Twitter Blog

What's Your #TwitterTip?

2010-12-10T10:14:00.000-08:00

Last week we asked our savvy @twitter followers what tips they most often share with folks who could stand to learn a thing or two about using Twitter. It’s no secret that while much of the world has heard of Twitter, there are still a lot of questions from those who haven’t had a chance to learn how to get the most value out of it. For instance, what if we told you that you don't have to tweet to use Twitter?

Hundreds of folks from all over the world shared insightful replies that highlighted the most useful tip they could think of for new or unsure users. Here are a few that fall in line with what we think are some important things to remember:

We could go on, but we know you're busy. Thanks to the folks above who took a second to offer up their advice. It's great to see what lessons people have learned as they better understand how Twitter is useful in their own distinct world.

We plan to incorporate more of your suggestions into future #TwitterTips. Keep them coming!

Who’s New on Twitter #Hindsight2010

2010-12-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

Twitter has grown by more than 100 million registered accounts so far this year. If you joined in 2010, you’re in good company: Bill Gates (@billgates), Cher (@cher), Tiger Woods (@tigerwoods) and the President of Russia (@MedvedevRussia) were also part of the class of folks who decided to jump in this year.

We cherry-picked a few of these notable accounts and created this “Who’s New on Twitter” graphic that you can interact with to see their first Tweets. But, since we couldn’t highlight all the wonderful new Twitterers in the list, feel free to tweet a shout out to your favorite new account of the year using the hashtag #Hindsight2010.

Stay tuned for more 2010 trends and Tweets throughout the next few weeks.

To Trend or Not to Trend...

2010-12-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

Since Twitter first introduced the Trends feature in the summer of 2008, one frequently asked question has been “Why isn’t X trending?” This question has come up around a variety of subjects, from #justinbieber and #adamlambert to #flotilla, #iranelection and #demo2010.

This week, people are wondering about WikiLeaks, with some asking if Twitter has blocked #wikileaks, #cablegate or other related topics from appearing in the list of top Trends.

The answer: Absolutely not. In fact, some of these terms, including #wikileaks and #cablegate, have previously trended either worldwide or in specific locations.

Given the widespread confusion about #wikileaks, we’d like to offer a longer explanation of how we measure Trends on Twitter, and why some popular topics may not make the list.

What is a Trend?
Twitter Trends are automatically generated by an algorithm that attempts to identify topics that are being talked about more right now than they were previously. The Trends list is designed to help people discover the 'most breaking' breaking news from across the world, in real-time. The Trends list captures the hottest emerging topics, not just what’s most popular. Put another way, Twitter favors novelty over popularity (as BuzzFeed noted in a great article & infographic earlier this week).

What makes a trend a Trend?
Twitter users now send more than 95 million Tweets a day, on just about every topic imaginable. We track the volume of terms mentioned on Twitter on an ongoing basis. Topics break into the Trends list when the volume of Tweets about that topic at a given moment dramatically increases.

Sometimes a topic doesn’t break into the Trends list because its popularity isn’t as widespread as people believe. And, sometimes, popular terms don’t make the Trends list because the velocity of conversation isn’t increasing quickly enough, relative to the baseline level of conversation happening on an average day; this is what happened with #wikileaks this week.

Now Playing on #newTwitter: Embedded Music, TV Shows, Slides and More

2010-12-06T16:07:00.000-08:00

One of the most popular features of #newTwitter is the ability to check out photos, videos, and music directly in the details pane. Click on a Tweet with a link to media, and the details pane on the right lets you view embedded media from partners like YouTube, Flickr and USTREAM. You can also hear iTunes song previews and share music with your friends by linking your Twitter account to Ping, iTunes’ new social network for music.

We’re on a mission to give you more great multimedia content on Twitter, and today we’re adding five new companies to bring you independent TV shows, photos, works of art, slide presentations and entire songs, all right inside the details pane. Twitter users can access embedded media from more than 20 partners in total, including these new companies:

blip.tv: Watch more than 50,000 independently-produced Web TV shows.

