plows and tow trucks, often showing up himself to help shovel or push.

    Booker is setting a great example for how local public officials can use Twitter to better manage crisis. His effort did not go unnoticed. Check out Vanity Fair’s list of the “10 Most Valiant Snow-Rescue Tweets from Cory Booker,” and coverage from the New York Times, Washington Post, Time, or this piece by Frank Reed for more.

    Posted by @ at 12:30 PM

  • #TwitterTip

    Wednesday, December 22, 2010

    Tip #25: Make a list of friends and family so you can quickly find their Tweets.



    If you're like me, you follow a bunch of accounts on Twitter, not just your friends and family members. So, how can you easily locate and read these very special people's Tweets within that stream of news and information in your timeline? Make a list! Just like @noahvail suggested above, putting a specific group of users – in this case friends and family – in a list allows you to quickly view a timeline containing only their Tweets.

    To make a list, click the "Lists" tab on your Twitter homepage. From the dropdown menu, choose "Create a list" and pick a name for it. Once that's done, individually add users to your list. Wherever you see a user's profile on Twitter, look for the lists dropdown menu like the one shown below. Click that button to add or remove that user from your lists. The thing most people don’t know is that you can add people to your lists even if you don’t follow them. It’s true! When creating a list, you can also choose whether to make it public – accessible to everyone – or private, which means only you can see it.


    Want some more help with lists? Check out this tutorial in our help center.

    Posted by @ at 2:11 PM

  • Fluther Flocks to Twitter

    Tuesday, December 21, 2010

    There are now three times as many people on the Twitter team as there were at this time last year. More than half of our employees work in engineering and operations, and those teams continue to grow as we attract more and more talented people interested in the challenges of building a global information network.

    Today, we’re adding four engineers and one designer through our acquisition of the team at Fluther, Inc. During our conversations with Fluther's team, we were continually impressed by their technical talent, entrepreneurial spirit, and much of the thinking behind the question-and-answer product they’ve spent the last couple of years building.

    When the Fluther team joins us they will focus on helping users discover the most relevant content on Twitter. Their product, Fluther.com, is not part of the acquisition and will remain separate from Twitter. For more information on the future of this Q&A; community, please read The Fluther Blog.

    Please join us in welcoming Ben Finkel, Andrew McClain, Tim Trueman, Richard Henry, and Cameron Dutro to the nest here at Twitter HQ.

    Posted by @ at 9:29 AM

  • Meaningful Growth

    Wednesday, December 15, 2010

    In the past 12 months, Twitter users sent an astonishing 25 billion Tweets and we added more than 100 million new registered accounts. In that time, our team has grown from 130 people to more than 350 today. We're thankful for every Tweet, every account, and every talented employee who has decided to join the Twitter team. This week, we've got some big news to share.

    As part of a significant new round of funding with investor Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and existing investors, we've added two new members to Twitter's board of directors. Please join us in welcoming Mike McCue and David Rosenblatt. The experience these new directors bring to Twitter, along with this renewed investment, will help us continue to grow as a company and business.

    2010 was one of the most meaningful years since Twitter, Inc. was founded in 2007. We operate on a principle that people are basically good—when you give them a simple way to express this trait, they prove it to you every day. We're proud of what Twitter users have accomplished, we're proud of our work, and we're very proud of our team. Thanks for being a part of this work; it means a lot to us.

    Posted by @ at 12:30 PM

  • It's Business Time

    Twitter has long been a home for all kinds of businesses. Whether it’s a neighborhood ice cream shop (@humphryslocombe), a favorite store (@lululemon) or a socially responsible shoe company (@TOMSshoes), people have gotten special offers, great customer support and valuable information by following businesses on Twitter.

    Today we’re launching a revamped version of business.twitter.com – a site that provides the basics on how businesses can use Twitter effectively. We’ve seen tremendous growth in the creative ways businesses and organizations are leveraging Twitter, and we want to make sure you have access to their great ideas. We’ll continue to update the site with fresh use cases, tips, tools, and resources.

    The new business site provides information about Twitter features and tools – for example, how to use mobile to communicate with customers (Fast Follow) and how to share content on the web (Tweet Button). Business.twitter.com also has a section about our suite of Promoted Products – Promoted Trends, Promoted Accounts, and Promoted Tweets – and offers a way for businesses to contact us about advertising on Twitter.

    Follow @TwitterBusiness to keep up with the latest on how brands, businesses, schools, and community groups are using Twitter. And, if you have feedback on the new site or great examples of a business using Twitter, send us a Tweet!

    Posted by @ at 7:36 AM

  • #Hindsight2010: The Year’s Most Retweeted Tweets

    Tuesday, December 14, 2010



    In this edition of #Hindsight2010, we reveal the 10 Most Retweeted Tweets of the year.

    American TV personality Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome)     tops the list with a wry Tweet about the Gulf Oil Spill, the year’s biggest Trend on Twitter. To commemorate the honor, Twitter is awarding Colbert --the titan of ‘Truthiness’-- the first-ever Golden Tweet award for the year’s Most Retweeted Tweet. Twitter co-founder Biz Stone personally presented Colbert with the award tonight on The Colbert Report.

    Musicians dominated 2010's Most Retweeted Tweets list: Drizzy Drake (@drakkardnoir) took the #2 spot, and Lil Wayne (@liltunechi) came in at #3. Fascination with Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) is still raging: he placed fourth, while pop stars Joe Jonas (@joejonas) and Rihanna (@rihanna) made the list at #6 and #9 with their Bieber-related Tweets. Congrats also go to Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) (#7) and Kanye West (@kanyewest) (#8).

    Humor is a key part of the Twitter experience, and the Most Retweeted list reflects the way that people use the service for comedy and parody. A Tweet from the spoof account @alqaeda clocked in at #5, and words of wisdom from @shitmydadsays rounded out the list at #10.

    Finally, an honorable mention goes out to everyone’s favorite feline meme, Long Cat (@longcat111, @longcat222 and @longcat333). The three Tweets that made Long Cat extra loooooong added up to one of the Most Retweeted moments of the year. Meow.

    Posted by @ at 10:57 PM

  • #Hindsight2010: Ten Most Powerful Tweets


    What makes a Tweet powerful?

    Every day, we are inspired by people using Twitter in unexpected ways to make the world a better place. Powerful Tweets have impact, relevance and resonance. In just 140 characters, you can change the game, make a difference in someone’s life, offer perspective, or bring aid to people in need. In this installment of #Hindsight2010, we honor the Ten Most Powerful Tweets of 2010.

    From a cry for help in the woods to a call for aid for a nation, the Most Powerful Tweets tell ten different stories about Twitter’s value in people’s daily lives. At the top of the Most Powerful Tweets list, journalist Ann Curry used Twitter to gain permission for a Doctors Without Borders plane to land in Haiti to assist the earthquake victims. Other powerful moments: The White House connected to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Twitter, an injured triathlete used Twitter to save her own life, a parody account defined the discussion about the Gulf Oil Spill, and the Ecuadorian government used Twitter to declare a state of emergency.

    To choose the Top Ten Most Powerful Tweets, the Twitter team reviewed Tweets, news stories and international events from the past year. With more than 25 billion Tweets sent in 2010, narrowing the list to just ten Tweets was a huge challenge. The final selections represent the dynamic ways that people use Twitter in the political world, for disaster relief, and to add commentary to news events, sports and entertainment.

    Posted by @ at 4:12 AM