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Tag: twitter

  • Twitter Brings ‘While You Were Away’ Feature for iOS Users

    Twitter Brings ‘While You Were Away’ Feature for iOS Users

    Twitter has officially announced a feature that will help users recapitulate the tweets they have missed since the last login. Termed as ‘while you were away’, the feature is only available for iOS users as of now.

    twitter while you were away

    With this new feature, the iOS users will notice a snapshot once they are logged in. This snapshot will combine the missed tweets that can be those that are relevant to you or that are popular. While some may have queries about how the app could choose what users want to see; the new feature makes the selection as per an algorithm. This algorithm takes care of engagement along with other user habits. Based on all these facts, the app makes a list and pops it up at the time of login.

    The company says that it aims to keep up the users with the fast running world. The latest feature will dig out information and compile it for you so that you never miss out anything and stay up to date even if you are not on Twitter 24*7. The official blog post reads –

    No matter how much time you spend on Twitter. With a few improvements to the home timeline we think we can do a better job of delivering on that promise without compromising the real time nature of Twitter.

    Although, the feature is available only on iOS devices for now, the company has assured everone that they will soon roll it out on the Android app and website twitter.com.

  • Twitter Says it’s Tracking Your Mobile Apps But Won’t Invade Privacy

    Twitter Says it’s Tracking Your Mobile Apps But Won’t Invade Privacy

    Twitter, the micro-blogging social media platform, has announced that it has started collecting data on the apps its users download and install on their smartphones.

    It is no secret that Twitter is looking into stuff to increase targeted ads in your social feed, however, their latest approach is an issue with users concerned about their privacy. The service has revealed that its app will start tracking the list of applications you have installed on your device in order to improve the relevance of both ads and other content that slips into your tweet stream, such as Favorites. The feature is named as ‘App Graph’. Twitter is adamant that it’s not collecting data from within the apps, and will let you know when the monitoring kicks in.

    Twitter has been working to personalise users’ timelines with better content as it struggles to convert its numerous passive users, meaning those who don’t sign in or those who have accounts but rarely tweet into active, more engaged users. Twitter has been testing ways to make its service more usable from the initial sign-in, even if you don’t have a network of friends to follow or aren’t sure how to get started. For instance, Twitter’s recently added ‘Instant Timeline’ feature for new users will give people something to see as soon as they sign in for the first time.

    Twitter has ensured that the data will be strictly business-oriented and won’t be invading your privacy in any way. However, the mere official statement is not enough for some users and they are opting third-party clients like Tweetbot or Talon who are not facing this problem, at least for now.

  • Twitter Now Lets You Share Public Tweets via Direct Message

    Twitter Now Lets You Share Public Tweets via Direct Message

    Twitter has evolved considerably over the past few years with small updates and iterations. The micro-blogging website continuously comes up with new features to make itself and the app more interactive and user-friendly.

    Recently, another new feature has just arrived on Twitter. After URLs through direct messages (DMs) were made possible again and search was upgraded, the online social networking service has now rolled out a feature that gives you the ability to send public tweets through DMs. The feature comes as a part of the latest update to the social media network and is available on iOS, Android, Twitter for web and Tweetdeck.

    sharetweetDM_256coProduct Manager Sachin Agarwal announced this update on Twitter’s official blog saying that the update is available from today across platforms globally. “With today’s update you’ll be able to share a Tweet privately with any of your followers. To do this from your mobile app, long-press the Tweet in your timeline and choose ‘Share via Direct Message’,” he explained.

    If you want to share a tweet from either the iOS or Android mobile apps, long-press the Tweet in your timeline and choose ‘Share via Direct Message.’ On twitter.com and TweetDeck, tap the ‘••• More’ icon and select ‘Share via Direct Message.’ The person you share a tweet with will get a push notification, and the tweet will display directly in the conversation.

