Twitter

After only seven months since Twitter acquired Vine, the six-second video sharing app has reached an impressive 40 million registered users, more than three times the number of Vine users reported just two months ago. While this milestone does not reflect “monthly active user” numbers commonly shared by social networks like Facebook and Twitter, it Continue Reading →

Wednesday, we reported how Twitter was testing out a new Trending box for TV programs to run at the top of your timeline; on Thursday we’ve spotted a test for yet another new feature: alerts for live events that are happening right near you. Like the Trending TV feature, proximity-based alerts are organized around hashtags Continue Reading →

As The New York Times struggled to get its site back online, the paper turned to often ephemeral social media to put out its stories. Earlier on Wednesday, the site began suffering unknown technical difficulties, pulling it completely offline for over an hour. Unfortunately, while the outage wasn’t long, it was enough to threaten reporting Continue Reading →

When Channing Tatum wanted to publish the first picture of his new baby in June, he didn’t go to People or Us Magazine. Instead, he posted on his Facebook page. And when Andy Murray won a surprise victory in Wimbledon in July, he headed straight to Facebook, where he hosted a Q&A with his fans. Continue Reading →

All that Twittering about TV? It really does boost TV ratings. So says Nielsen, in a new study that Twitter executives, among others, will be delighted to see. It’s the first research that conclusively states that an increase in Twitter commentary about a TV show can increase viewership of that same show as it airs Continue Reading →

We spent a long time begging Twitter for two-step verification, and we were pumped to finally get it. Now, an update to the service’s Android and iOS apps are taking it a step further, and making it even better. The improvements include in-app authentication that doesn’t require to wait for an SMS. It’s sort of Continue Reading →

It’s no secret that there appears to be a special brand of Twitter vitriol reserved for women who express opinions online, and that it often comes in the form of rape and death threats. It happened to Anita Sarkeesian when she launched a Kickstarter campaign to look at gender roles in popular video games. It Continue Reading →

The tragicomedy that is Anthony Weiner’s life has made everyone a comedian. There is seemingly no end to the puns, double-entendres, and schoolyard humor that his recent behavior has inspired. At this very moment, I am doing everything I can to restrain myself. That said, there is something very important missing from the coverage of Continue Reading →

It’s hard to remember life before social media. How did we ever know what our distant, high school friends’ kids looked like? Or what they cooked their family for dinner? Or the fabulous places they visited on their (seemingly) bi-monthly tropical vacations? Although Facebook and Twitter feel almost ubiquitous today, according to the Pew Foundation, Continue Reading →

The Vatican has taken another step in its efforts to embrace social media by offering “indulgences” to followers of Pope Francis’ (@Pontifex) Twitter account. Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reports that the church will reduce the time Catholics have to spend in purgatory if they follow official Vatican events on TV, radio, and through social Continue Reading →