• Discover fashion at #NYFW

    Tuesday, September 06, 2011

    Fashion industry insiders dress up Twitter this month with photos, videos and commentary from Fashion Week, starting with New York (Sept. 8-15) and followed by London (Sept. 16-21). Top designers, models and stylists will tweet from the hottest shows, share views from backstage and reveal new looks minutes before they hit the runway. Here are the people to follow for a front row seat:

    @NYFW
    Follow @NYFW to see shows through the eyes of a special guest Tweeter every day of New York Fashion Week:

    9/6 Damien Neva from @FordModels
    9/7 Designer @PrabalGurung
    9/8 @JohnJannuzzi, an editor @LuckyMagazine, covers Fashion's Night Out (#FNO)
    9/9 Designer @cmbenz
    9/10 CFDA CEO @stevenkolb
    9/11 Paper Magazine’s @AskMrMickey
    9/12 Gilt Groupe co-founder @GiltAlexandra
    9/13 @cocorocha shares the model's perspective
    9/14 Linda Fargo and her @Bergdorfs team
    9/15 Marie Claire fashion director and Project Runway judge @ninagarcia

    See the looks before they hit the runway
    Houses like @MarcJacobsIntl and @PrabalGurung will live-tweet their shows, giving their followers the very first glimpse of their new line. Twitter’s new image galleries are the best way to see all the photos from a particular catwalk or designer. Visit a designer’s account and click “View All” where the images are posted. You can already get behind-the-scenes access from @Zac_Posen and @ProenzaSchouler. Check your favorite designers’ galleries all week long for instant updates, and for a comprehensive view of all the looks from each set of shows, search #NYFW and click on the images link.

    Get the inside scoop
    If you’re looking for gossip, eavesdrop on the crowd with @DailyCandy’s Tweets and the hashtag #OverheardAtFW. Or go straight to the source with this list of designers which includes @dkny, @Zac_Posen, @narcisostudio, @normakamali, @ErinFetherston, @ThakoonNY, @TommyHilfiger, @RebeccaMinkoff, @MillyByMichelle, @ProenzaSchouler, @rag_bone and Oscar de La Renta’s inimitable @OscarPRGirl. You can also follow this list to see what the critics have to say.

    And for a sneak peek at London Fashion Week, check out the British Fashion Council’s list of the designers on the official #LFW schedule.
  • A new resource for non-profits

    Monday, August 15, 2011

    When an individual or organization wants to affect social change, the first thing they need to do is raise awareness. As more and more non-profits join Twitter to give their cause a voice and gain support, they are seeking advice on how use the platform most effectively.

    That's why we are happy to say that, today, our very own Claire Diaz-Ortiz has released a book called Twitter for Good that guides anyone looking to change the world through a series of best practices that can help them be successful.

    The case-study rich book walks you through examples of Twitter’s use in cause marketing, disaster response, and fundraising to show you exactly how creative world changers of all sizes -- from @pepsico to @redcross to @charitywater-- use Twitter for good.

    Follow @hope140 to learn about the latest pro-social efforts happening across Twitter.
  • Weather: So hot right now

    Thursday, August 11, 2011

    People send more than 200 Tweets per minute about the weather. When conditions turn severe, weather-related Tweets double, as people share powerful personal stories along with reports of hurricanes, heat waves and blizzards.

    Starting today, The Weather Channel and Twitter have teamed up to bring you real-time Tweets about the weather on The Weather Channel itself, weather.com, their mobile apps. The Weather Channel has created Twitter accounts for more than 200 U.S. cities that will tweet regular local forecast updates. Now, you can follow your local weather account to stay in the know.

    These accounts join a wide variety of other Twitter accounts that provide news, color and commentary around weather events, from the mild to the extreme:
    • @ReedTimmerTVN is a tornado chaser from Discovery Network’s Storm Chasers program, tweeting his storm-chasing successes and failures.
    • @AlRoker, the weather and feature anchor on NBC News’ TODAY show, tweets humorous weather news and anecdotes from across the US.
    • @USATodayWeather USA Today was the first national newspaper to publish a weather map; now, it tweets relevant forecast information all day long.
    • @I80Chains, an account for Northern California’s Interstate 80, reports when snow chains are necessary to travel over mountain passes due to inclement weather.
    • @KarlTheFog tweets humorous updates to San Franciscans based on current fog status.
    • @capitalweather lets folks near Washington DC keep up with weather-related news
    • @JackatNWS, the National Weather Service administrator, tweets about major national US weather events.
    • @usnoaagov tweets interesting facts and stories from the U.S. government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which monitors the condition of the oceans and the atmosphere.
    • @wunderground tweets and retweets major local weather events from around the world
    • #wxreport: people in the U.S. can include this hashtag in their Tweets to report local weather conditions to the National Weather Service.
  • Show me more