    The changes will arrive today on nearly all platforms, web and mobile included, and on the desktop through TweetDeck. TweetDeck for Mac, and apparently – as no mention was made – the Twitter desktop app are delayed in receiving the update, however.

    The new option is not exactly a highly demanded feature among Twitter users, but it will be a nice addition for those who have private conversation on the network, as it will allow a lot of users to shift from public content and open discussions to more private conversations.

  • Goofy New App ‘Super’ is the Perfect Place to Make Bold Statements

    Goofy New App ‘Super’ is the Perfect Place to Make Bold Statements

    After failing at its recent project Q&A app Jelly, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone has come up with another light-hearted app called Super. As simply as it can be put, Super is Twitter with the style of Jersey Shore. Yes, Super lets you share statements starting with ‘The Best’, ‘The Worst’, ‘I Wish’, ‘Check Out’, ‘Don’t Ever’, or a few other prompts. You can sign your name if you wish, and people will be able to see your declaration in ‘Friends’, ‘Everyone’, and ‘Nearby’ feeds.

    1416287050822Creating a new Super post gives you a template ‘sentence starter’ word for your thought on the top left, like ‘we should’ or ‘I love’ before an area for typing your thought. On the lower right, you can add a further message, attribution or quip. Then, you are required to add an image; either from your own camera/library or from a library of art that’s built-in. Users can also add location data to their images so that it can be discovered by those in the area using the nearby feed.

    Like Twitter, it offers you limited words, letting people use witty words and clever wordplay. However, this app is just not about words, pictures are equally an important part of the app. Hence, making it feel equally interesting as Instagram. So, what’s special about Super? The app scans what you write, and then automatically adds a background image and offers a few alternates based on your keywords.

    Super also has an anonymous element like Secret called ‘anonymish’ where you can throw a switch when posting. This removes your username from the post. The company pointed out that people could figure out who you are though, as ‘it isn’t designed as an anonymous sharing platform.’

    Even though Biz’s last app flopped miserably, Stone doesn’t want to stress this launch that much. “I’ve decided not to come up with some slick and pithy marketing description for Super,” he wrote in a blog post. “I’m also not going to proclaim that it’s the most innovative thing ever or that it’s going to save the world. It’s not, it’s just fun.”

  • Twitter Joins Hands With Women Advocacy Group to Fight Online Harassment

    Twitter Joins Hands With Women Advocacy Group to Fight Online Harassment

    We all know the depreciational quality of any online conversation with another human being. There’s something about the mode of online communication that leaves us shielded from other person’s emotions, leading us to create a lot of nasty content over the internet. The information super highway was meant for the world to unite and share ideas, instead, we have turned it into a septic tank of human nastiness. One of the worst issues online is the issue of online harassment. It is especially a common occurrence on social media. Now Twitter will be taking steps to prevent harassment on its pages.

    Twitter has joined hands with a non-profit advocacy organization Women, Action, and the Media (WAM) to take on online harassment. It is reported through a PEW survey that as many as 25% of women aged between 18-24 have been stalked online, while 26% have been on the receiving end of online sexual harassment.

    Using an online form you can report specifics of the harassment, you're facing.
    Twitter said that it works with multiple partners to take on online harassment.

    These are troubling figures as it creates a malignant atmosphere for women online. In the garb of anonymity, insensitive elements create a havoc on the person they are targeting. WAM will work towards making it easier for Twitter to take actions against these unscrupulous troublemakers.

    WAM has created an online form which can be used to report abuses. It is an anti-gender harassment campaign, and so the form can be used by women and men both. WAM has made it clear that they will use the complaints received to direct Twitter to take action, but ultimate authority lies with Twitter.

    Recently, a major Twitter scandal unfolded in the Tech world with the exposure of #gamergate, where certain female gamers were being harassed by gamers. They were forced to speak out against gender discrimination against females in gaming. After facing tremendous pushback from mainstream attention, the gamergate movement is now dying a silent death.

