Revision 124978 of "ធ្វីតតឺ" on kmwiki

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{{Infobox dot-com company
|company_name     = Twitter, Inc.
|company_logo     = 
|company_type     = [[Privately held company|Private]]
|foundation       = {{Start date|2006|03|21}}<ref name=Dorsey2006 />
|founder          = [[Jack Dorsey]], [[Noah Glass]],<br />[[Evan Williams (entrepreneur)|Evan Williams]], [[Biz Stone]]
|location_city    = [[San Francisco]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://twitter.com/about/contact|title=Contact Us}}</ref>
|location_country = [[United States]]
|locations        =
|area_served      = Worldwide
|key_people       = [[Dick Costolo]] (CEO)<br />[[Jack Dorsey]]<br />([[Chairman|Executive Chairman]])<br />[[Evan Williams (blogger)|Evan Williams]] (Director)<br />[[Biz Stone]] (Creative director)
|industry         = [[Internet industry|Internet]] 
|products         =
|services         =
|revenue          = {{Increase}} US$ 140 million (2010 est.)<ref name="NYT-Twitter Hacked"/>
|operating_income =
|net_income       =
|owner            =
|num_employees    = 900+ (2012)<ref>{{cite web |first=Peter |last=Kafka |title=Twitter Expands European Business |url=http://allthingsd.com/20120403/twitter-expands-european-business/ |date=April 3, 2012 |work=[[All Things Digital]] |publisher=[[Dow Jones & Company]] |accessdate=April 3, 2012}}</ref>
|parent           =
|divisions        =
|subsid           =
|company_slogan   =
|url              = {{URL|https://twitter.com/|Twitter.com}}
|ipv6             =
|alexa            = {{Steady}} 8 ({{as of|2012|8|2|alt=August 2012}})<ref name="alexa">{{cite web|url= http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/twitter.com |title= Twitter.com Site Info | publisher= [[Alexa Internet]] |accessdate= August 2, 2012}}</ref><!--Updated monthly by OKBot.-->
|website_type     = [[Social network service]], [[microblogging]]
|advertising      = 
|registration     =
|num_users        = 500&nbsp;million<ref name="Twitter_500">{{cite web | url=http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/500-million-registered-users_b18842 | title= Twitter has 500 million registered users}}</ref> (active April 2012) 
|language         = [[Multilingualism|Multilingual]]
|registration     = Required (to post, follow or be followed)
|launch_date      = {{Start date|2006|07|15}}<ref name=launch />
|current_status   = Active
|commercial?      = Yes
|screenshot       = [[File:Twitter homepage.png|center|220px|]]
|caption          = Current homepage of Twitter.
}}
'''Twitter''' is an online [[social networking service]] and [[microblogging]] service that enables its users to send and read text-based messages of up to 140 [[character (computing)|character]]s, known as "'''tweets'''".

It was created in March 2006 by [[Jack Dorsey]] and launched that July. The service rapidly gained worldwide popularity, with over [[List of virtual communities with more than 100 million users|500 million active]] users as of 2012, generating over 340 million tweets daily and handling over 1.6 [[billion]] [[Web search query|search queries]] per day.<ref name="Twitter_500" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://engineering.twitter.com/2011/05/engineering-behind-twitters-new-search.html |author=Twitter Search Team|title=The Engineering Behind Twitter’s New Search Experience |date=May 31, 2011 |accessdate=June 10, 2011 |work=Twitter Engineering Blog |publisher=Twitter}}</ref><ref>[http://old.news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20110716/tc_mashable/reaching_200_million_accounts_twitters_explosive_growth_infographic ]{{dead link|date=November 2011}}</ref> Since its launch, Twitter has become one of the top 10 most visited websites on the Internet, and has been described as "the [[SMS]] of the [[Internet]]."<ref name="alexa" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/swine-flu%5Cs-tweet-tweet-causes-online-flutter/356604/ |title=Swine Flu's Tweet Tweet Causes Online Flutter |date=April 29, 2009 |first=Leslie |last=D'Monte |work=[[Business Standard]] |quote=Also known as the 'SMS of the internet', Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service |accessdate=February 4, 2011}}</ref> Unregistered users can read tweets, while registered users can post tweets through the website interface, SMS, or a range of [[Application software|apps]] for mobile devices.<ref>[http://support.twitter.com/groups/34-apps-sms-and-mobile/topics/153-twitter-via-sms/articles/14014-twitter-via-sms-faq# Twitter via SMS FAQ] Retrieved April 13, 2012.</ref>

Twitter Inc. is based in [[San Francisco]], with additional servers and offices in [[New York City]], [[Boston]], and [[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio]]. 

Twitter has been cited as an important factor in the [[Arab Spring]] and other political protests.<ref name=arab_spring>{{cite web|author=Huang, Carol |url=http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/facebook-and-twitter-key-to-arab-spring-uprisings-report|title=Facebook and Twitter key to Arab Spring uprisings: report |work=The National |date=June 6, 2011|accessdate=April 13, 2012}}</ref>
==History==
===Creation and initial reaction===
[[File:Twttr sketch-Dorsey-2006.jpg|upright|left|thumb|200px|A blueprint sketch, c. 2006, by [[Jack Dorsey]], envisioning an [[SMS]]-based [[social network]].]]
Twitter's origins lie in a "daylong brainstorming session" held by board members of the [[podcast]]ing company [[Odeo]]. Dorsey introduced the idea of an individual using an SMS service to communicate with a small group.<ref>{{registration required|date=February 2011}} {{cite news|author=Miller, Claire Cain|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/technology/31ev.html|title=Why Twitter's C.E.O. Demoted Himself|date=October 30, 2010|work=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=October 31, 2010}}</ref> The original [[project code name]] for the service was '''twttr''', an idea that Williams later ascribed to [[Noah Glass]],<ref>{{cite web|author=Williams, Evan|url=https://twitter.com/#!/ev/status/58275072011542529|title=It's true...|date=April 13, 2011|publisher=Twitter|accessdate=April 26, 2011}}</ref> inspired by [[Flickr]] and the five-character length of American SMS [[short code]]s. The developers initially considered "10958" as a short code, but later changed it to "40404" for "ease of use and memorability."<ref name=HowTwitterWasBorn>{{cite web|url=http://www.140characters.com/2009/01/30/how-twitter-was-born/|title=How Twitter Was Born|work=140 Characters – A Style Guide for the Short Form|publisher=140 Characters|date=January 30, 2009|first=Dom|last=Sagolla|accessdate=February 4, 2011}}</ref> Work on the project started on March 21, 2006, when Dorsey published the first Twitter message at 9:50 PM [[Pacific Standard Time]] (PST): "just setting up my twttr".<ref name=Dorsey2006>{{cite web|title=just setting up my twttr |url=http://twitter.com/jack/status/20 |date=March 21, 2006 |author=Dorsey, Jack |publisher=Twitter |accessdate=February 4, 2011 |authorlink=Jack Dorsey}}</ref>

<blockquote>"...we came across the word 'twitter', and it was just perfect. The definition was 'a short burst of inconsequential information,' and 'chirps from birds'. And that's exactly what the product was." – [[Jack Dorsey]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/02/twitter-creator.html |title=Twitter Creator Jack Dorsey Illuminates the Site's Founding Document|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=February 18, 2009|first=David|last=Sano|accessdate=June 18, 2009}}</ref></blockquote>

The first Twitter prototype was used as an internal service for Odeo employees and the full version was introduced publicly on July 15, 2006.<ref name=launch>{{cite web |first=Michael |last=Arrington |url=http://techcrunch.com/2006/07/15/is-twttr-interesting/ |title=Odeo Releases Twttr |work=[[TechCrunch]] |publisher=[[AOL]] |date=July 15, 2006 |accessdate=September 18, 2010 |authorlink=Michael Arrington}}</ref> In October 2006, [[Biz Stone]], [[Evan Williams (entrepreneur)|Evan Williams]], Dorsey, and other members of Odeo formed Obvious Corporation and acquired Odeo and all of its assets &ndash; including Odeo.com and Twitter.com &ndash; from the investors and shareholders.<ref name='Odeo RIP'>{{Cite news| first=Om | last=Malik | coauthors= |authorlink= | title=Odeo RIP, Hello Obvious Corp | date=October 25, 2006 |url=http://gigaom.com/2006/10/25/odeo-rip-hello-obvious-corp/ |work=[[GigaOM]] |accessdate=June 20, 2009}}</ref> Williams fired Glass who was silent about his part in Twitter's startup until 2011.<ref>{{cite news|author=Madrigal, Alexis|title=Twitter's Fifth Beatle Tells His Side of the Story|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/04/twitters-fifth-beatle-tells-his-side-of-the-story/237326/|date=April 14, 2011|work=The Atlantic|accessdate=April 26, 2011}}</ref> Twitter spun off into its own company in April 2007.<ref name='Dorsey Interview'>{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailyanchor.com/2009/02/12/a-conversation-with-twitter-co-founder-jack-dorsey/ |title=A Conversation with Twitter Co-Founder Jack Dorsey |accessdate=February 12, 2009 |last=Lennon |first=Andrew |work=[[The Daily Anchor]] }}</ref>

