• Announcing the Twitter Fiction Festival

    Thursday, October 18, 2012


    Twitter is a place to tell stories. Often those stories are about news, or politics, or perhaps sports or music, but it turns out Twitter is a great place for telling fictional stories, too. As one professor from Michigan State University says, “Tweeting can be thought of as a new literary practice.” We want to celebrate that.

    At the end of November, we’ll host a five-day Twitter Fiction Festival — a virtual storytelling celebration held entirely on Twitter. The Twitter Fiction Festival (#twitterfiction) will feature creative experiments in storytelling from authors around the world.

    Twitter has hosted great experiments in fiction already, from Jennifer Egan’s “Black Box” to Teju Cole’s “Small Fates” to Dan Sinker’s @mayoremanuel. And Twitter has even inspired some literary criticism.


    Now we want to go further! Twitter is a frontier for creative experimentation, and we want to invite authors and creative storytellers around the world to push the bounds of what’s possible with Twitter content.

    If you’d like to take part in the Twitter Fiction Festival, submit your idea here. Tell us how you are going to explore content formats that already exist on Twitter — short story in Tweets, a Twitter chat, live-tweeting — or, even better, how you’ll create a new one. How will you work with our real-time global platform, where anyone can contribute to your story at any moment? The proposal must fit into the time window of our five day festival— but that means that a project could run for the length of the festival, or just for an hour.

    We’ll announce the selected authors and festival agenda on Monday, November 19th and the festival itself will kick off on November 28th. We look forward to reading all of your stories.

    Posted by Andrew Fitzgerald - @magicandrew
    Editorial Programming, Media Team

    Posted by @ at 1:26 PM

  • The human face of big data

    Every day, Twitter users send 400 million Tweets expressing a vast array of ideas and opinions. Collectively, and studied in aggregate, public Tweets are not only measurable. They can reveal any number of clues and trends about who we are: our cultures, our mindsets, who we favor or disfavor, and much more.

    For instance, analyzing billions of Tweets helped two researchers unlock new insights about public health issues and the way disease is spread.

    Each week the millions of Tweets about the U.S. presidential candidates provide a real-time barometer of voter sentiment. Sometimes Twitter data can even help people when they need it most: during moments of crisis like natural disasters.

    Capturing these trends and ideas involves processing and deriving insights from enormous amounts of data. Since we live increasingly connected lives about which we share information on Twitter and other services, there is a growing desire to understand what this kind of data can tell us about ourselves.

    This is one reason we’re pleased to take part in a significant project called The Human Face of Big Data. It's a project that represents a captivating attempt to explain humanity's new ability to collect, analyze, triangulate and visualize vast amounts of data in real time, creating what amounts to a central nervous system for our world. A free mobile app in  A free mobile app for Android and iOS versions lets anyone in the world be a part of the conversation. You’ll be able to share everything you learn about yourself on Twitter via the app.

    The Human Face team is also publishing a large-format book on November 20th featuring the remarkable stories and images that illustrate the immense range of big data efforts that already shape our world. With the project’s permission, we’re able to share this wonderful spread about Twitter from the book with you, designed by famed infographics guru Nigel Holmes (@nigelblue).

    Finally, at 11am PT/2pm ET tomorrow (Oct. 19) I will be doing a Twitter chat with the @FaceOfBigData team about the role of Twitter in capturing and revealing our patterns and interest trends. Join us on the chat by including #bigdatachat and #HFOBD in your Tweets. Look forward to speaking with you all then.

    Posted by Isaac Hepworth - @isaach
    Media Team

    Posted by @ at 11:11 AM

  • Twitter at the Town Hall Debate

    Tuesday, October 16, 2012

    As the presidential candidates met at Hofstra University tonight to answer questions from a group of self-declared undecided voters, viewers around the country came to Twitter to participate in the debate exchanges and offer their own commentary. Throughout tonight’s 90-minute #debate, 7.2 million Tweets were sent.