    The safety features might come in handy for reporting abuses, but what is really necessary to end this menace is accountability. The people who indulge in harassment of others leads to more controls on expression, which just spoils the fun for everyone. It’s important that the abusers face the consequences of their actions. But most importantly, we need to have an online culture conversation. The online world is an ecosystem of its own, and it is still discovering itself, constantly evolving. We need to create a civilisational grammar for this new society and make it a place to have real developmental interactions.

  • Air India Finally Gets on Board! Launches its Official App and Twitter Account

    Air India Finally Gets on Board! Launches its Official App and Twitter Account

    Seems like Air India is finally awake from a deep slumber. It has officially launched a new app for smartphones to make bookings simple and convenient even while you’re on the move. Better late than never,  Air India has also officially boarded the micro blogging site Twitter with a new account @airindiain.

    As already mentioned, the app should facilitate quick and hassle free bookings along with providing user oriented information like fare details, check ins etc. The app is only available only on the Play Store for now, though will be rolled out for iOS soon.

    The airline already has a Facebook page and getting onto Twitter account would be considered a step in the right direction. This makes Air India the sixth Indian airline to have an account on Twitter.

    “We will be launching our Twitter account in the next few days,” said Rohit Nandan, chairman and managing director of Air India. “I know it’s a tough task for us to be there, but we have to improve our customer services and I think this is the step in that direction. This will keep us on our toes. We would try to do our best so we can solve customer queries in real time. And gradually scale up our efforts,” said Nadan in a report published by Times of India.

  • Twitter Gets Musical with its New Audio Card Feature

    Twitter Gets Musical with its New Audio Card Feature

    All of our Twitter timelines are going get more musical after the social networking giant launched a new Twitter Audio Card feature that is already being used by SoundCloud and Apple’s iTunes.

    audio_card_blog copy

    “The world’s most influential musicians and media producers already share unique audio content through Twitter every day. Today we’re introducing a new way for you to experience audio directly on Twitter. ” Twitter wrote on the official blog. “With a single tap, the Twitter Audio Card lets you discover and listen to audio directly in your timeline on both iOS and Android devices. Throughout your listening experience, you can dock the Audio Card and keep listening as you continue to browse inside the Twitter app.” blog post added.

    In SoundCloud’s case, the Audio Card opens up a full-screen player for the audio, complete with whatever artwork the creator has uploaded to SoundCloud for it. The audio will continue playing when the card is minimised, though. As the new feature launched, Guetta tweeted a link to a new remix of his song Dangerous, while Chance the Rapper followed suit with a link to his new single No Better Blues.

    Twitter also announced that content by select iTunes artists will also appear in Audio Cards, allowing users to preview music that has not been released yet. U.S. rock band Foo Fighters gave fans a taste from their new album “Sonic Highways” by tweeting their song “Something From Nothing.”

    It is worth noticing that the iTunes player on Twitter plays the whole song, unlike the preview on iTunes Store itself, which plays less than 2 minutes of it. Twitter said it is still testing Audio Cards, and plans to open it up to more partners and creators. The feature follows other Twitter Cards that allow users to add more content to their tweets such as in-stream videos.

  • After Bendgate, Apple’s iPhone 6 Now Faces Hairgate

    After Bendgate, Apple’s iPhone 6 Now Faces Hairgate

    Forget #bendgate, iPhone 6 Plus users have discovered a new problem with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The online uproar started after some iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners got strands of hair caught between the screen and the aluminum frame of the iPhone. And soon after, Hairgate caught on and started trending.

    It is difficult to decipher whether there is any real issue, but Twitter users have made #hairgate a rising social media trend, leading major news outlets to glomp on the story. Bearded iPhone users have also complained that their facial hair gets yanked during calls, leading to the separate trend #beardgate.

    However, it has been regarded as fabricated and misleading. Gordon Kelly, Forbes’ reviewer said, “The gap between the front glass and aluminium does not exist. There is a bevel, but the glass front panel is actually fused to the aluminium and the tiny gap you do see is significantly narrower than a human hair.”