Instagram: View mobile photos, personalized with Instagram’s colorful filters.

Rdio: When a subscriber Tweets out a song, Rdio members can listen to full-length songs right inside the details pane, for the first time ever. All other Twitter users will hear 30 second song previews.

SlideShare: Read and share entire presentations, directly on Twitter.

Dipdive: See photos, videos and new works from Dipdive's community of artists.

In the next few months we’ll integrate with more content partners. For Twitter users, this means that 140 characters can contain a world of multimedia content, and instantly connect you to video, photo, music and media services all across the Web.

A Twitter Holiday Auction - Bid For Literacy!

2010-12-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

Did you know Twitter made a special wine to support global literacy?

We launched the Fledgling Initiative in October 2009 to benefit Room to Read, a non-profit that works with communities throughout the developing world to promote literacy, establish libraries and publish children's books in local languages. Twitter employees helped harvest the first grapes by hand and spent a full year working with Crushpad winery to craft a Chardonnay and Fledgling Pinot Noir, which are now on sale through our site here.

In spirit of the holidays, we're making limited-edition bottles of Fledgling and other unique gifts available through an auction on eBay's giving works platform. From December 6-16, you can bid on signed bottles, special edition magnums (a fancy word for huge bottle of wine), and lunch at Twitter HQ with co-founder Biz Stone. All proceeds will support the children of Uttarakhand, and the dedicated Room to Read volunteers who are teaching them that literacy can be their connection to a whole new world.

Bid on a bottle today by going here, and raise a glass to literacy over your holiday dinner. For more on the Fledgling Initiative itself, visit www.fledglingwine.com.

#TwitterAuction

What Will You Be Tweeting On World Aids Day in 2015?

2010-12-01T10:44:00.000-08:00

This year, nearly half a million children will be born with HIV.

By 2015, that number could be zero. Imagine it -- the first generation of children in 30 years to be born without HIV.

When this disease first began ravaging societies around the world, the Internet as we know it was a mere infant, cellphones cost $4,000 and the idea of an open, global exchange of information with the tap of a few keys was just a dream.

Now, a Tweet can reach millions of people in seconds.

Today is World AIDS Day, and our friends at (RED) are encouraging you to tweet using the hashtag #turnred. It's one small step towards making the dream of an AIDS-free generation in 2015 a reality.

It will take all of us to keep this issue on the forefront of the fight against AIDS to ensure the funding and focus needed to reach this goal continues. Use your Tweet today to start practicing.

When you use #turnred today, your tweet of support will help turn a map of the world red.

How?

Each time someone tweets using #turnred on World Aids Day, the message maps itself onto a data visualizer of the world developed by Ushahidi and (RED). Each action will help turn a different time zone red on the map.

On Jan 1, 2015 we hope to share the news that no child was born that day with HIV. Real hope, in our world.

Want to learn more about (RED)? Follow @joinred to stay informed and to go to www.joinred.com to see the map that your tweets are turning (RED) and learn more.

Discover: Your Appetite

2010-11-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

Have you ever found yourself wondering where that taco truck you went to yesterday is parked today? Or had a nightmare that you forgot to make a dessert for your holiday dinner party and woke up frantically trying to decide what to cook? Before they even emerge, these questions and fears can be quelled by following the right sources on Twitter.

Since Thanksgiving is coming up and food is top-of-mind for many, we're highlighting some of the discoveries that will help satisfy your tastebuds and get your kitchen wafting with aroma.

A Lifeline:

Direct any cooking question to @foodpickle and their community will answer it before you can say "preheat your oven to 350".