    The specific moments that generated the highest amounts of conversation were:
    -Audience question to Romney on immigration (109,560 TPM)
    -Obama to Romney: "You're the last person to get tough on China" (108,619 TPM)
    -Romney's response to tax rates question (107,386 TPM)


    We also analyzed the volume of conversation around some of the campaign’s biggest issues. With 28% of Tweets sent, the economy was the most-discussed topic this evening. The subject of taxes racked up 17% of Tweets; 16% focused on foreign policy, 13% on energy and the environment, and 8% on immigration.

    We saw several surprising trends and buzzwords emerge too. The terms “binder” and “pension” rose to Twitter infamy tonight, and we suspect “Jeremy” (a young questioner, soon to graduate from college) will be popular in class tomorrow. As we’ve come to expect, such trending topics inspire parody accounts almost instantly: As we’ve seen in the previous two debates, the performance of the moderator was another popular topic. CNN’s Candy Crowley (@CrowleyCNN) generated her share of commentary: The debate ended with emotional (albeit slightly biased!) responses from the people closest to the candidates: their families. In just six days, we’ll be in Boca Raton for the final debate of this campaign. See you then.

    Posted by Adam Sharp (@AdamS)
    Head of Government, News, & Social Innovation

    Posted by @ at 9:00 PM

  • NFL on Twitter: Week 6

    It turned out to be a week of unfortunate season ending injuries, and one unprecedented comeback during #MNF.

    Perhaps it’s because they are America’s team, or maybe it was due to their almost-heroic comeback, but the @dallascowboys v. @ravens game took the cake for the most buzzed-about game in Week 6.

     1. @dallascowboys  vs. @ravens


    Last year’s NFC championship matchup was a blowout, but that didn’t stop the @giants and @49ers chatter from ranking 2nd this week.

     2. @giants vs. @49ers


     Overcoming a 10-point deficit in four minutes, topped off with an OT field goal, catapulted the @detroitlionsNFL win over the @eagles into third place in Twitter chatter.

     3.@detroitlionsNFL vs. @eagles


    Players made headlines off the field too. Ray Sherman (@RSherman_25) notoriously approached Tom Brady after the @seahawks defeated the @patriots 24-23, and then expressed himself on Twitter.


    The @ravens suffered two season-ending losses, as both @raylewis52com and @lwebb21 are done for the year.


    Another season-ending injury occurred while the @nyjets were rolling to a win over @nflcolts. They unfortunately lost @revis24 to a ligament tear.  Revis tweeted thanks and gave an update to his fans.


    Last but definitely not least, last night’s #MNF performance by Peyton Manning sparked a @Denver_broncos comeback with 3 TD passes in the second half. Eric Decker was surely stoked:


    Check back next week for more NFL action on Twitter.

    Posted by Omid Ashtar (@omid)
    Head of Sports & Entertainment

    Posted by @ at 3:52 PM

  • Tonight's town hall debate - and you

    Twenty years ago, the first presidential town hall-style debate was held to so that voters could directly ask candidates the questions that mattered most to them. Tonight the tradition continues: President Obama and Governor Romney face the cameras, millions of viewers — and a group of citizens at Hofstra University (@HofstraU) in New York.

    The town hall meeting has historically been one of the most direct forums for candidates to engage with their fellow citizens. In this race, the candidates and campaigns rely on Twitter to engage in this very personal form of retail politics.

    As President, Obama has used Twitter to answer questions following an address about energy policy:
    Governor Romney’s team shares behind-the-scenes photos that bring voters closer to life on the campaign trail and at local town halls:
    Engaging in tonight’s #debates conversation on Twitter (www.twitter.com/#debates) means you can participate in a truly collective town hall meeting, sharing opinions with the person sitting (or tweeting) next to you, asking follow-up questions to the campaigns, and hearing firsthand from the candidates. 