    Wednesday, August 10, 2011

    Today, we’re rolling out two new features on Twitter.com that help you discover more on Twitter. You can now see when someone favorites or retweets one of your Tweets. You can also learn which Tweets are most interesting and inspiring to the people you follow.

    The first new feature offers a simple way to see what's happening on Twitter in relation to you. Just click on the new tab with your @username, and you’ll be able to see which of your Tweets are Favorites, plus the latest Retweets (of your Tweets), Tweets directed to you, and your new Followers.

    The other new feature is the Activity tab. It provides a rich new source of discovery by highlighting the latest Favorites, Retweets, and Follows from the people you follow on Twitter – all in one place. It’s easier than ever to explore Twitter, connect with people, and discover what’s happening around the world.

            
  • Your world, more connected

    Monday, August 01, 2011

    Twitter continues to grow around the globe at a record pace. Just a year ago, we delivered 65 million Tweets a day. Today, we generate over 200 million Tweets per day. One year ago, there were approximately 150,000 registered Twitter apps. Now, there are more than one million that connect to Twitter. And our team has grown from 250 people to more than 600 in the past 12 months.

    More importantly, Twitter is where people around the globe come to instantly connect to what’s most meaningful to them. This makes Twitter the only place in the world to get a real-time pulse on what people are thinking and doing practically anywhere.

    We’ve come very far in a short time. Now we have an opportunity to expand Twitter’s reach with a significant round of funding led by the venture firm DST Global, with the participation of several of our existing investors. We will use these resources to aggressively innovate, hire more great people and invest in international expansion.

    Thank you for everything you’ve done to help get us here and for inspiring us to work even harder. We can’t wait for you to see what we have planned to make Twitter even better.
  • It takes a community to translate Twitter

    Twitter celebrated its first non-English launch in April 2008 with the release of Twitter in Japanese. In November 2009, Twitter launched it’s second and third languages: Spanish and French. And, with today’s launch of Dutch and Indonesian, Twitter has been fully translated into eleven languages.

    Dutch and Indonesian were the first languages to be fully translated by community volunteers using our Translation Center that opened earlier in the year. Volunteers translate twitter.com, support pages, desktop and mobile applications — everything except the Tweets. Then, a select group of the most active translators work closely with the team at Twitter to maintain localized versions of the service.

    Thanks to the active and growing Twitter community (200,000 translators and counting), the launch of today’s two languages is our fastest to date. From the first calls for community involvement to today’s launch, the localization process for Dutch and Indonesian took just one month. We will be using this new process to translate Twitter into many more languages soon. Next up: Filipino and Malay. If you speak one of these (or other) languages, visit our Translation Center to contribute to Twitter’s localization efforts.
  • Timely Tweets: Now easier to see

    Thursday, July 28, 2011

    We all come to Twitter to connect with the latest information on the topics and people we care about. So when we decide to follow a favorite brand, business or charitable organization, we expect to be among the first to get a special announcement, access to exclusive content or a great offer.

    That's why starting today, we're introducing a way to ensure that the most important Tweets from the organizations you follow reach you directly, by placing them at or near the top of your timeline. These Promoted Tweets will scroll through the timeline like any other Tweet, and like regular Tweets, they will appear in your timeline just once. Promoted Tweets can also be easily dismissed from your timeline with a single click.

    We’ll be rolling out and testing this new offering over the next several weeks with a select group of partners, including Best Western, Dell, Gatorade, Groupon, HBO, JetBlue, LivingSocial, Microsoft Xbox, Red Bull, Sephora, Starbucks, Summit Entertainment’s “50/50”, TNT and Virgin America among others — with more to come soon. During this phase, you may also see Promoted Tweets in your timeline from non-profit organizations you follow, including charity: water, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Room to Read, The American Red Cross and Water.org.