    2014-10-07-12.13.20-1940x1435

    “Furthermore even if a significant gap did exist, hairgate would still make no sense. It has been pointed out that ‘Gapgate’ on the Galaxy Note 4 (where a tangible gap exists in the phablet’s seam) was also present in both the Note 2 and Note 3 designs and owners go by without widespread reports of hair trauma. The Note 3 alone sold 10 million units in 2 months, so that’s a pretty wide test base.” Kelly added.

    Meanwhile, Twitter has been flooded with funny tweets about the new false scandal. Apple has faced quite a bit of criticism since the mega launch event in Cupertino. The technology giant had to face massive social media bashing for news that their new iPhone 6 Plus has the tendency to bend in tight pockets. Apple’s biggest competitors like Samsung, LG and HTC got together with some brutal take downs of Apple’s latest flagship in an event dubbed “bendgate”. Adding to the woes was the faulty iOS 8.0.1 update which caused issues in the new iPhone and had to be withdrawn.

  • Twitter for New iOS 8 Gets a Major Makeover

    Twitter for New iOS 8 Gets a Major Makeover

    With the new Apple iOS 8 update, Twitter app for the iPhone just got slicker. Earlier layout of the Twitter app for iOS was clustered and has been criticised for not being user friendly. With the new updated look, Twitter seems have used the earlier feedback to make the new and improver interface more user friendly and declustered.

    The updated app has got  a brand new design for profiles, which brings your bio front and center. Earlier users had to swipe the user name window to see the bio. Also, the company has added different timelines for tweets, pictures/GIF uploaded and favorite tweets for easy reading.

    The new profile layout will show up on both iOS 7 and iOS 8. So, if you haven’t upgraded yet to the new iOS, you can still enjoy the new layout in your iPhone. However, you get some extra perks with iOS 8 such as the power to retweet, follow and favorite posts right from the notification center.

  • 10 Things You Don’t Know About Twitter (But Should)

    10 Things You Don’t Know About Twitter (But Should)

    Recently, we’ve been paying quite a bit of attention to this powerful social media forum. Why shouldn’t we? It is used by millions everyday, and we especially love the way it helps us stay connected. Twitter needs to be given credit for being one of the first sites which helped us communicate with famous names. Everyone starting from Barack Obama to Shah Rukh Khan use this microblogging service. Companies also use this service to keep in contact with their customers.

    Yesterday, we explained the 10 easy steps you can use to become a Twitter Pro. Carrying on the series, here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about Twitter:

    1. Narendra Modi’s Tweet Created History

    On 16th May 2014, the Indian election results confirmed a huge victory for the Bhartiya Janata Party. On the same day, @NarendraModi’s victory tweet, created record history by becoming the most retweeted and favourited tweet from India.

    2. You Can Use Twitter to Share Files

    Log onto Filesocial.com with your Twitter ID, upload a file and it will automatically be shared on your twitter account.  You can upload PDFs and documents, as well. It’ll appear as a regular post on your feed; anyone can see, comment and even download that file.

    3. Get Your Entire Twitter History Emailed to You

    At the bottom of your Account Settings page, there is a tab labeled ‘Request Your Archive’. Click on it to request a file containing all your information, which goes back to your first Tweet. Twitter emails you a link from where you can download the file that includes a detailed document with timestamps, tweets, retweets and URLS.

    4. You Can Create Secret Lists

    Twitter list

    It’s fairly simple, when you click on the tab to create a new list, click on the option of making the list private. Now no one other than you would be able to view that list. Twitter lists can be used de-clutter your account. Once you have a large number of followers or if you’re following too many people, you can sort out the  by organising them into lists which are only visible to you. Lists can be organized on the basis of location, topics being discussed, job profiles, or your closest friends. 