    Playing a unique role in this town hall debate will be the moderator, CNN’s Candy Crowley (@CrowleyCNN). As the first woman serving as presidential debate moderator since 1992, Twitter conversation about Crowley is already crescendoing. Her role is also sparking discussion given the high level of conversation and opinion about the two moderators to date, Jim Lehrer and Martha Raddatz. With the growing interest around the moderators this year, we applied the Twitter Political Index to analyze sentiment about their performances:

    Jim Lehrer
    2-Week Average: 59
    Day Before: 39
    Day After: 30
    Net Day-to-Day Change: -9
    Net Change vs. 2-Week Baseline: -29

    Martha Raddatz 
    2-Week Average: 47
    Day Before: 44
    Day After: 56
    Net Day-to-Day Change: +12
    Net Change vs. 2-Week Baseline: +9

    Following the debate tonight, we’ll release new Twitter Political Index (election.twitter.com) scores for the candidates, their running mates, and moderator Crowley. We’ll also share an overview of the night’s biggest moments and trends. If you’re interested in seeing the real-time volume of Twitter conversation (Tweets per minute, or TPM) during the debate, tune into Fox News, which will feature a Tweet tracker in the lower corner of the screen at key moments, and a full summary following the debate. And now, off to Hofstra to prepare for tonight!
    Posted by Adam Sharp (@adams)
    Head of Government, News, and Social Innovation

    Posted by @ at 7:35 AM

  • Recapping the VP debate

    Thursday, October 11, 2012

    Tonight Vice President Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) and Rep. Paul Ryan (@PaulRyanVP) squared off for the quadrennial Vice Presidential debate. Citizens tuned in to watch or listen and tweet, sharing their opinions on the evening’s exchanges. In total, 4 million Tweets were sent concerning tonight’s debate, 3.5 million of which occurred during the 92 minutes of live action.

    Of those 4 million Tweets, 26% were about foreign policy; 21% discussed the economy; and 16% were regarding taxes. However, several of the moments that inspired the most Tweets per minute were quips the candidates made. Tonight’s top Tweets per minute (TPM) peaks were:
    - Biden: "Now you're Jack Kennedy?" (58,275 TPM)
    - Ryan: “They got caught with their hand in the cookie jar turning Medicare into a piggy bank for Obamacare.” (55,540 TPM)
    - Biden discussing the timeline for leaving Afghanistan (54,944)

    The full timeline of conversation and notable moments can be seen below (click to enlarge):

    While the unexpected star of the Presidential debate turned out to be Big Bird, tonight’s buzzword was malarkey, which generated more than 30,000 Tweets. Another notable figure of the evening: moderator Martha Raddatz (@MarthaRaddatz), Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent for ABC. Viewers expressed their delight in her moderating skills:

    Political insiders and pundits closely followed the discussion and shared their views:





    Where were the Presidential candidates while their running mates debated in Danville? Twitter was full of pictures showing how the campaigns and tonight’s VIPs experienced the debate:



    We’ll be back again in just five days for next Tuesday’s town hall debate between the @BarackObama and @MittRomney.

    Posted by Adam Sharp, Head of Government, News and Social Innovation (@adams)

    Posted by @ at 9:34 PM

  • Debate night: Joe Biden and Paul Ryan take the stage

    Tonight Vice President Joe Biden and Governor Mitt Romney’s running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, will take the stage in Danville, Kentucky for their first and only debate. It starts at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, and is expected to cover a wide range of issues.

    The election conversation has been going strong on Twitter since last week in Denver. Since that debate, in fact, there have been about 4 million campaign- and debate-related Tweets sent. As they prep for tonight, Vice President Biden and Rep. Ryan are sharing behind-the-scenes photos and tweeting out messages to rally their followers. And tonight’s debate moderator, ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz has been sharing her sojourn to the stage too:



    Follow the debate on Twitter tonight using the hashtag #debates, and be sure to follow our @gov team, who will be tweeting the most interesting stats of the night.

    Posted by Adam Sharp (@adams)
    Head of Government, News and Social Innovation

    Posted by @ at 10:53 AM

  • New Twitter for BlackBerry app

    Wednesday, October 10, 2012

    Starting today, you can download a new version of Twitter for BlackBerry from the App World. This new release makes Twitter on BlackBerry even better: Now when you expand a Tweet to see the details view, you can enjoy article summaries from websites like CNN or beautiful photos from sites like National Geographic. And you’ll see contacts from your Device Address Book who are on Twitter, making it easier to find your friends.