The [[tipping point (sociology)|tipping point]] for Twitter's popularity was the 2007 [[South by Southwest Interactive]] (SXSWi) conference. During the event, [[Twitter usage]] increased from 20,000&nbsp;tweets per day to 60,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gawker.com/tech/next-big-thing/twitter-blows-up-at-sxsw-conference-243634.php |title=Twitter Blows Up at SXSW Conference |last=Douglas |first=Nick |date=March 12, 2007 |work=[[Gawker]] |accessdate=February 21, 2011}}</ref> "The Twitter people cleverly placed two 60-inch plasma screens in the conference hallways, exclusively streaming Twitter messages," remarked ''[[Newsweek]]'''s [[Steven Levy]]. "Hundreds of conference-goers kept tabs on each other via constant twitters. Panelists and speakers mentioned the service, and the bloggers in attendance touted it."<ref name='Newsweek Tipping Point'>{{Cite news|author=Levy, Steven|title=Twitter: Is Brevity The Next Big Thing? |date=April 30, 2007 |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/35289 |work=[[Newsweek]] |accessdate=February 4, 2011 |authorlink=Steven Levy}}</ref>

Reaction at the conference was highly positive. Blogger Scott Beale said that Twitter "absolutely rul''[ed]''" SXSWi. Social software researcher [[danah boyd]] said Twitter "own''[ed]''" the conference.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-9696264-2.html |title=To Twitter or Dodgeball at SXSW? |accessdate=February 4, 2011 |first=Daniel |last=Terdiman |authorlink=Daniel Terdiman |date=March 10, 2007 |work=[[CNET]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]}}</ref> Twitter staff received the festival's Web Award prize with the remark "we'd like to thank you in 140&nbsp;characters or less. And we just did!"<ref>{{cite web |accessdate=May 7, 2008 |url=http://blog.twitter.com/2007/03/we-won.html |title=We Won! |work=Twitter Blog |publisher=Twitter |date=February 4, 2011 |first=Biz |last=Stone |authorlink=Biz Stone}}</ref>

The first unassisted off-Earth Twitter message was posted from the [[International Space Station]] by [[NASA]] [[astronaut]] [[Timothy Creamer|T. J. Creamer]] on January 22, 2010.<ref>[[Press release]] (January 22, 2010). [http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/jan/HQ_M10-011_Hawaii221169.html "Media Advisory M10-012 – NASA Extends the World Wide Web Out into Space"]. [[NASA]]. Retrieved February 5, 2011.</ref> By late November 2010, an average of a dozen updates per day were posted on the astronauts' communal account, @NASA_Astronauts. NASA has also hosted over 25 [[NASA Tweetup|"tweetups"]], events that provide guests with VIP access to NASA facilities and speakers with the goal of leveraging participants' social networks to further the outreach goals of NASA.

In August 2010, the company appointed Adam Bain as President of Revenue from [[News Corp.]]'s [[News Corp. Digital Media|Fox Audience Network]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Michael |last=Arrington |url=http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/23/twitter-hires-adam-bain-away-from-news-corp-as-president-of-revenue/ |title=Twitter Hires Adam Bain Away from News Corp. as President of Revenue |work=[[TechCrunch]] |publisher=[[AOL]] |date=August 23, 2010 |accessdate=February 5, 2011 |authorlink=Michael Arrington}}</ref>

On September 14, 2010, Twitter launched a redesigned site<ref>{{cite news|accessdate=February 5, 2011 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/social.media/09/16/cashmore.twitter.web/index.html |title='New Twitter' Shows the Web Isn't Dead |work=[[CNN]] |date=September 16, 2010|author=Cashmore, Pete ([[review]] [[essay]])}}</ref> including a new [[logo]].{{citation needed|date=December 2011}}

===Growth===
The company experienced rapid growth. It had 400,000 tweets posted per quarter in 2007. This grew to 100 million tweets posted per quarter in 2008. In February 2010, Twitter users were sending 50 million tweets per day.<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/7297541/Twitter-users-send-50-million-tweets-per-day.html | work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | title=Twitter Users Send 50 Million Tweets Per Day – Almost 600 Tweets Are Sent Every Second Through the Microblogging Site, According to Its Own Metrics | first=Claudine | last=Beaumont | date=February 23, 2010|accessdate=February 7, 2011 | location=London}}</ref> By March 2010, the company recorded over 70,000 registered applications.<ref>{{Cite news|author=[[Staff writer]]|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/digital/2010/03/twitter-registered-created|work=[[New Statesman]]|title=Twitter Registers 1,500 Per Cent Growth in Users|date=March 4, 2010|accessdate=February 7, 2011}}</ref> As of June 2010, about 65 million tweets were posted each day, equaling about 750 tweets sent each second, according to Twitter.<ref>{{cite web|author=Garrett, Sean|title=Big Goals, Big Game, Big Records|url=http://blog.twitter.com/2010/06/big-goals-big-game-big-records.html|publisher=''Twitter Blog'' ([[blog]] of Twitter)|accessdate=February 7, 2011|date=June 18, 2010}}</ref> As of March 2011, that was about 140 million tweets posted daily.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.twitter.com/2011/03/numbers.html |title=Twitter Blog: #numbers |publisher=Blog.twitter.com |date=2011-03-14 |accessdate=2012-01-20}}</ref> As noted on [[Compete.com]], Twitter moved up to the third-highest-ranking [[social networking]] site in January 2009 from its previous rank of twenty-second.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kazeniac, Andy| url=http://blog.compete.com/2009/02/09/facebook-myspace-twitter-social-network/ |title=Social Networks: Facebook Takes Over Top Spot, Twitter Climbs |publisher=''Compete Pulse'' ([[blog]] of [[compete.com]]) |date=February 9, 2009 |accessdate=February 7, 2011}}</ref>
[[File:Jack Dorsey - TechCrunch Real-Time Stream Crunchup - 2009.jpg|thumb|Jack Dorsey, a co-founder and the chairman of Twitter, in 2009]]
Twitter's usage spikes during prominent events. For example, a record was set during the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]] when fans wrote 2,940 tweets per second in the thirty-second period after Japan scored against [[Cameroon]] on June 14, 2010. The record was broken again when 3,085 tweets per second were posted after the [[Los Angeles Lakers]]' victory in the [[2010 NBA Finals]] on June 17, 2010,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Miller|first=Claire Cain|title=Sports Fans Break Records on Twitter|url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/sports-fans-break-records-on-twitter/|publisher=''Bits'' ([[blog]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'')|accessdate=February 7, 2011|date=June 18, 2010}}</ref> and then again at the close of Japan's victory over Denmark in the World Cup when users published 3,283 tweets per second.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Van Grove, Jennifer|url=http://mashable.com/2010/06/25/tps-record/|title=Twitter Sets New Record: 3,283 Tweets Per Second|work=[[Mashable]]|accessdate=February 7, 2011|date=June 25, 2010}}</ref> The current record was set during the [[2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Final]] between Japan and the United States, when 7,196 tweets per second were published.<ref name="FIFA Women's World Cup Final record">{{cite news |url=http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/6779582/women-world-cup-final-breaks-twitter-record |title=Women's World Cup Final breaks Twitter record |publisher=''[[ESPN (United States)|ESPN]]'' |date=2011-07-18 |accessdate=2011-07-31}}</ref> When American singer [[Michael Jackson]] died on June 25, 2009, Twitter servers crashed after users were updating their status to include the words "Michael Jackson" at a rate of 100,000 tweets per hour.<ref>{{cite news|last=Shiels |first=Maggie |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8120324.stm |title=Web Slows After Jackson's Death |work=[[BBC News]] |date=June 26, 2009 |accessdate=February 7, 2011}}</ref>

Twitter acquired application developer Atebits on April 11, 2010. Atebits had developed the [[Apple Design Award]]-winning Twitter client [[Tweetie]] for the [[Macintosh|Mac]] and [[iPhone]]. The application, now called "Twitter" and distributed free of charge, is the official Twitter client for the iPhone, [[iPad]] and Mac.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Miller, Claire Cain|url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/twitter-acquires-atebits-maker-of-tweetie/|title=Twitter Acquires Atebits, Maker of Tweetie |date= April 11, 2010|accessdate=February 7, 2011 | publisher=''Bits'' ([[blog]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'')}}</ref>

From September through October 2010, the company began rolling out "New Twitter", an entirely revamped edition of twitter.com. Changes included the ability to see pictures and videos without leaving Twitter itself by clicking on individual tweets which contain links to images and clips from a variety of supported websites including [[YouTube]] and [[Flickr]], and a complete overhaul of the interface, which shifted links such as '@mentions' and 'Retweets' above the Twitter stream, while 'Messages' and 'Log Out' became accessible via a black bar at the very top of twitter.com. As of November 1, 2010, the company confirmed that the "New Twitter experience" had been rolled out to all users.