    From the start, our philosophy around advertising has been simple: We put our users first and strive to create products that enrich the Twitter experience for every Twitter user. We’re excited about this next step and look forward to your feedback.

  • Keeping your account safe

    Wednesday, July 27, 2011

    We are often asked the question, "How do I keep my Twitter account safe and private?" Good question, and we’re happy you asked.

    First, you should know that attempts to directly “hack" Twitter are extremely rare. The majority of account compromises actually happen as a direct result of "phishing" schemes. Phishing is a way to target users by sending them fraudulent messages meant to trick them into sharing their passwords. This can come in the form of fake emails, attachments or log-in screens that are designed to look similar to your Twitter sign-in page.

    You should know that Twitter never sends emails that request your password or asks you to download attachments. Similarly, you will never have to enter your Twitter password into anything other than a Twitter log-in screen on the web and applications that you trust. You can always make sure that you’re on the real Twitter site by checking the address bar in your browser--make sure the domain is Twitter.com. There is lot more about protecting yourself from phishing attempts on our support pages.

    Here are some additional important recommendations from our Safety Center:
    • Use a strong password with at least 10 characters and a combination of letters, numbers and other characters for your Twitter account. And use a unique password for each website you use (email, banking, etc.); that way, if one account gets compromised, the rest are safe. A personal email account that’s compromised is the second most likely way an intruder gains access to Twitter accounts.
    • Use HTTPS for improved security on Twitter. This is the same encryption technology that allows you to safely make payments online. Learn how to do this here.
    • We recommend linking your phone to your Twitter account. Doing this could save your account if you lose control of your personal email and/or password. Here’s how to do it.
    • If you think your account has been compromised, visit our help page for compromised accounts to find out how to fix it quickly.

    We’re committed to keeping Twitter a safe and open community and educating you, our users, about the best ways to keep your accounts secure. We post regular updates about safety and security via @safety and regularly update our account security help page. For individuals and organizations using Twitter in an official capacity, Twitter for Newsrooms has been updated with an excellent safety and security checklist, located here.
  • Tune into a Hashtag

    Friday, July 15, 2011

    Tuning into a hashtag on Twitter is a handy way to dig into any interest, topic or timely conversation. Following live events like the Women's World Cup (happening this week with the championship finals on Sunday) through its associated hashtag #WWC brings you to a stream of energetic Tweets from fans and athletes, as well as instant news and media from those on the ground keeping you up-to-date on the very latest.

    On the other end of the spectrum, from this week’s Mumbai attacks arose the hashtag #here2help in support of those who were affected. By clicking on the hashtag in a Tweet or doing a direct search, you can see all the Tweets flowing in from those who are there as well as others who are sharing information and offering aid to those looking for missing family members or even medical assistance.

    Discovering the hashtag associated with world events that matter to you is a wonderful way to zero-in on the most relevant information from broad perspectives. A stream of Tweets organized by a single hashtag can bring together people from around the world who are interested in that topic right now, creating a global conversation that anyone can follow.

    Here are a few popular hashtags to tune into right now:

    #HarryPotter: with the last Harry Potter movie finally in theaters, people are sharing reactions and excitement using this hashtag. Check it out to see what everyone is saying.

    #TEDGlobal: a stream of incredible quotes, ideas and news from the biggest conference in the world that promotes innovative thinking. (The live event ends today but the Tweets will continue flowing for a while.)

    #WWC: On Sunday this hashtag's stream will be on fire with Tweets about the championship games. Don’t miss it!
  • Twitter for Android – Now with Push Notifications and Multiple Accounts

    Wednesday, July 13, 2011

    Today we’re releasing the latest version of Twitter for Android. It includes some of the most commonly requested features from our users.

    First, we now offer push notifications. Push notifications let you instantly receive Twitter updates – no matter what you’re doing on your phone. In your account settings, select “automatic refresh” and choose to receive updates for Direct Messages, @Mentions (from the people you follow or anyone), and Tweets.

    You can also now use multiple accounts on Twitter for Android without ever logging out. It’s easy to switch between accounts to discover and share what’s happening in the world. Plus, we’ve updated the appearance of home screen widgets and added a bunch of other improvements and bug fixes.

    You can download this updated version of Twitter for Android now from Android Market.