    5. The Blue Bird Has a Name

    twitter-bird-

    Twitter’s famous mascot is named “Larry”. Larry the Bird has been reportedly named after Larry Bird, a former professional basketball player who played for the Boston Celtics.

    6. People Buy Followers on Twitter

    Okay, most of you might already know this. Similar to buying ‘likes’ on Facebook, you can buy followers on Twitter. There are a ton of sites available which claim to give you cheap rates to increase your followers. This might be a good idea if you’re building a brand and promoting it through Twitter, however you should know that these followers will not be an active audience. They’re not going to be interested in your brand or tweets, they’re only an added number.

    7. The Most Followed Person on Twitter is..

    katy perry

    With more than 53 million followers, Katy Perry has been reigning on top since November 2013. She is followed closely by Justin Bieber (52.2 million) and then President Barack Obama (43.5 million). Says a lot about where the world’s priorities lie. The most followed Indian is Amitabh Bachchan, with more than 9 million followers.

    8. Twitter’s Current CEO Was a Professional Comedian.

    Their previous COO and current CEO Dick Costolo, in an interview revealed that he tried his hand at stand-up comedy and failed. According to Business Insider, his stakes at Twitter are now worth $430 Million. We’re pretty sure he has no regrets.

    9. You Can Send Tweets Via Text Messages

    In fact, this is the site’s foundation stone. Twitter’s co-founder Jack Dorsey had initially pictured it as an SMS-based communication platform. Though Twitter is a free service, your mobile carrier service might charge you according to your chosen messaging plan. If you have an unlimited texting plan you won’t get charged, if you have a pay-per-message then the regular charges will apply.

    10. Facebook Almost Bought Twitter

    -facebook-twitter-

    According to the tech grapevine, sometime around October 2008 Mark Zuckerberg offered to pay $500 million to buy out Twitter. He was dealing directly with Jack Dorsey. The deal came to a crashing halt when Dorsey was yanked from his position as CEO, and assigned the position of a Chairman with zero operational control. 

  • Rumor Report : Twitter To Buy Soundcloud

    Rumor Report : Twitter To Buy Soundcloud

    Twitter had shown interest in the music scene before, by introducing its own Twitter Music app, which unfortunately proved to be a failure. But that hasn’t deterred the company’s effort to find a way to make music a larger part of its service.

    According to Recode, Twitter is attempting  to purchase SoundCloud, one of the internet’s best homes for sharing music.

    twitter-is-reportedly-in-talks-to-buy-soundcloud-0-300x300Berlin-based SoundCloud is a free service that lets users upload and share audio files around the Web; it is popularly described  as the “YouTube for audio.” In October 2013, the company announced that it had 250 million users.

    If the deal is confirmed, the acquirement would be a huge move for Twitter, which has seen its stock worn out over the last few months – its investors anxious about its slow growth pace. If the deal goes forward, it would also be Twitter’s most pricey acquisition till date. Earlier this year, SoundCloud announced a $60 million funding round that valued the company at $700 million. Last fall,  Twitter was preparing to go public with its acquirement of a mobile advertisement company called MoPub, in a deal that valued the company above $300 million.

    A Twitter deal will also likely up the pressure on SoundCloud to reach a deal with big music labels to distribute their songs. SoundCloud currently has no such deals, which puts it in a gray area similar to YouTube in its early days. Some copyrighted songs are on the service without the owners’ permission, but others are uploaded by artists and labels that value the distribution SoundCloud provides.

    The two are already linked in several ways. Twitter’s users frequently pass along SoundCloud links in their messages; Peter Watts, a music tech hacker, has been tracking the popularity of music services on Twitter, his survey found that Twitter users share SoundCloud links more than any other music service, including Spotify.

    twitter

    If SoundCloud can gets favorable music licensing deals to legalize how their users get access to published songs, then maybe we could see music become a deeply embedded feature on Twitter. This deal would give Twitter the much needed push into media by adding another interesting and popular publishing platform.

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