Inspiration:

Famous chefs like @markbittman, @davidlebovitz, @michaelpollan and @tylerflorence tweet about life inside the kitchen, and you can almost smell the food cooking in kitchens around the world through accounts like @wednesdaychef, @chefgui and @vindee. Get 140 character recipes from @cookbook, or follow outlets like @latimesfood, @saveurmag, @slashfood, @FoodNetwork, and @fandw for bite-sized tweets of foodie news and info.

Eating local:

Do a search for local sources in your area to find accounts like @eatersf and @SFoodie, which share info before anyone else about restaurant openings and other news. Check to see if your local farmers market has an account (if they don't, tell them how it's done!). Many markets tweet what's fresh off the farms each week so you can plan your meals accordingly.

On the move:

Keep up with your favorite food trucks on Twitter. @mobilecravings has created separate lists of carts in cities around the U.S. that you can follow. If you've got a craving, try sending one of them a Tweet to see if they can come your way–you never know, the cupcake lady could be heading towards a street near you!

For fun:

@tiwyf (this is why you're fat) tweets about ridiculously unhealthy foods like the Doughnut Ice Cream Sandwich.

#TwitterTip

2010-11-19T15:26:00.000-08:00

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.

Instant Notifications

2010-11-16T14:37:00.000-08:00

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.

More Cities, More Trends, More Understanding

2010-11-15T13:56:00.001-08:00

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

Discover: Music

2010-11-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

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.

Twitter + Ping = Discovering More Music

2010-11-11T09:01:00.000-08:00

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.

#TwitterTip

2010-11-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

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!

Account for Haiti

2010-11-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

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.

Twitter for Android: Update available

2010-11-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

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.

U.S. Midterm Elections 2010

2010-11-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

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 g ubernatorial 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.

Promoted Tweets: Testing in the Timeline

2010-11-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

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.

New Twitter, new look

2010-10-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

We’ve refreshed our logos, buttons and widgets to bring the improved look and experience of the new Twitter to your website or blog.

Go to our resources page to add new Twitter widgets, buttons, and logos to your site. These resources are free for you to use, as long as you follow the updated Guidelines for Use of the Twitter Trademarks.

Twitter for Windows Phone: Pivot Power

2010-10-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

There is a new addition to our mobile family: Twitter for Windows Phone. This Twitter client is available now for all Windows Phone 7 devices. We want you to be able to get Tweets quickly and easily, no matter what device you’re using, and the clean design of the Windows Phone platform is particularly great for this.

As with our other mobile clients, Twitter for Windows Phone includes all of the features that you’d expect from Twitter - your timeline, suggested users, messages, lists, and a great way to explore Twitter without even logging in. You can sign up for an account right from the app as well. The app is really fast, and we think you’ll enjoy the experience.

The platform’s design and user interface, which is called Metro, is especially great for Twitter users because it’s simple and easy to use. It also provides a different way to look at information on a phone’s screen through Pivots, which are sort of like pages of the app. Pivots allow you to swipe left or right to view different categories or types of information within a single application. For example, in Twitter for Windows Phone, you can swipe left or right to move from your timeline to mentions to direct messages.

We dug into the platform with a development partner, IdentityMine, who helped us get started creating our application. We used an open source REST API library, Tweet Sharp, as the foundation for our app, and IdentityMine will release some significant improvements back into open source for everyone to use.

We look forward to creating more innovative experiences on the Windows Phone 7 platform (and everywhere)!

A Guest Post from Haiti

2010-10-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to meet Luke Renner in person not too long ago. He shared his story with us about being an American expat in Haiti and witnessing the devastation of the quake this year. Luke runs the Carribean Institute of Media Technology there where he educates the community about modern technologies. Below is his inspiring story, in his own words.

Twitter In Haiti

On January 12, 2010, the day of Haiti's catastrophic earthquake, at 4:53 PM, when our house began to shudder around us along the Northern coast of Haiti, Twitter entered back into our lives in a radical way. In that moment, when all of Haiti’s phones were instantly taken offline and communication with others was brought to a standstill, it was my dormant Twitter account that connected our organization to the outside world and ushered in a fundamental change in the way that we operate.