On April 5, 2011, Twitter tested a new homepage and phased out the "Old Twitter."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/05/new-twitter-homepage_n_845110.html |title=Twitter Users Report Twitter.com Has A New Homepage (SCREENSHOTS) |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date=2011-05-04 |accessdate=2011-05-22 |first=Dean |last=Praetorius}}</ref> However, a glitch came about after the page was launched, so the previous "retro" homepage was still in use until the issues were resolved; the new homepage was reintroduced on April 20.<ref>{{cite web|last=Dunn |first=John E |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/224410/twitter_delays_homepage_revamp_after_service_glitch.html |title=Twitter Delays Homepage Revamp After Service Glitch |publisher=PCWorld |date=2011-04-06 |accessdate=2011-05-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webpronews.com/new-twitter-homepage-2011-04|title=New Twitter Homepage Launched|first=Chris|last=Crum|date=April 20, 2011|accessdate=April 25, 2011}}</ref>

On December 8, 2011, Twitter overhauled its website once more to feature the "Fly" design, which the service says is easier for new users to follow and promotes advertising. In addition to the ''Home'' tab, the ''Connect'' and ''Discover'' tabs were introduced along with a redesigned profile and timeline of Tweets. The site's layout has been compared to that of [[Facebook]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fly.twitter.com/ |title=Twitter: Yours to discover |publisher=Fly.twitter.com |date= |accessdate=2012-01-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Twitter / YouTube |url=http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/12/09/what-need-to-know-about-new-twitter/?test=faces |title=Twitter 2.0: Everything You Need To Know About The New Changes |publisher=Fox News |date=2010-04-07 |accessdate=2012-01-20}}</ref>

On February 21, 2012, it was announced that Twitter and Yandex agreed to a partnership. Yandex, a Russian search engine, finds value within the partnership due to Twitter’s real time news feeds. Twitter’s director of business development explained that it is important to have Twitter content where Twitter users go.<ref>Prodhan Georgina February 21, 2012. “Twitter partners with Yandex for real-time search.” http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/21/twitter-yandex-idUSL5E8DK89H20120221</ref>

On March 21, 2012, Twitter celebrated its sixth birthday while also announcing that it has 140 million users and sees 340 million tweets per day. The number of users is up 40% from their September 2011 number, which was said to have been at 100 million at the time.<ref>Wasserman, Todd. March 21, 2012. "Twitter Says It Has 140 Million Users" http://mashable.com/2012/03/21/twitter-has-140-million-users/</ref>

In April 2012, Twitter announced that it was opening an office in [[Detroit]], with the aim of working with automotive brands and advertising agencies.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/04/twitter-detroit-idUSL2E8F47G020120404 |title=Twitter heads to Motown to be closer to automakers |publisher=Reuters |date=2012-04-04 |accessdate=2012-04-05}}</ref> Twitter also expanded its office in [[Dublin]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/business/technology/twitter-to-create-12-jobs-as-it-scales-up-irish-operations-3070098.html|title=Twitter to create 12 jobs as it scales up Irish operations |publisher=Irish Independent |date=2012-04-04 |accessdate=2012-04-05}}</ref>

On June 4, 2012, Twitter announced the purchase of Washington, D.C. based web design agency Nclud. Upon the purchase, Nclud's co-founder and director of brand experience, Martin Ringlein, was named Twitter's new design manager.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/04/twitter-buys-design-agency-nclud-appoints-co-founder-twitters-new-design-manager/ |title=Updated: Twitter Buys IP From Design Agency Nclud, Appoints Co-Founder Its New Design Manager |first=Ingrid |last=Lunden |work=[[TechCrunch]] |publisher=[[AOL]] |date=June 4, 2012 |accessdate=August 11, 2012}}</ref> On June 5, a modified logo was unveiled through the company blog, removing the text to showcase the slightly-redesigned bird as the sole symbol of Twitter.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rodriguez |first=Salvador |url=http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-twitter-new-bird-20120606,0,2138652.story |title=Twitter adopts new bird logo |publisher=latimes.com |date=2012-06-06 |accessdate=2012-07-23}}</ref>

==Leadership==
As [[chief executive officer]], Dorsey saw the startup through two rounds of capital funding  by the [[venture capital]]ists who backed the company.<ref>{{cite news|author=Miller, Claire Cain; Goel, Vindu|title=Twitter Sidelines One Founder and Promotes Another|url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/ttwitter-sidelines-one-founder-and-promotes-another/#more-1642|date=October 16, 2008|publisher=''Bits'' ([[blog]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'')|accessdate=February 5, 2011}}</ref>

On October 16, 2008,<ref name=Miller>{{registration required|date=February 2011}} {{cite news|author=Miller, Claire Cain|title=Popularity or Income? Two Sites Fight It Out|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/technology/start-ups/21twitter.html|date=October 20, 2008|work=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=November 5, 2008}}</ref> Williams took over the role of CEO, and Dorsey became chairman of the board.<ref>{{cite web |first=Caroline |last=McCarthy |title=Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Steps Down |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10068368-36.html |date=October 16, 2008 |work=[[CNET]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |accessdate=November 5, 2008}}</ref>

On October 4, 2010, Williams announced that he was stepping down as CEO. [[Dick Costolo]], formerly Twitter's [[chief operating officer]], became CEO.  According to a Twitter [[blog]], dated October 4, 2010, Williams was to stay{{update after|2011|2|5|reason=now 4+ months later.  did he?}} with the company and "be completely focused on product strategy."{{update after|2011|2|5|reason=now 4+ months later.  did he?}}<ref>{{cite web |author=[[Staff writer]]|url=http://blog.twitter.com/2010/10/newtwitterceo.html |title=#newtwitterceo |publisher=[[Blog]] of Twitter |date=October 4, 2010 |accessdate=February 5, 2011}}</ref>

According to ''[[The New York Times]]'', "Mr. Dorsey and Mr. Costolo forged a close relationship" when Williams was away.<ref name=NYT20110328>{{cite news|author=Miller, Claire Cain|url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/twitter-founders-trade-places/|title=Two Twitter Founders Trade Places|date=March 28, 2011|work=The New York Times|accessdate=March 28, 2011}}</ref> According to ''[[PC Magazine]]'', Williams was "no longer involved in the day-to-day goings on at the company". He is focused on developing a new startup, but he became a member of Twitter's board of directors, and promised to "help in any way I can". Stone is still with Twitter but is working with AOL as an "advisor on volunteer efforts and philanthropy".<ref>{{cite news|author=Albanesius, Chloe|title=Twitter's Evan Williams Confirms Departure|url=http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2382782,00.asp|date=March 29, 2011|work=PC Magazine |publisher=Ziff Davis|accessdate=March 29, 2011}}</ref>

Dorsey rejoined Twitter in March 2011, as executive chairman focusing on product development. His time is split with [[Square (payment service)|Square]] (where he is CEO), whose offices are within walking distance of Twitter's in San Francisco.<ref name="NYT20110328"/>

In September 2011, board members and investors [[Fred Wilson (financier)|Fred Wilson]] and Bijan Sabet resigned from Twitter's Board of Directors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://allthingsd.com/20110916/twitter-shakes-things-up-again-fred-wilson-bijan-sabet-leaving-board/ |title=Twitter Shakes Things Up Again: Fred Wilson, Bijan Sabet Leaving Board - Peter Kafka - Social |publisher=AllThingsD |date=2011-09-16 |accessdate=2011-11-14}}</ref>

==Logo==
Twitter has become internationally identifiable by its signature bird logo. The original logo was in use from its launch in March 2006 until September 2010. A slightly modified version succeeded the first style when the website underwent its first redesign.

On February 27, 2012, a tweet from an employee that works on the company's platform and API discussed the evolution of the "Larry the Bird" logo with Twitter's creative director and it was revealed that it was named after [[Larry Bird]] of the NBA's [[Boston Celtics]] fame. This detail had previously been confirmed when the Boston Celtics' director of interactive media asked Twitter co-founder Biz Stone about it in August 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/twitter-logo-named-larry-bird-005145351.html |title=Twitter's Logo Is Named After Larry Bird=[[Yahoo!Sports]] |first=Eric |last=Freeman |date=August 2011 |accessdate=March 1, 2012}}</ref>

On June 5, 2012, Twitter unveiled its third logo redesign, replacing Larry the Bird with an updated icon simply named as the "Twitter Bird." As of this logo revision, the word "Twitter" and the lowercase letter "t" are no longer used, with the bird becoming the sole symbol for the company's branding.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/06/tech/social-media/twitter-bird-logo/|title=Twitter's bird logo gets a makeover |first=Brandon |last=Griggs |publisher=CNN|date=June 7, 2012 |accessdate=June 7, 2012}}</ref>

<center>
<gallery>
Image:Twitter logo.svg|The original logo, used from July 15, 2006 until September 14, 2010.
Image:Twitter 2010 logo - from Commons.svg|The second logo, used from September 14, 2010 until June 5, 2012.
</gallery>
</center>

==Features==
===Tweets===
[[File:Twitter_wikipedia.png|thumb|ring|The Twitter account page for Wikipedia, demonstrating the account-customized timeline view showing tweets in reverse chronological order]]
Tweets are publicly visible by default; however, senders can restrict message delivery to just their followers. Users can tweet via the Twitter website, compatible external applications (such as for [[smartphone]]s), or by [[SMS|Short Message Service]] (SMS) available in certain countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://help.twitter.com/entries/14226-how-to-find-your-twitter-short-long-code |title=Using Twitter with Your Phone |quote=We currently support 2-way (sending and receiving) Twitter SMS via short codes and 1-way (sending only) via long codes. |publisher=Twitter Support|accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref> While the service is free, accessing it through SMS may incur [[Telecommunications service provider|phone service provider]] fees.{{fact|date=July 2012}}

