Capitol Police Eyes React to Ludic Onion Tweets
September 29, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
The Onion’s Twitter stream suffered from an expected spate of unpopularity today, which was unexpected even considering its eponymous etiology. The cause of the stink? The strong-arming of Washington, D.C. police into investigating successive “Breaking News” tweets made by the satirical newspaper. The tweets, hashtagged #CongressHostage, asserted that members of Congress were demanding $12 trillion in exchange for the return to safety of 12 schoolchildren they had taken hostage. Many found the satire to be lacking good literary form and, more generally, thought the joke to be unfunny.
People wondered if The Onion’s Twitter account had been hacked and some living in the District of Columbia even called the police to inquire about the tweeting commotion. The men (and women) in blue issued a formal statement to reassure the public that the tweeted assertions were false and that an investigation into the postings had been started.
The gem that started the ruckus was: “BREAKING: Witnesses reporting screams and gunfire heard inside Capitol building.” “BREAKING: Capitol building being evacuated. 12 children held hostage by group of armed congressmen #CongressHostage,” quickly followed it.
The reaction of @MrMcLeez was quoted in The Washington Post: “I work at the Capitol and I just yelled at my coworkers that there was gunfire… you scared the [expletive] out of me #fakenewsscares.”
Commentators cut the folks in the District much slack for their humorless reactions given that that the less aggressively satirical news outlets had been reporting about the apprehension of man suspected of planning an attack on the Pentagon and Capitol with explosives-carrying remote-controlled airplanes.
Read More:
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/29/the-onions-hostage-tweets-draw-scrutiny/
Twitter’s Coattails Extend With Arrival of Paid Political Ads
September 22, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Everybody knows that despite this year’s Weiner scandal, Twitter is still really big with politicians as it is with all the usual talking heads — apparently 80 percent of Congress tweets. Twitter honchos have undoubtedly known as much for a while, and that’s why it makes so much sense for them to open up their platform to purchased political advertising. Politicians’ ads are relevant to the Twitter readership and the company needs the cash. The first paid-for political ad on Twitter appeared this week: a “promoted tweet” for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign that ran on Wednesday, September 21st.
Contrary to what would be expected, there seems to be no need to summon any bracing fortitude in preparation for an overwhelming campaign onslaught on your Twitter stream, at least not yet. Leadership at Twitter seems to be intent on introducing advertising in as an intrusive a way as possible. Adam Bain, the company’s president of global revenue was quoted in Politico, where the takeaway of his comments was found to be that Twitter did not wanting to look like it was “cash[ing] in on its massive popularity and cultural cachet,” on account to the advertising. Bonus points for that. Political ads on Twitter will be marked with a purple checkmark and hovering over them will produce a political disclosure.
Read More:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63985.html#ixzz1Yj2sWZyt
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/09/twitter-begins-selling-political-advertising.html
How not to get banned by Twitter
September 21, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Ever think back to that time you had finally settled on a winning first tweet for your long-before opened Twitter account but when you tried to log in to post you realized that your account had been suspended? What was that? you asked then, before briskly deciding on another sparkling and witty Twitter handle. Having chosen to proceed with the posting of your long-brooded-over tweet, perhaps at the time you didn’t feel especially put upon by that first brush with a Twitter suspension. However, with a flourishing Twitter marketing account, you might not like to think that some unsuspecting and careless mistake might bring forth another account closure. Here’s what to do so the next time you go to tweet you don’t find out that your account, or a smarty-pants nom de net, that’s been snatched away.
First off, do everything you can to adhere to the rules and regulations established by the DMCA, which is no rap group, but 1998’s very seriously minded Digital Millennium Copyright Act. And, yes, it’s quite the tallish pile of papers to read, but it’ll keep you in the clear of many unpleasantries related to copyright violations. Eeek!
Next piece of advice: there are a number of marketing methods and practices that can be easily mistaken for spamming, which, being the big no-no that it is, should be avoided at all costs. If Twitter suspects your account of spamming it will close it down, there’s no doubt about that, so stay away from promoting methodologies that produce outcomes with too-strong a semblance to spam.
The third recommendation is to keep prudence in mind when you meddle with another attribute of your Twitter account that is being monitored: your rate of Following and Unfollowing. Circumspection is recommended because any actions in the matter that are too blatantly sudden, like unfollowing thousands of users with a few hours, or days, may lead to your account being shut down. It is a heavy(ish) open-hand that Twitter wields so take care it does not strike down on you or your projects.
Finally, the updates you make should not consist solely of links. Bald links are never good. If you want to post many links, you can do so, but make sure to personalize them with tidbits that characterize them as belonging to, or at least originating from, a real person and not a robot.
Read More:
Twitter Web Analytics, Finally Here
September 19, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Twitter Web Analytics has arrived. If you have a website, you can use this new tool to gauge in more fine detail the volume and type of traffic that Twitter is generating for you. Likewise, everybody with a Tweet button will be able to better understand the benefits that integration is supplying them with.