In those first moments, the job was simply to find out what was going on, to place ourselves within the greater context of events, and get a grasp on what was at stake. Twitter proved to be the only way to do this quickly and comprehensively. Beyond just sending and receiving emails within our own circles, we were now using Twitter to communicate with a broad range of people we had never met, each offering more clarity and form to what would otherwise have been sheer madness.

Informing The Narrative

After finding our place within the evolving narrative, we began adding our own experiences from the ground. By morning, I had talked with @AnnCurry on the phone, distributed some of the first video from Haiti, and had given countless interviews to a number of major International news agencies, each from the links we had distributed via Twitter. For no other reason than our connection to Twitter, we were providing information to a world that was hungry to engage.

To date, I have personally participated in and witnessed numerous exchanges on Twitter that have undoubtedly led to the extension of time, opportunity, quality of life, and (I believe) life itself for those on the receiving end in Haiti. The education that I received in my months of tweeting taught me that personal experience is required in order to fully appreciate the way Twitter connects and mobilizes people across the limitations of pre-formed networks.

"Small Change" is all it takes

Twitter truly is a great leveler. Consider the words of Sylove Jean (@cimtlove), a Haitian student at The Caribbean Institute of Media Technologies, as she speaks to the entire world before her own President did in a news clip that we posted to Twitter on January 12, 2010 (subsequently picked up by most of the major news networks). Sylove talks more about her experiences with Twitter here.

Such implications are game changing.

Today, Twitter’s field of players continues to evolve, moving forward toward a more informed, better positioned, and increasingly diverse body of contributors. Most recently, I was thrilled to see the vast difference between those tweeting about Haiti’s recent cholera outbreak from those who were tweeting after the earthquake.

To follow the #Haiti conversation today, it is immediately evident to me that Haitians have embraced Twitter and are using it to personally engage problems in a way that we didn’t see after the earthquake. I smiled with appreciation as I watched the way cholera situation was assessed, reported, and actively engaged by Haitians on the ground. Even @CharlesHBaker, a hopeful Haitian Presidential candidate, was using his Twitter voice to combat the problem.

Does Twitter save lives?

It’s a popular question but a poorly crafted one. The answer is both “yes” and “no.” In all of my time moving through the epicenter after the disaster, Twitter never once handed someone a bottle of water, a plate of food, or any life-saving medicine. Twitter was not standing there when baby Landina was reunited with her mother after a 6-month separation. Twitter did not deliver tents or chop away at the piles of concrete.

What Twitter did do was rapidly connect people from drastically different walks of life, perfectstrangers with incredibly diverse experience, capabilities, and resources, all actively pursuing meaningful relationships and networks outside of the ones they already had. And it was precisely those connections that gave birth to the kinds of exchanges that inevitably and repeatedly materialized into life-saving results (like bottles of water, food, medical attention, and other practical advances). Albeit simple, our YouTube channel offers an example of one such exchange.

Twitter repeatedly served as the catalyst that launched potential energy into kinetic action and transformed the common person into a powerhouse of positive social change. The potential to affect policy, incite action, motivate systematic change, and drive progress is fundamental to Twitter’s design, with even greater surprises that likely await us. Those who say otherwise simply don’t understand, while those who know best are busy doing the work and leading the way toward the betterment of society. I was once a member of the former group, a critic and non-believer. After Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake, I cannot express my newfound need for Twitter strongly enough. Whereas I once was blind, now I see; the revolution is being tweeted.

Luke Renner

@FiresideInt

@NBA season tip-off

2010-10-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

Now that the free-agency dust has settled and the first @NBA games are happening tonight, it’s time to see how the 2010-2011 season will unfold. Will the #lebrondecision to join @chrisbosh and @dwadeofficial on the @MiamiHeat be the right one? Will the @Lakers repeat as World Champions? While we don’t have those answers for you, we do have some tips on how to stay up-to-date on the last NBA news.