Users may subscribe to other users' tweets&nbsp;– this is known as ''following'' and subscribers are known as ''followers''<ref name="lists1">{{cite web|author=Stone, Biz|url=http://blog.twitter.com/2009/10/theres-list-for-that.html |title=There's a List for That |publisher=blog.twitter.com |date=October 30, 2009 |accessdate=February 1, 2010}}</ref> or ''tweeps'' (Twitter + peeps).<ref>{{cite news|author=Brown, Amanda|title=The tricky business of business tweeting|date=March 2, 2011|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2011/0302/1224291133449.html|work=The Irish Times|accessdate=April 28, 2011}}</ref> The users can also check the people who are un-subscribing them on Twitter better known as unfollowing via various services.<ref>{{cite web|author=|url=http://en.shawntimes.com/314/who-unfollowed-me/profile/ |title=Who Unfollowed Me : ShawnTimes Profile &#124; The Free Social Media Directory |publisher=En.shawntimes.com |date= |accessdate=2011-11-14}}</ref>

Twitter allows users the ability to update their profile by using their mobile phone either by text messaging or by apps released for certain smartphones and tablets.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/#!/download |title=Mobile Apps}}</ref>

Twitter has been compared to a web-based [[Internet Relay Chat]] (IRC) client.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stutzman |first=Fred |title=The 12-Minute Definitive Guide to Twitter |url=http://dev.aol.com/article/2007/04/definitive-guide-to-twitter |date=April 11, 2007 |publisher=AOL Developer Network |accessdate=November 12, 2008}}</ref> In a 2009 ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' [[essay]], technology author [[Steven Berlin Johnson|Steven Johnson]] described the basic mechanics of Twitter as "remarkably simple":<ref name='twitterchangesthewaywelive'>{{Cite news|author= Johnson, Steven | title=How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live | date=June 5, 2009 | url=http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1902604,00.html | work =[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | accessdate = February 13, 2011 | authorlink= Steven Berlin Johnson }}</ref>

{{Quote|As a social network, Twitter revolves around the principle of followers. When you choose to follow another Twitter user, that user's tweets appear in reverse chronological order on your main Twitter page. If you follow 20 people, you'll see a mix of tweets scrolling down the page: breakfast-cereal updates, interesting new links, music recommendations, even musings on the future of education.}}

====Content====
[[File:Content of Tweets.svg|thumb|250px|right|Content of Tweets according to Pear Analytics
{{legend|#093|News}}
{{legend|#90c|Spam}}
{{legend|#f90|Self-promotion}}
{{legend|#933|Pointless babble}}
{{legend|#1e1edc|Conversational}}
{{legend|#660|Pass-along value}}]]

[[San Antonio]]-based market-research firm [[Pear Analytics]] analyzed 2,000 tweets (originating from the US and in English) over a two-week period in August 2009 from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM (CST) and separated them into six categories:<ref name="pear-babble">{{Cite book| first= | last=| coauthors=| contribution=Twitter Study – August 2009| title=Twitter Study Reveals Interesting Results About Usage| editor-first=Ryan| editor-last=Kelly| coeditors=| publisher=Pear Analytics| place=San Antonio, Texas| pages=| date=August 12, 2009| year=| id= | contribution-url=http://www.pearanalytics.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Twitter-Study-August-2009.pdf| format=PDF format; [[Adobe Reader]] required| accessdate=Jun 3, 2010| postscript= <!--None--> }}</ref>

* [[Small talk|Pointless babble]] &ndash; 40%
* Conversational &ndash; 38%
* Pass-along value &ndash; 9%
* Self-promotion &ndash; 6%
* [[Spam (electronic)|Spam]] – 4%
* News &ndash; 4%<ref name="pear-babble" />{{dead link|date=August 2012}}

Social networking researcher [[danah boyd]] responded to the Pear Analytics survey by arguing that what the Pear researchers labelled "pointless babble" is better characterized as "[[social grooming]]" and/or "peripheral awareness" (which she explains as persons "want[ing] to know what the people around them are thinking and doing and feeling, even when co-presence isn’t viable").<ref name="boyd-social-grooming">{{cite web|first=danah |last=boyd |authorlink=danah boyd |title=Twitter: "pointless babble" or peripheral awareness + social grooming? |date=August 16, 2009 |url=http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2009/08/16/twitter_pointle.html| accessdate=September 19, 2009}}</ref>

====Messages====
Users can group posts together by topic or type by use of [[hashtag]]s – words or phrases prefixed with a <code>"#"</code> sign. Similarly, the <code>"@"</code> sign followed by a [[username]] is used for mentioning or replying to other users.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/4698589/Twitter-how-to-set-up-your-account.html |title=Twitter: How To Set Up Your Account |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |first=Donald |last=Strachan |date=February 19, 2009 |accessdate=February 13, 2011 |location=London}}</ref>
<!-- Deleted image removed [[File:Twitter Explained.ogv|thumb|300px|left|Twitter Explained]] -->To repost a message from another Twitter user, and share it with one's own followers, the retweet function is symbolized by "RT" in the message.{{fact|date=July 2012}}

In late 2009, the "Twitter Lists" feature was added, making it possible for users to follow (as well as mention and reply to) ad-hoc lists of authors instead of individual authors.<ref name="lists1"/><ref name="lists2">{{cite web|author=[[Staff writer]]|url=http://help.twitter.com/forums/10711/entries/76460 |title=Twitter Lists! |publisher=Support forum at help.twitter.com |date=undated |accessdate=February 13, 2011}}</ref>

Through SMS, users can communicate with Twitter through five [[gateway (telecommunications)|gateway]] numbers: [[short code]]s for the United States, Canada, India, New Zealand, and an [[Isle of Man]]-based number for international use. There is also a short code in the United Kingdom which is only accessible to those on the [[Vodafone]], [[Telefónica Europe|O2]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/mar/27/twitter-socialnetworking1|title=Twitter Brings Back UK SMS; Vodafone First, Others To Follow| work=[[The Guardian]] | date=March 27, 2009| first=Robert| last=Andrews| accessdate=June 7, 2009| location=London}}</ref> and [[Orange UK|Orange]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.twitter.com/2009/11/another-first-in-uk.html |title=Blog.Twitter.com |publisher=Blog.Twitter.com |date=November 16, 2009 |accessdate=March 28, 2010}}</ref> networks. In India, since Twitter only supports tweets from [[Bharti Airtel]],<ref name="twitteronairtel">{{Cite news|url=http://www.topnews.in/twitter-bharti-airtel-tieup-activate-twitter-sms-service-india-2224961|title=Twitter, Bharti Airtel Tie-Up To Activate Twitter SMS Service in India|author=Kutty, Darpana|date=October 15, 2009|work=[[TopNews]]|accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref> an alternative platform called smsTweet<ref name="smstweet2">{{cite web|url=http://www.smstweet.in/|title=SMStweet :: Send Twitter Message sing SMS in India|accessdate=April 3, 2010|location=India}}</ref> was set up by a user to work on all networks.<ref name="smstweetsin">{{Cite news|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report_tweeting-via-sms-is-in-the-way-it-should-be_1324562|title=Tweeting Via SMS Is In, the Way It Should Be|author=Balanarayan, N.T.|date=December 17, 2009|work=[[Daily News and Analysis]]|accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref> A similar platform called GladlyCast<ref name="gladlycast">{{cite web|url=http://gladlycast.com/|title=Update Twitter or Plurk by sending an SMS to a Singapore or Malaysia local number|accessdate=April 3, 2010|location=Singapore}}</ref> exists for mobile phone users in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.{{fact|date=July 2012}}

The messages were initially set to a 140-character limit for compatibility with SMS messaging, introducing the shorthand notation and [[internet slang|slang commonly used in SMS]] messages. The 140-character limit has also increased the usage of [[URL shortening]] services such as [[bit.ly]], goo.gl, and tr.im, and content-hosting services, such as [[Twitpic]], memozu.com and [[NotePub]] to accommodate [[multimedia]] content and text longer than 140 characters. Twitter uses its own t.co domain for automatic shortening of all URLs posted on its website.<ref name=twitterhelpshort>{{cite web |author=[[Staff writer]]|date=undated|url=http://support.twitter.com/entries/109623 |title=About Twitter's Link Service <http://t.co> |publisher=Twitter Help Center (module of Twitter)| accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref>

====Trending topics====
A word, phrase or topic that is tagged at a greater rate than other tags is said to be a ''trending topic''. Trending topics become popular either through a concerted effort by users or because of an event that prompts people to talk about one specific topic.<ref>{{cite web|title = Bloggers back media against youth league| accessdate = 2010-04-03| url = http://www.journalism.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3103&Itemid=37}}</ref> These topics help Twitter and their users to understand what is happening in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title = Top Twitter Trends of 2009| accessdate = 2010-04-03| url = http://blog.twitter.com/2009/12/top-twitter-trends-of-2009.html}}</ref>

Trending topics are sometimes the result of concerted efforts by fans of certain celebrities or cultural phenomena, particularly [[Lady Gaga]] (known as Monsters), [[Justin Bieber]] (Beliebers) and fans of the [[Twilight saga|Twilight]] (Twihards) and [[Harry Potter]] (Potterheads) novels. Twitter have altered the trend algorithm in the past to prevent manipulation of this type.<ref>{{cite web|author=By:&nbsp; Vicky Woollaston |url=http://www.webuser.co.uk/news/top-stories/492646/justin-bieber-fans-beat-twitter-block |title=Justin Bieber fans beat Twitter 'block' &#124; Web User magazine |publisher=Webuser.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2012-01-20}}</ref>

Twitter's March 30, 2010 blog post announced that the hottest Twitter trending topics will scroll across the Twitter homepage.<ref>{{cite web|title = Tweaking the Twitter homepage| accessdate = 2010-04-03| url = http://blog.twitter.com/2010/03/tweaking-twitter-homepage.html}}</ref> Users will also be able to find out how a specific topic became a trending topic.{{fact|date=July 2012}}