    Soon, we’ll change the way expanded Tweets display photos in our BlackBerry app, bringing you a faster and overall better experience. You’ll need to upgrade older versions to Twitter for BlackBerry 3.2 to continue seeing a full photo preview inside a Tweet.

    Posted by Brian Frank @bfrank
    Product Manager, Mobile

    Posted by @ at 1:45 PM

  • Tweeting with the (Modern) Family

    It’s a long-standing tradition for a family to gather on the couch to watch TV together. Tonight, Twitter is hosting a viewing party with one America’s funniest families: the Pritchett-Delgado-Tucker-Dunphys, of ABC’s hit show Modern Family.

    Starting at 9pm ET / 8pm CT / 9pm PT, members of the @ModernFam cast and crew will live-tweet tonight’s special double-feature of episodes. You can tune-in, tweet-in, and spend the evening as part of the @ModernFam family of stars, producers, editors, and more.

    Tonight’s live-tweeting cast includes:
    Steve Levitan (@SteveLevitan) - Co-creator
    Danny Zuker (@DannyZuker) - Executive Producer
    Sofia Vergara (@SofiaVergara) - Gloria
    Julie Bowen (@itsJulieBowen) - Claire
    Ariel Winter (@arielwinter1) - Alex
    Nolan Gould (@Nolan_Gould) - Luke
    Rico Rodriguez (@StarringRico) - Manny
    Ryan Case (@film114) - Editor
    Clint McCray (@ClintMcCray) - Script Coordinator

    To help you easily follow the whole 'Family' gathering, we've created an event page for the evening: Twitter.com/#modernfamily.

    We’ve worked with ABC and the Modern Family producers to assemble this group of live-tweeters that will give viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of TV’s hottest comedy. Being a through-and-through “modern” family, the @ModernFam gang is active on Twitter. If you’ve only seen them from your couch, you’ll love getting closer to them on Twitter:
    Continue checking back this fall TV season for more ways to get closer to your favorite shows and stars!

    Posted by Fred Graver, Head of TV (@fredgraver)

    Posted by @ at 10:41 AM

  • A new look for TweetDeck

    Today we updated the TweetDeck app on all our supported platforms - web, Chrome, Mac and Windows. The update is live now on web.tweetdeck.com. If you use the Windows app, just restart to trigger an auto-update. Chrome app users should restart Chrome to update the app and the updated Mac app is available now in the Mac App Store.

    This update makes TweetDeck easier to use with design enhancements, personalization options and the addition of several frequently-requested features.

    Choose your theme

    The traditional dark background of TweetDeck is clearer and cleaner, while maintaining the classic TweetDeck look. We have also added a lighter theme — a brand new colour scheme that offers dark text on a light background.

    You can easily switch themes by clicking on the theme indicator on the top toolbar.

    Change your font

    Now you can change the size of the font used to display Tweets. On the General tab in the Settings pane, you can select Small (13pt), Medium (14pt) or Large (15pt) font sizes.

    A year of improvements

    Last December, we launched a new version of TweetDeck on a framework that helps us develop new features and integrate your feedback. Since the start of the year we have been making continued improvements to the TweetDeck apps. Here are just some of the highlights of our constant updates since we first launched these new apps back in December 2011:

    • Swifter navigation - Including the new column navigator and trackpad scrolling, enabling faster navigation and easier column reordering.
    • List management - Manage all aspects of your Twitter lists directly in the app.
    • Profile improvements - New Profile design, including support for header photos and an indicator when a user follows you.
    • Improved web support - Enhanced the performance of web.tweetdeck.com and added support for Firefox and Opera.
    • Deeper discovery and engagement - Gain more insight via the Interactions and Activity columns. Take action on Tweets wherever they appear in the app.

    Posted by Richard Barley @richardbarley
    Project Manager, TweetDeck

    Originally posted on the TweetDeck blog

    Posted by @ at 8:46 AM