While the games will be happening offline, the conversations around the game and among players will be happening online on Twitter. Whether or not you can make it to the game, you can be part of the action. All thirty teams are on Twitter, as are many of the superstars in the league: @kingjames, @the_real_nash, @carmeloanthony, and @kdthunderup, among others.

With new Twitter, you can see embedded pictures and videos right on Twitter.com – giving you access to players that you couldn’t get even with courtside seats. You can get to know your favorite players better, discover new players, and get insight into their lives off the court. Take a look at @stephencurry30 of the @warriors sharing a picture of his teammate, or a photo of @amareisreal with one of his celebrity friends. Teams are also starting to host tweet ups before games and often give away gear, tickets, or player meet-and-greets.

With Twitter, the water cooler chatter about who’s an all-star and who’s a pretender can happen in real-time. Who will you follow this year?

#TwitterTip: Freshen up with a new background for the revamped layout.

2010-10-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

Ah, profile backgrounds. The wardrobe of your online self. Now that the Twitter.com interface has been overhauled, it's the perfect time to toss last year’s look and freshen up with a new one.

An easy place to start is by navigating to your settings page and clicking on the Design tab to choose one of Twitter’s home-made backgrounds. For more options, check out tweetygotback.com and search through racks of patterns to fit your style. They’re loaded with artwork from Threadless, NASA space images, and graphics from featured artists around world.

Feeling ambitious? Custom-tailor your own background using Themelon tool built by COLOURlovers. You can choose custom background images, then adjust your color pallette to complement your new look.

Need specifics for your design? Here are a few helpful things to note, courtesy of our friends at Mashable:

The opacity of the details pane is about 75%
The main timeline is a static 540 pixels wide
The details pane ranges in size based on screen resolution and covers 380-500px.

When you’re done, don’t forget to Save your sweet new style - either from the service you’re using or from your settings page. Then you’ll be ready to post tweets that represent you as well as your new look.

A World of Tweets

2010-10-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

Twitter shortens the distance between people and provides access to different cultures and events around the world that may otherwise remain contained to a locality. In fact, as this post is being written, worldwide trending topics include Tweets about a Moscow soccer team, a Brazilian politician and a Dutch TV show character.

Our rapid worldwide growth means that there are amazing stories emerging everyday about Twitter use in very different places. While there are many similarities in usage, we’re watching closely how people in different countries get value out of Twitter in their own unique ways.

Here are some recent examples of Twitter’s impact around the world:

Brazil - This year, all three Presidential candidates were tweeting about their campaign in the first round of the election, and the community responded with their own voice throughout. Time also asked this week: “Why is Twitter so popular in Brazil” and provided insight into service’s impact on mainstream Brazilians.

Chile - Sign-ups after the earthquake spiked 500% and have continued to grow since. Last week, the world united in their support and relief to see the Chilean miner rescue. We even saw Tweets from the president himself.

China - The wife of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Liu Xiaobo, is under house arrest but has a Twitter account. Recent commentary from a Beijing media critic says that Twitter is promoting subtle social progress in China.

Ecuador - The president declared a state of emergency via Twitter during civil unrest after days of protests by the federal police. Leaders around the world responded openly with Tweets of support for solidarity and democracy.

Haiti - Twitter use played a critical role in crisis response after the earthquake this year, which also lead our mobile team to build a new feature called Fast Follow to allow people to follow sources via regular mobile phones without creating an account.

India - There are five times as many users in India as there were a year ago, a growth fueled by usage from high-profile users like Bollywood stars, politicians and cricket players.

Japan - Outside of the United States, more Tweets come from Japan than any other country. The high-level of mobile connectivity there plays a big role and, according the the Associated Press, Twitter “tapped into a greater sense of individuality in Japan.”