There have been controversies surrounding Twitter trending topics: Twitter has censored [[hashtags]] that other users found offensive. Twitter censored the #Thatsafrican<ref>{{cite news|title = #Thatsafrican -- When Twitter Went Racist?| accessdate = 2010-04-03| url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-weiner/thatsafrican----when-twit_b_218673.html | work=Huffington Post| first=David| last=Weiner| date=June 21, 2009}}</ref> and the  #thingsdarkiessay<ref>{{cite web|title = Thingsdarkiessay causes a Twitter storm | accessdate = 2012-01-11| url = http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/technology/news/thingsdarkiessay-causes-a-twitter-storm-1.909053 |publisher=[[Independent Online (South Africa)|Independent Online]] |location=South Africa |date=2009-11-05 }}</ref> hashtags after users complained that they found the hashtags offensive.{{fact|date=July 2012}}

===Adding and following content===
There are numerous tools for adding content, monitoring content and conversations including Twitvid (video sharing),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20113426-93/twitter-video-sharing-service-nabs-$6.5-million/ |title=Twitter video-sharing service nabs $6.5 million |first=Laura |last=Locke |work=[[CNET]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=September 29, 2011 |accessdate=August 11, 2012}}</ref> [[TweetDeck]], [[Salesforce.com]], [[HootSuite]], and Twitterfeed. Fewer than half of tweets are posted using the web user interface with most users using third-party applications (based on analysis of 500 million tweets by Sysomos).<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.sysomos.com/insidetwitter/clients| title= Inside Twitter Clients &ndash; An Analysis of 500 Million Tweets | publisher=[[Sysomos]] | date=November 2009 | accessdate=August 23, 2010}}</ref>

===Verified accounts===
In June 2008, Twitter launched a verification program, allowing [[Celebrity|celebrities]] to get their accounts verified.<ref>{{cite news|title=Twitter launches verification service to protect celebrities|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/5475445/Twitter-launches-verification-service-to-protect-celebrities.html|work=The Telegraph | location=London|first=Emma|last=Barnett|date=June 8, 2009}}</ref> Originally intended to help users verify which celebrity accounts were created by the celebrities themselves (and therefore are not fake), they have since been used to verify accounts of businesses and accounts for public figures who may not actually tweet but still wish to maintain control over the account that bears their name - for example, the [[Dalai Lama]]. Verified accounts can be identified by a white tick on a blue background, known as a verified badge, next to the user's full name, on the profile itself or next to the name in search results.{{fact|date=July 2012}}

===Rankings===
Twitter is ranked as one of the ten-most-visited websites worldwide by [[Alexa Internet|Alexa's]] [[web traffic]] analysis.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/twitter.com | title=Twitter.com&nbsp &ndash; Traffic Details from Alexa | publisher=[[Alexa Internet]] | date=August 26, 2010 | accessdate=August 26, 2010}}</ref> Daily user estimates vary as the company does not publish statistics on active accounts. A February 2009 [[Compete.com]] blog entry ranked Twitter as the third most used social network based on their count of 6&nbsp;million unique monthly visitors and 55&nbsp;million monthly visits.<ref name=Kazeniac>{{Cite news|author=Kazeniac, Andy|title=Social Networks: Facebook Takes Over Top Spot, Twitter Climbs|url=http://blog.compete.com/2009/02/09/facebook-myspace-twitter-social-network/|date=February 9, 2009|publisher=[[Compete.com]]|accessdate=February 17, 2009}}</ref> In March 2009, a [[Nielsen Company|Nielsen.com]] blog ranked Twitter as the fastest-growing website in the Member Communities category for February 2009. Twitter had annual growth of 1,382 percent, increasing from 475,000 unique visitors in February 2008 to 7 million in February 2009. It was followed by [[Zimbio]] with a 240 percent increase, and [[Facebook]] with a 228 percent increase.<ref name=McGiboney>{{Cite news|author= McGiboney, Michelle|title=Twitter's Tweet Smell of Success|url= http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/twitters-tweet-smell-of-success/|publisher=Nielsen|date=March 18, 2009|accessdate=April 5, 2009}}</ref> Twitter has a user retention rate of forty percent.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Hoffman, Stefanie|title=Twitter Quitters Outnumber Those Who Stay, Report Finds|url=http://www.crn.com/security/217200834;jsessionid=0AQSMPNH52QRQQSNDLOSKHSCJUNN2JVN|date=April 29, 2009|publisher=United Business Media|accessdate=April 29, 2009}}</ref>

===Authentication===
As of August 31, 2010, third-party Twitter applications are required to use [[OAuth]], an authentication method that does not require users to enter their password into the authenticating application. Previously, the OAuth authentication method was optional, it is now compulsory and the user-name/password authentication method has been made redundant and is no longer functional. Twitter stated that the move to OAuth will mean "increased security and a better experience".<ref>{{cite web| url=http://blog.twitter.com/2010/08/twitter-applications-and-oauth.html| title= Twitter Applications and OAuth | publisher=Twitter | date=August 30, 2010 | accessdate=September 13, 2010}}</ref>

===Demographics===
{{bar box
|width=300px
|title=Twitter.com Top5 Global Markets by Reach (%)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billhartzer.com/pages/comscore-twitter-latin-america-usage/ |title=comScore Report: Twitter Usage Exploding in Brazil, Indonesia and Venezuela |publisher=Bill Hartzer |date=2010-08-11 |accessdate=2011-05-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comscoredatamine.com/2011/02/the-netherlands-leads-global-markets-in-twitter-reach/ |title=The Netherlands lead Global Markets in Twitter.com reach |publisher=Comscoredatamine.com |date=2011-02-10 |accessdate=2011-05-22}}</ref>
|titlebar=#dddddddddd
|left1='''Country'''
|right1='''Percent'''
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent 2|Indonesia|Jun&nbsp;2010|Red|20.8|Dec&nbsp;2010|Red|19.0}}
{{bar percent 2|Brazil|Jun&nbsp;2010|Yellow|20.5|Dec&nbsp;2010|Yellow|21.8}}
{{bar percent 2|Venezuela|Jun&nbsp;2010|Green|19.0|Dec&nbsp;2010|Green|21.1}}
{{bar percent 2|Netherlands|Jun&nbsp;2010|Orange|17.7|Dec&nbsp;2010|Orange|22.3}}
{{bar percent 2|Japan|Jun&nbsp;2010|Blue|16.8|Dec&nbsp;2010|Blue|20.0}}
|caption=<small>Note: Visitor age 15+, home and work locations. Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.</small>}}

Twitter is mainly used by older adults who might not have used other social sites before Twitter, said [[Jeremiah Owyang]], an industry analyst studying social media. "Adults are just catching up to what teens have been doing for years," he said.<ref name='teensdonttweet'>{{Cite news| first=Claire Cain | last=Miller | title=Who's Driving Twitter's Popularity? Not Teens | date=August 25, 2009 | work=[[The New York Times]] | url =http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/technology/internet/26twitter.html | accessdate = September 18, 2009 }}</ref> According to [[comScore]] only eleven percent of Twitter's users are aged twelve to seventeen.<ref name='teensdonttweet' /> comScore attributes this to Twitter's "early adopter period" when the social network first gained popularity in business settings and news outlets attracting primarily older users. However, comScore as of late, has stated that Twitter has begun to "filter more into the mainstream", and "along with it came a culture of celebrity as [[Shaquille O'Neal|Shaq]], [[Britney Spears]] and [[Ashton Kutcher]] joined the ranks of the Twitterati."<ref name='comscore'>{{Cite news| first=Andrew | last=Lipsman | title=What Ashton vs. CNN Foretold About the Changing Demographics of Twitter | date=September 2, 2009 | url =http://blog.comscore.com/2009/09/changing_demographics_of_twitter.html | work =[[comScore]] | accessdate = September 18, 2009 }}</ref>

According to a study by [[Sysomos]] in June 2009, women make up a slightly larger Twitter demographic than men — fifty-three percent over forty-seven percent. It also stated that five percent of users accounted for seventy-five percent of all activity, and that New York has the most Twitter users.<ref>{{cite web|author=Cheng, Alex|coauthors=Evans, Mark| title=Inside Twitter&nbsp;&ndash; An In-Depth Look Inside the Twitter World| date=June 2009| url=http://www.sysomos.com/insidetwitter/|publisher=[[Sysomos]]| accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref>

According to Quancast, twenty-seven million people in the US used Twitter as of September 3, 2009. Sixty-three percent of Twitter users are under thirty-five years old; sixty percent of Twitter users are Caucasian, but a higher than average (compared to other Internet properties) are African American/black (sixteen percent) and Hispanic (eleven percent); fifty-eight percent of Twitter users have a total household income of at least US$60,000.<ref>{{cite web|author=Bluff, Brian| title=Who Uses Twitter?| date= May 2010| url=http://www.site-seeker.com/_blogs/who-uses-twitter-demographic/|publisher=site-seeker.com| accessdate=September 22, 2010}}</ref>  The prevalence of African American Twitter usage and in many popular hashtags has been the subject of research studies.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 17, 2011 |accessdate= May 8, 2012|last=Chen |first=Adrian |url=http://gawker.com/5802772/why-so-many-black-people-are-on-twitter|title=Why So Many Black People Are On Twitter }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=April 30, 2010 |accessdate=May 8, 2012 |last=Saint |first=Nick |url=http://articles.businessinsider.com/2010-04-30/tech/29967098_1_twitter-users-black-people-population|title=Why Is Twitter More Popular With Black People Than White People? }}</ref>

On September 7, 2011, Twitter announced that it has 100 million active users logging in at least once a month and 50 million active users every day.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 8, 2011 |last=Taylor |first=Chris |url=http://mashable.com/2011/09/08/twitter-has-100-million-active-users/ |title=Twitter has 100 million active users }}</ref>

In an article published on January 6, 2012, Twitter was confirmed to be the biggest social media network in Japan, with Facebook following closely in second. comScore confirmed this, stating that Japan is the only country in the world where Twitter leads Facebook.<ref>Yarrow, Jay, [http://www.businessinsider.com/theres-only-one-place-in-the-world-where-twitter-is-bigger-than-facebook-2012-1 There's Only One Place In The World Where Twitter Is Bigger Than Facebook], ''[[Business Insider]]'', January 6, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2012.</ref>

== Finances <span id="Revenue"/> == <!-- The <span> tag in the heading avoids disruption of links that target the section using its former title -->

===Funding===
[[File:Twitter Headquarters.jpg|thumb|Twitter's [[San Francisco]] headquarters located at 1355 Market St.]]