If you want to thank somebody for this godsend of an herramienta (Spanish word of the day = tool), say thank you to Twitter itself and its savvy acquisition of BlackType back in July. Together, they were able to make this recent rollout possible.
According to Christopher Golda, a developer at Twitter, Twitter Web Analytics will:
• Understand how much your website content is being shared across the Twitter network
• See the amount of traffic Twitter sends to your site
• Measure the effectiveness of your Tweet Button integration
While it’s still in its pilot stage, the tool will be available for use by all sometime in the coming weeks. Golda also announced that developers should continue to expect the eventual release of Web Analytics API so that they can integrate “Twitter data in their products.” It was about time arithmetic joined in the twittering fun!
Read More:
http://mashable.com/2011/09/13/twitter-web-analtyics
https://dev.twitter.com/blog/introducing-twitter-web-analytics
Twitter Marketing And Promotion Tips
September 15, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Twitter is the place where millions go for news and all types of other information. If you’re a Twitter newbie, the first thing you should know is that the length of individual Twitter posts cannot exceed 140 characters. Clearly there’s a reason for calling Twitter posting “micro-blogging.” The 140-character limit is set by default and is part of the site’s appeal — concision is encouraged and everyone gets information in mini-bits. Another thing the platform is good for? Twitter marketing. It provides a surprisingly level playing field for established businesses and those that are just starting out. Twitter has quickly become one of the most reliable places to get a business following.
Make the most of this free space to promote your business? If you’re unsure about how to get started, iClimber can help you out. Your Twitter account can be maintained with timely and pertinent posts so neither you, your brand, nor your business are left out of important public conversations.
Quick Recommendations for Twitter:
- Have individual profiles for management leaders and a single one for the company
- Be active and post relevant content to increase followers
- Follow individuals/companies in your industry and those posting similar content — these are the folks most likely to follow you back; a 20 percent to 40 percent follow-back can be expected
- Do not follow too many people at once: no more than 50-100 follows/day is best
- Avoid repetitive messages, especially those promoting your website
- Know that after the number of people following you reaches 2,000, if your “followers” are not within 10 percent of your “following,” you’ll be unable to add more friends — this threshold is in place to control spam — so sometimes it will be necessary to wait for more followers or to unfollow those that aren’t following you back
- Include your Twitter address on your website, email footers, business cards, and company brochures
- Check your account’s messages at least every few days and respond to them
If you request to have us manage your tweets (Twitter posts), your account will have anywhere from 40 to 150 posts per month, according to the service selection you make. These Twitter postings will typically consist of links to optimistic news stories relevant to your industry or links to your own blog entries and press releases. If you have a blog or website, you can also hire iClimber for article writing and content writing services. Besides tweeting about your articles and content, iClimber will also redirect to your staff any customer support questions made on Twitter.
The takeaway is that an active Twitter account is a known way to generate followers of your brand. If you would like to also create posts yourself, iClimber can provide a 30-minute training session over the phone to place you on the optimized track. Let us assist you in the sharpening of your marketing tools and chops.
Beyoncé’s Conception Shatters Twitter Record
September 1, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Beyoncé Knowles is with child. News of the soon-to-be-arriving Carter-Knowles progeny created such a delirious twittering outburst that a new record for Most Tweets Per Second was set on the popular micro-blogging site. The previous record had only just been set last month when it became apparent that Japan had bested the United States during the women’s World Cup final. At that time, the tweets-per-second record was 7,196 tweets. So what was the Twittering rate reached by Sasha Fierce? Final count came down to 8,868 tweets per second.
On Sunday, as the MTV Music Awards were about the begin, Beyoncé divulged her big news by way of a (non)red carpet stroll that included a lot of belly-holding and demarcating. During the show she performed “Love on Top,” rubbed her swelling abdomen and told her audience, “I want you to feel the love that’s growing inside me.”
Other recent events that have garnered a lot of tweeting: Osama Bin Laden’s death, Japan’s March earthquake and tsunami, and the British monarchical wedding. America’s most famous singer married America’s most famous rapper, Jay-Z in 2008. Before and after their marriage, Beyoncé had been the focus of innumerable pregnancy rumors. Many congrats to the happy couple.
Read More:
http://techland.time.com/2011/08/30/beyoncs-pregnancy-is-the-biggest-news-on-twitterever/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/29/beyonce-pregnancy-twiter-record-mtv-vmas_n_941064.html
Harper Seven Beckham Makes Her Debut on Twitter
July 19, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Yesterday, Harper Seven Beckham, daughter of Victoria and David Beckham, was introduced to the public through her mother’s Twitter account. Harper Seven was born on July 10th in Los Angeles, California. By personally releasing a photo of their newborn daughter, perhaps the Beckhams were attempting to assuage the paparazzi first-shot hunting season that Victoria would likely see herself in once she recuperated and began moving about town more freely. Of course, the Beckhams could simply be like everyone else — at least in the ways-of-using-social-media department — and be content to share the image of their family’s new addition to all their far-flung family and friends in one fell swoop.