Nigeria - We are seeing increasing usage of Twitter across Africa, especially in larger populations such as Nigeria. In fact, news of a bomb explosion a few weeks ago broke on Twitter helping people avoid affected areas.

Russia - When President Medvedev started an account at Twitter HQ, we saw 300% growth in sign-ups the next day and have seen steady growth in activity and high-profile Russian use ever since.

South Korea - Twitter accounts have doubled since June when a "go and vote" campaign spread online and the office of the president began tweeting in hopes of creating better communication with voters.

Providing a truly global platform for people to exchange information and perspectives about their world requires Twitter to make the service easier and more locally relevant in all corners of the globe. This is why we and our teams of volunteer translators are continuously translating Twitter.com into Japanese, Spanish, German, French and Italian and plan to expand to other languages soon.

A Good Integration

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Twitter builds for-good efforts into our core because we saw an opportunity early on to change the way businesses do philanthropy. We launched our Promoted Products platform with a model that includes a program called Promoted Tweets for Good that gives non-profits (and even regular businesses campaigning to make a positive impact through our platform) an opportunity to amplify their message through both pro-bono and paid campaigns. The launch of our new Twitter.com is no different, and our business development team made sure to integrate a few partners right from the start that inspire giving.

The new details pane instantly displays content like photos and videos, and we chose the lending platform, Kiva, to build a widget that works in the space as well. Kiva is a lending platform that let's you loan as little as $25 to an entrepreneur who may only need a small chunk of change to begin, but whose life will no doubt be affected dramatically by the contribution. It's a powerful and simple idea that can spread faster and to a broader audience with the integration on Twitter.

With this integration, Twitter users can spread word or discover everything they need to know about a Kiva loan with a single click – without leaving Twitter.com. For instance, if I see a tweet from someone I follow with a Kiva link and click it to reveal more, I can see a picture of the person they helped, read about the story, see what the status is on the loan, see how much is needed total, and how much has been raised so far. If more help is needed, I can click the link to send my own contribution for an instant reward of feeling good about myself, then tweet what I did to continue the cycle of awareness for the cause.

As Buckley White of Kiva says: "Our users benefit because it's easier for them to find loans that are interesting to them. Kiva benefits because we get to reach new audiences. If lenders have a positive experience with Kiva, it's in our interest to help them share that experience, and Twitter enables that."

If you have a good story about how your charitable organization is using new Twitter, @reply us at @hope140 or @clairew. We'd love to know about your efforts.

#TwitterTip

2010-10-19T11:38:00.001-07:00

Here at Twitter Support, we’re always looking for ways to help people better understand and find value on Twitter. Our few dozen support agents, including myself, work daily with Twitter’s user-base to help enhance and improve their experience of the site. “Twitter Tips” – a series of blog posts aimed at helping you get the most out of Twitter – is an extension of that effort. We’ll explain features that average Twitterers may not know about and open doors to discovery on our site. Through these tips, we hope to enhance your experience of our product. Here it goes!

Tip #1: Browse accounts by interest to quickly discover and follow meaningful sources.
People and sources you care about are on Twitter – you just have to find them. Not always as easy as it seems? Twitter's got several tools that can help. One that we think everyone can appreciate is the lists of suggested users by topic.

Let's say this guy we know named Mark joins Twitter so he can get a quick snapshot of the news each day. To immediately find some of the top news sources on Twitter, he clicks the "Browse Interests" link below his “Who to Follow” suggestions, and is presented with a list of categories. By selecting "News," he quickly finds and follows @TheEconomist, @kingsthings (Larry King), and the New York Times' photography account @nytimesphoto. He's off to a great start, and right away his home timeline begins to fill up with links to news articles, photos of the day, and more. Mission accomplished!

To browse lists of accounts related to your interests, just look for the "Browse interests" button on your new Twitter homepage. Follow whomever strikes your fancy because, awesomely, you can always unfollow them later if it turns out they're not tweeting what you expected.