Twitter raised over US$57 million from [[venture capital]]ist growth funding, although exact numbers are not publicly disclosed. Twitter's first A round of funding was for an undisclosed amount that is rumored to have been between US$1&nbsp;million and US$5&nbsp;million.<ref name="MarketingVOX">{{cite web|author=[[Staff writer]]|url=http://www.marketingvox.com/twitter-raises-over-35m-in-series-c-043192// |title=Twitter Raises over $35M in Series C |work=MarketingVOX |date=February 16, 2009 |accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref> Its second B round of funding in 2008 was for US$22&nbsp;million<ref name=Womack>{{Cite news|last=Womack |first=Brian |title=Twitter Shuns Venture-Capital Money as Startup Values Plunge |url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=afu06n0L7LZ4 |date=November 12, 2008 |work=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] |accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref> and its third C round of funding in 2009 was for US$35&nbsp;million from Institutional Venture Partners and [[Benchmark Capital]] along with an undisclosed amount from other investors including Union Square Ventures, Spark Capital and [[Insight Venture Partners]].<ref name="MarketingVOX"/> Twitter is backed by [[Union Square Ventures]], Digital Garage, Spark Capital, and Bezos Expeditions.<ref name="Miller, Claire Cain">{{Cite news|author=Miller, Claire Cain |title=Twitter Sidelines One Founder and Promotes Another |url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/ttwitter-sidelines-one-founder-and-promotes-another/#more-1642 |date=October 16, 2008 |publisher=''Bits'' ([[blog]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'') |accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref>

In May 2008, ''[[The Industry Standard]]'' remarked that Twitter's long-term viability is limited by a lack of revenue.<ref>{{dead link|date=February 2011|reason=seems a dynamic page; current location of cited article needs fishing|url=http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/28/twitter-fanatical-users-help-build-brand-not-revenue}} {{cite web|accessdate=February 23, 2011 |url=http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/03/28/twitter-fanatical-users-help-build-brand-not-revenue |title=Twitter: Fanatical Users Help Build the Brand, But Not Revenue |publisher=''[[The Industry Standard]]'' (via [[Infoworld]]) |date=March 31, 2008|author=Snyder, Bill}}</ref> Twitter board member Todd Chaffee forecast that the company could profit from [[e-commerce]], noting that users may want to buy items directly from Twitter since it already provides product recommendations and promotions.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Claire Cain | last=Miller |title=Twitter Plans To Offer Shopping Advice and Easy Purchasing |date=June 19, 2009 |url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/twitter-plans-to-offer-shopping-advice-and-easy-purchasing/ |publisher=''Bits'' ([[blog]] of ''[[The New York Times]])'' | accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref>

The company raised US$200 million in new venture capital in December 2010, at a valuation of approximately US$3.7 billion.<ref name="wsjr"/> In March 2011, 35,000 Twitter shares sold for US$34.50 each on Sharespost, an implied valuation of US$7.8 billion.<ref>{{cite news|author=Carlson, Nicholas|title=Twitter Valued At $7.8 Billion In Private Market Auction|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/03/04/businessinsider-twitter-valued-at-78-billion-in-private-market-auction-2011-3.DTL|date=March 4, 2011|work=Business Insider via San Francisco Chronicle|publisher=Hearst|accessdate=March 26, 2011}}</ref>  In August, 2010 Twitter announced a "significant" investment lead by [[Digital Sky Technologies]] that, at US$800 million, was reported to be the largest [[venture round]] in history.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=San Jose Mercury News|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/wiretap/ci_18596988?source=rss|title=Twitter lands $800 million venture capital deal, breaking record|first=Peter|last=Delevett|date=August 1, 2011}}</ref>

Twitter has been identified as a possible candidate for an [[initial public offering]] by 2013.<ref>{{cite web|author=Althucher, James|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/google-groupon-deal |title=6 Reasons Groupon's Rejection of Google Is Great for the Universe |publisher=''The Altucher Confidential'' ([[blog]] of [[James Altucher]] via ''[[Business Insider]]'') |date=December 10, 2010 |accessdate=February 23, 2011 |authorlink=James Altucher}}</ref>

In December 2011, the [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] prince [[Alwaleed bin Talal]] invested {{dollarsign|US}}300 million in Twitter. The company was valued at {{dollarsign|US}}8.4 billion at the time.<ref>{{cite news|author=Scott, Mark|title=Saudi Prince Invests $300 Million in Twitter|url=http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/saudi-prince-invests-300-million-in-twitter/|date=December 19, 2011|work=The New York Times|accessdate=December 19, 2011}}</ref>

===Revenue sources===
In July 2009, some of Twitter's revenue and user growth documents were published on ''[[TechCrunch]]'' after being illegally obtained by [[Hacker Croll]]. The documents projected 2009 revenues of US$400,000 in the third quarter and US$4&nbsp;million in the fourth quarter along with 25&nbsp;million users by the end of the year. The projections for the end of 2013 were US$1.54&nbsp;billion in revenue, US$111&nbsp;million in net earnings, and 1&nbsp;billion users.<ref name='NYT-Twitter Hacked'>{{Cite news| author=[[Staff writer]] | title=Hacker Exposes Private Twitter Documents | date=July 15, 2009 | url =http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/hacker-exposes-private-twitter-documents/?hpw. | publisher =''Bits'' ([[blog]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'')| accessdate = February 23, 2011}}</ref> No information about how Twitter planned to achieve those numbers was published. In response, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone published a blog post suggesting the possibility of legal action against the hacker.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=February 23, 2011 |url=http://blog.twitter.com/2009/07/twitter-even-more-open-than-we-wanted.html |title=Twitter, Even More Open Than We Wanted |publisher=''Twitter Blog'' ([[blog]] of Twitter) |date=July 15, 2007|author=Stone, Biz |authorlink=Biz Stone}}</ref>

On April 13, 2010, Twitter announced plans to offer paid [[advertising]] for companies that would be able to purchase "promoted tweets" to appear in selective search results on the Twitter website, similar to [[Adwords|Google Adwords']] advertising model. As of April 13, Twitter announced it had already signed up a number of companies wishing to advertise including [[Sony Pictures]], [[Red Bull]], [[Best Buy]], and [[Starbucks]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/apr/13/twitter-advertising-google |work=[[The Guardian]] |title=Twitter Unveils 'Promoted Tweets' Ad Plan&nbsp;&ndash; Twitter To Let Advertisers Pay for Tweets To Appear in Search Results |first=Charles |last=Arthur |date=April 13, 2010 | accessdate=February 23, 2011 |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Sara |last=Kimberley |url=http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/996226/Twitter-debuts-Promoted-Tweets-ad-platform/ |title=Twitter Debuts 'Promoted Tweets' Ad Platform |publisher=''[[MediaWeek]]'' (U.K. edition) |date=April 13, 2010 |accessdate=February 5, 2011}}</ref>

To continue their advertising campaign, Twitter announced on March 20, 2012, that it would be bringing its promoted tweets to mobile devices. Twitter generated US$139.5 million in advertising sales during 2011 and expects this number to grow 86.3% to US$259.9 million in 2012.<ref>[http://mashable.com/2012/03/20/twitter-promoted-tweets-mobile/ mashable.com]; Wasserman, Todd. March 20th, 2012. "Twitter Rolls Out Promoted Tweets for Mobile."</ref>

The company generated US$45 million in annual revenue in 2010, after beginning sales midway through that year. The company operated at a loss through most of 2010. Revenues were forecast for US$100 million to US$110 million in 2011.<ref name="wsjr">{{cite news|accessdate=February 23, 2011 |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703716904576134543029279426.html?KEYWORDS=twitter |title=Twitter as Tech Bubble Barometer|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=February 10, 2011|author=Ante, Spencer E.; Efrati, Amir; Das, Anupretta}}</ref> Users' photos can generate royalty-free revenue for Twitter, with an agreement with [[World Entertainment News Network|WENN]] being announced in May 2011.<ref name="bjp wenn">{{cite news | url=http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/2070167/twitpic-signs-controversial-deal-celebrity-photo-agency#update | title=Photo agency's CEO addresses TwitPic controversy | work=[[British Journal of Photography]] | date=2011-05-11 | accessdate=August 17, 2011 | author=Laurent, Olivier | location=London | quote=The deal will give WENN exclusive rights to sell images posted on the TwitPic service.}}</ref> In June 2011, Twitter announced that it would offer small businesses a self serve advertising system.<ref>{{cite web|author=Todd Wasserman |url=http://mashable.com/2011/06/09/twitter-ad-buying/ |title=Twitter Will Automate Ad-Buying by the End of the Year |publisher=Mashable.com |date=2011-06-09 |accessdate=2011-11-14}}</ref> 