Overall, it seems celebrities continue to embrace social networking for new and old ways of reaching out to the public. Where before a magazine cover might have been in order, personal photos of the child taken by each parent were shared on various social networking sites (Twitter just happened to have the scoop via the former Posh Spice).
In case anyone was still unaware of the fact, Victoria Beckham’s favorite novel is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird. The BBC is reporting that Harper Seven was named after the beloved American author.
Read More:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14181210
http://twitter.com/#!/victoriabeckham
Get Ready #askobama; Twitter Town Hall Set for July 6
July 1, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
If you’re expecting your hit of pronounced patriotism to continue beyond Monday night’s firework spectaculars, try coming up with some good questions to ask the President a few days after the barbecue. Save the date for the first ever Twitter Town Hall; it’s happening Wednesday, July 6, 2011, at 2pm Eastern Time.
Live from the East Room, President Obama will answer questions posted on Twitter with the #askobama hashtag. The whole thing will be streamed live, and if you head over to http://askobama.twitter.com or http://wh.gov/live on Wednesday, you’ll be able to catch all the action. People have been encouraged to ask about their most pressing concerns, namely, jobs and the economy, but no doubt many will be inquiring about the Libyan War.
Come Wednesday, Mr. Jack Dorsey himself, Twitter executive chairman (and co-founder), will be presiding as event moderator. The presidential get-together is expected to last about an hour.
Giving his two cents to the New York Times, Macon Phillips, the White House director of digital strategy, said that Twitter provided a “compelling way to not only get information out but also to understand what people have to say about an issue.” He added that his boss’s team would be “doubling down on [its] online engagement efforts.”
Twitter will be in charge sorting through the People’s questions before the president answers them. Remember to add the hashtag when you tweet yours.
Read More:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/06/30/askobama-first-ever-twitter-townhall-white-house
Congressman Resigns After Hitting the Wrong Button to Sext on Twitter
June 17, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
Thursday was Anthony D. Weiner’s last day as the U.S. Representative for New York’s 9th congressional district. The former Congressman issued his resignation from the same senior center in Brooklyn that once saw him announce his successful 1991 run for City Council.
Just last month Weiner was being thought of as NYC’s next mayor, but his misuse of social media has rendered uncertain his once bright political future. It all started when his political opponents, keeping a very close eye on his Twitter account, noticed that Weiner had sent an indecorous photo of his lower half to a Washington State undergrad. It turned out he had tweeted the photo publicly when he had meant to send it as a private message — a case of Twitter sexting gone very bad. Although Weiner initially claimed his account had been hacked, he was all too soon offering public repentances for the photo and for many more such incidences.
Mr. Weiner joined Twitter in 2009 and in March of this year, Time Magazine praised him for being “able to upload pictures,” having an “actual understanding of hashtags,” and not being “afraid to make fun of himself,” adding, “I mean, just check out his profile picture.” It would only be a few months before Time added the following notice to its feature:
Update: On June 16, Weiner resigned his Congressional seat, ten days after admitting that he’d accidentally Tweeted out at least one lewd photograph of himself. So… perhaps we overstated his savvy just a bit.
Some consolations for the former congressman include TV job offers from the “Entourage” production team and a “20 percent increase over his congressman’s salary” if he joins Flynt Management Group, whose top boss, Larry Flynt, just told the Huffington Post: “I feel that [Weiner’s] unfortunate resignation is a prime example of unfounded political pressure and the hypocrisy that has invaded democracy in Washington D.C.”
Read more:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2058946_2059021_2059018,00.html
Who Uses Twitter the Most?
June 2, 2011 by admin · Comments Off
As part of its continuing study, “Internet and American Life Project,” today, the Pew Research Center published an update to its reporting on the use of Twitter in the United States. The update detailed that roughly 13 percent of American adults connected to the internet are Twitter users. The report’s findings reveal an 8 percent increase in usage within the last six months.
Starting April 26 and ending in May 22, 2011, the Pew Research Center called Americans to ask, in both English and Spanish, about their internet use. The last time the survey was conducted was in November 2010. This previous polling revealed that only 8 percent of “online adults identified themselves as Twitter users.” Two other important numbers obtained: 95 percent of Americans on Twitter own a cell phone and 54 percent use the handheld device to tweet.
Giving the numbers more perspective and contouring, the Center determined that African Americans and Latinos were the demographical groups most likely to be engaged with the micro-blogging service. Of African Americans online today, 25 percent of them use Twitter; for Latinos the number is 11 percent. Other groups are also showing growth on Twitter: 25- to 34-year-olds have doubled their representation, going from 9 percent in November 2010 to 19 percent last month; by their turn, 35- to 44-year-olds have seen their numbers jump to 14 percent from their previous 8 percent showing.
Read More:
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Twitter-Update-2011.aspx