==Technology==
===Implementation===
The Twitter Web interface uses the [[Ruby on Rails]] framework,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0622/software-internet-innovation-digital-tools.html |title=The Pied Piper of Pay|work=[[Forbes]] |first=Lee |last=Gomes |date=June 22, 2009 |accessdate=June 16, 2009}}</ref> deployed on a performance enhanced [[Ruby Enterprise Edition]] implementation of [[Ruby (programming language)|Ruby]].<ref>{{cite web|author=ryan king |date = September 25, 2009 |title = Twitter on Ruby |url = http://blog.evanweaver.com/articles/2009/09/24/ree/ |quote=We recently migrated Twitter from a custom Ruby 1.8.6 build to a Ruby Enterprise Edition release candidate, courtesy of Phusion. Our primary motivation was the integration of Brent's MBARI patches, which increase memory stability. |accessdate=October 31, 2009}}</ref>

As of April 6, 2011, Twitter engineers confirmed they had switched away from their Ruby on Rails search-stack, to a [[Java (programming language)|Java]] server they call Blender.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://engineering.twitter.com/2011/04/twitter-search-is-now-3x-faster_1656.html |title=Twitter Search Is Now 3x Faster|work=[[Blogger (service)|Blogger]] |first=Lee |last=Gomes |date=April 6, 2011}}</ref>

From spring 2007 to 2008 the messages were handled by a Ruby [[persistent data structure|persistent]] queue server called [[Starling (software)|Starling]],<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=January 11, 2009 |url=http://dev.twitter.com/2008/01/announcing-starling.html |title=Announcing Starling |publisher=Twitter |date=January 16, 2008 |last=Payne |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080120141113/http://dev.twitter.com/2008/01/announcing-starling.html|archivedate=January 20, 2008}}</ref> but since 2009 implementation has been gradually replaced with software written in [[Scala (programming language)|Scala]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artima.com/scalazine/articles/twitter_on_scala.html |title=Twitter on Scala |date=April 3, 2009 |first=Bill |last=Venners |publisher=Artima Developer |accessdate=June 17, 2009}}</ref> The service's [[application programming interface]] (API) allows other [[web service]]s and applications to integrate with Twitter.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=May 8, 2008 |url=http://groups.google.com/group/twitter-development-talk/web/api-documentation |title=API Documentation |publisher=[[Google Groups]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web<!--|url=http://apiwiki.twitter.com/ dead url--> |title=Twitter API Wiki / FrontPage |publisher=Apiwiki.twitter.com |date= |accessdate=September 18, 2010}}</ref>

===Interface===
On April 30, 2009, Twitter adjusted its web interface, adding a search bar and a sidebar of "[[trending topic]]s" — the most common phrases appearing in messages. [[Biz Stone]] explains that all messages are instantly [[Index (search engine)|indexed]] and that "with this newly launched feature, Twitter has become something unexpectedly important – a discovery engine for finding out what is happening right now."<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=May 7, 2008 |url=http://blog.twitter.com/2009/04/twitter-search-for-everyone.html |title= Twitter Search for Everyone!  |publisher=Twitter |date=April 30, 2009|last=Stone|first=Biz|authorlink=Biz Stone}}</ref>

In March 2012, Twitter became available in [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Persian language|Farsi]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] and [[Urdu]], the first right-to-left language versions of the site. About 13,000 volunteers helped with translating the menu options.<ref>{{cite news | title =Twitter Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew and Urdu version launch| date=7 March 2012|accessdate=7 March 2012| publisher=BBC News | url =http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17286684 }}</ref> In August 2012, beta support for [[Basque language|Basque]], [[Czech language|Czech]] and [[Greek language|Greek]] was added, making the site available in 33 different languages.<ref>{{cite news | title =Twitter Now Available in Basque, Czech, Greek| date=6 August 2012|accessdate=7 August 2012| publisher=Pcmag.com | url =http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2408123,00.asp}}</ref>

===Outages===
[[File:Failwhale.png|thumb|right|The Twitter fail whale [[error message]].]]
When Twitter experiences an outage, users see the "fail whale" [[error message]] image created by Yiying Lu,<ref>{{Registration required|date=February 2011}} {{Cite news|author=Walker, Rob|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15wwln_consumed-t.html?_r=2|title=Consumed&nbsp;&nbsp;– Fail Whale|work=[[The New York Times Magazine]]|page=17|date=February 15, 2009|accessdate=February 15, 2009|authorlink=Rob Walker (journalist)}}</ref> illustrating eight orange birds using a net to hoist a whale from the ocean captioned "Too many tweets! Please wait a moment and try again."<ref name="earthquake">{{Cite news|last=Whyte|first=Murray|accessdate=February 23, 2011|url=http://www.thestar.com/News/Ideas/article/434826|title=Tweet, Tweet&nbsp;– There's Been an Earthquake |work=[[Toronto Star]]| date=June 1, 2008}}</ref>

Twitter had approximately ninety-eight percent [[uptime]] in 2007 (or about six full days of downtime).<ref name="downtime2">{{cite web|author=[[Staff writer]]|accessdate=February 23, 2011|url=http://royal.pingdom.com/2007/12/19/twitter-growing-pains-cause-lots-of-downtime-in-2007/|title=Twitter Growing Pains Cause Lots of Downtime in 2007|publisher=''Royal Pingdom'' ([[blog]] of [[Pingdom]])|date=December 19, 2007}}</ref> The downtime was particularly noticeable during events popular with the technology industry such as the 2008 [[Macworld Conference & Expo]] [[keynote|keynote address]].<ref name="downtime3">{{cite web|accessdate=February 23, 2011|url=http://blog.twitter.com/2008/01/macworld.html|title=MacWorld|publisher=''Twitter Blog'' ([[blog]] of Twitter)|date=January 15, 2008|author=Dorsey, Jack|authorlink=Jack Dorsey}}</ref><ref name="downtime4">{{cite web|accessdate=May 7, 2008|url=http://theappslab.com/2008/01/15/macworld-brings-twitter-to-its-knees/|title=MacWorld Brings Twitter to its Knees|publisher=Oracle AppsLab|date=January 15, 2008|author=Kuramoto, Jake}}</ref>

*May 2008&nbsp;– Twitter's new engineering team made architectural changes to deal with the scale of growth. Stability issues resulted in down time or temporary feature removal.
*August 2008&nbsp;– Twitter withdrew free SMS services from users in the United Kingdom<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=June 14, 2009 |url=http://blog.twitter.com/2008/08/changes-for-some-sms-usersgood-and-bad.html |title=Changes for Some SMS Users—Good and Bad News |publisher=Twitter (blog) |date=August 13, 2008}}</ref> and for approximately five months instant messaging support via a [[Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol|XMPP]] [[Internet bot|bot]] was listed as being "temporarily unavailable".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://getsatisfaction.com/twitter/topics/twitter_im_down_may_23rd_may24th|date=May 23, 2008 |first=Jack |last=Dorsey |authorlink=Jack Dorsey |title=Twitter IM Down May 23–24 |publisher=[[Get Satisfaction]] |accessdate=July 29, 2008}}</ref>
*October 10, 2008&nbsp;– Twitter's status blog announced that [[instant messaging|instant messaging (IM)]] service was no longer a temporary outage and needed to be revamped. It was announced that Twitter aims to return its IM service pending necessary major work.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://status.twitter.com/post/53978711/im-not-coming-soon |title=IM: Not Coming Soon | work=Twitter status blog |accessdate=December 31, 2008 |date=October 10, 2008 |first=Evan |last=Williams |authorlink=Evan Williams (blogger)}}</ref>
*June 12, 2009&nbsp;– In what was called a potential "Twitpocalypse", the [[unique identifier|unique numerical identifier]] associated with each tweet exceeded the limit of [[32-bit]] signed [[integer (computer science)|integers]] (2,147,483,647 total messages).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/12/all-hell-may-break-loose-on-twitter-in-2-hours/ |title=Twitter Moves Up The Twitpocalypse. All Hell May Break Loose Today. |first=MG |last=Siegler |date=June 12, 2009 |work=[[TechCrunch]] |publisher=[[AOL]] |accessdate=July 18, 2009}}</ref> While Twitter itself was not affected, some third-party clients could no longer access recent tweets. [[Patch (computing)|Patches]] were quickly released, though some [[iPhone]] applications had to wait for approval from the [[App Store (iOS)|App Store]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.news.com.au/techblog/index.php/news/comments/macchat_2009_the_age_of_the_twitpocalypse/56653 |title=MacChat: 2009&nbsp;– The Age of the Twitpocalypse |publisher=''Tech Blog'' ([[blog]] of [[news.com.au]])|first=John |last=O'Brien |date=June 24, 2009 |accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref>
*June 25, 2009&nbsp;– Twitter ran slowly for some time after over 50,000 tweets on [[Michael Jackson]]’s death were recorded in an hour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.icm.ac.uk/technology/google-twitter-crash-at-news-of-jackson%E2%80%99s-death/2322/ |title=Google & Twitter crash at news of Jackson’s death |publisher=News.icm.ac.uk |date=2009-06-26 |accessdate=2011-11-14}}</ref>
*August 6, 2009&nbsp;– Twitter and Facebook suffered from a [[denial-of-service attack]], causing the Twitter website to go offline for several hours.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/attacks/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=219100308|title=Twitter Downed by Denial of Service Attack|work=[[InformationWeek]]|first=Thomas |last=Claburn|date=August 6, 2009|accessdate=August 6, 2009}}</ref> It was later confirmed that the attacks were directed at one [[Georgia (country)|pro-Georgian]] user around the anniversary of the [[2008 South Ossetia War]], rather than the sites themselves.<ref>{{Cite news|author=[[Staff writer]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8189162.stm |title=Web Attack 'Aimed at One Blogger' |work=[[BBC News]] |date=August 7, 2009 |accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref>
*September 22, 2009&nbsp;– The identifier exceeded the limit for 32-bit ''unsigned'' integers (4,294,967,296 total messages) again breaking some third-party clients.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2009/09/21/twitpocalypse-ii-update/ |title=Twitpocalypse II: Twitter Apps Might Break Tomorrow |author=Parr, Ben|work=[[Mashable]]|date=September 21, 2009 |accessdate=February 23, 2011|authorlink=Ben Parr}}</ref>
*December 17, 2009&nbsp;– A hacking attack replaced the website's welcoming screen with an image of a green flag and the caption "This site has been hacked by [[Iranian Cyber Army]]" for nearly an hour. No connection between the hackers and Iran has been established.<ref>{{Cite news|author=[[Staff writer]]|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/18/twitter.hacked/index.html |title=Twitter Hackers Appear To Be Shiite Group |work=[[CNN]] |date=December 18, 2009 |accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref>
*June–July 2010&nbsp;– Twitter had a very high service rejection rate (10–20%) during the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]] period, also, the response latency increased substantially.<ref name="Cuckoo_Middleware11">{{Cite conference
 | author = Tianyin Xu, Yang Chen, Lei Jiao, Ben Y. Zhao, Pan Hui, and Xiaoming Fu
 | url = http://www.deutsche-telekom-laboratories.de/~panhui/publications/middleware-xu.pdf
 | format=PDF
 | title = Scaling Microblogging Services with Divergent Traffic Demands
 | conference = Proc. of the ACM/IFIP/USENIX 12th International Middleware Conference (Middleware'11)
 | month = December
 | year = 2011
}}</ref>
*November 2010&nbsp;– A number of accounts encountered a fault that resulted in them seeing the "fail whale" when they tried to login to their accounts. The accounts themselves were not locked out as account holders could still see their "mentions" page, and post from there, but the timeline and a number of other features were unavailable during this outage.
*June 21, 2012&nbsp;– The site was down for around one hour and forty minutes, with the cause being described by Twitter as a "cascading bug".<ref>{{Cite news|title=Twitter taken offline by 'cascading bug', site confirms |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18547810|date=June 22, 2012 |work=[[BBC News]] |accessdate=June 26, 2012}}</ref>
* July 26, 2012&nbsp;– The site was down for part of the day in advance of the [[2012 Summer Olympics]].<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/twitter-users-in-uk-us-experience-issues-site-appears-down-day-before-start-of-olympics/2012/07/26/gJQADAwXBX_story.html ]{{dead link|date=August 2012}}</ref>

===Privacy and security===
Twitter messages are public but users can also send private messages.<ref name=Rushe /> Twitter collects [[personally identifiable information]] about its users and shares it with third parties. The service reserves the right to sell this information as an asset if the company changes hands.<ref>{{cite web|title=Twitter Privacy Policy |url=http://twitter.com/privacy/ |date=May 14, 2007 |publisher=Twitter |accessdate=March 11, 2009}}</ref> While Twitter displays no advertising, advertisers can [[behavioral targeting|target]] users based on their history of tweets and may quote tweets in ads<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hansell |first=Saul |title=Advertisers Are Watching Your Every Tweet |url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/advertisers-are-watching-your-every-tweet/ |date=July 16, 2009 |work=[[The New York Times]] |accessdate=July 17, 2009}}</ref> directed specifically to the user.

A security vulnerability was reported on April 7, 2007, by Nitesh Dhanjani and Rujith. Since Twitter used the [[Telephone number|phone number]] of the sender of an [[SMS]] message as authentication, malicious users could update someone else's status page by using [[SMS spoofing]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webmonkey.com/2007/04/twitter_vulnerability_spoof_caller_id_to_take_over_any_account/ |title=Twitter Vulnerability: Spoof Caller ID To Take Over Any Account |first=Scott |last=Gilbertson |publisher=[[Webmonkey]] |date=June 11, 2007 |accessdate=February 5, 2011}}</ref> The vulnerability could be used if the spoofer knew the phone number registered to their victim's account. Within a few weeks of this discovery Twitter introduced an optional [[personal identification number]] (PIN) that its users could use to authenticate their SMS-originating messages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/03/06/twitter_sms_spoofing_risk/|title=Twitter SMS Spoofing Still Undead |first=John |last=Leyden |work=[[The Register]] |date=March 6, 2009| accessdate=June 17, 2009}}</ref>

On January 5, 2009, 33&nbsp;high-profile Twitter accounts were compromised after a Twitter administrator's password was guessed by a [[dictionary attack]].<ref>{{cite web| last=Stone | first=Biz |authorlink=Biz Stone | title=Monday Morning Madness | date=January 5, 2009 | url=http://blog.twitter.com/2009/01/monday-morning-madness.html | accessdate=June 17, 2009}}</ref> Falsified tweets — including sexually explicit and drug-related messages — were sent from these accounts.<ref name="washtimes20090105">{{cite web| title=Obama's Twitter Site Hacked? | date=January 5, 2009 | url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/05/obamas-twitter-site-hacked/ | work = [[The Washington Times]] | accessdate = January 5, 2009 | first=Christina|last=Bellantoni|coauthors=Stephen Dinan}}</ref>

Twitter launched the [[Beta version#Beta|beta version]] of their "Verified Accounts" service on June 11, 2009, allowing famous or notable people to announce their Twitter account name. The home pages of these accounts display a badge indicating their status.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10263759-36.html |title=Twitter Power Players Get Shiny 'Verified' Badges |first=Caroline |last=McCarthy |work=[[CNET]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |date=June 12, 2009 |accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref>

In May 2010, a bug was discovered by [[İnci Sözlük]], involving users that allowed Twitter users to force others to follow them without the other users' consent or knowledge. For example, comedian [[Conan O'Brien]]'s account, which had been set to follow only one person, was changed to receive nearly 200 malicious subscriptions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2010/05/10/twitter-follow-bug/ |title=Twitter Bug Lets You Control Who Follows You |first=Adam |last=Ostrow |work=[[Mashable]] |date=May 10, 2010 |accessdate=May 11, 2010}}</ref>

In response to Twitter's security breaches, the [[Federal Trade Commission]] brought charges against the service which were settled on June 24, 2010. This was the first time the FTC had taken action against a social network for security lapses. The settlement requires Twitter to take a number of steps to secure users' private information, including maintenance of a "comprehensive information security program" to be independently audited biannually.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gonsalves |first=Antone |date=June 25, 2010|url=http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/privacy/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=225701450&subSection=Privacy |title=Twitter, Feds Settle Security Charges&nbsp;&ndash; Twitter Must Establish and Maintain a 'Comprehensive Information Security Program' and Allow Third-Party Review of the Program Biannually for the 10 Years |work=[[InformationWeek]]|accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref>

On December 14, 2010, the [[United States Department of Justice]] issued a [[Twitter subpoena|subpoena directing Twitter]] to provide information for accounts registered to or associated with [[WikiLeaks]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/01/07/twitter/subpoena.pdf |title=Twitter Subpoena |work=[[Salon.com]]|format=PDF; requires [[Adobe Acrobat|Adobe Reader]] |accessdate=January 10, 2011}}</ref> Twitter decided to notify its users and said in a statement, "...it's our policy to notify users about law enforcement and governmental requests for their information, unless we are prevented by law from doing so".<ref name=Rushe>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/08/us-twitter-hand-icelandic-wikileaks-messages |title=Icelandic MP Fights US Demand for Her Twitter Account Details |work=[[The Guardian]] |author=Rushe, Dominic |date=January 8, 2011 |accessdate=January 10, 2011 |location=London}}</ref>

A "MouseOver" exploit occurred on September 21, 2010, when an [[XSS Worm]] became active on Twitter. When an account [[User (computing)|user]] held the [[mouseover|mouse cursor over]] blacked out parts of a tweet, the worm within the script would automatically open links and re-post itself on the reader's account.<ref name=BBCscram/> The exploit was then re-used to post [[pop-up ads]] and links to pornographic sites. The origin is unclear but Pearce H. Delphin (known on Twitter as @zzap) and a Scandinavian developer, Magnus Holm, both claim to have modified the exploit of a user, possibly Masato Kinugawa, who was using it to create coloured Tweets.<ref name=Mashable>{{cite web
 |url= http://mashable.com/2010/09/22/twitter-meltdown-17-year-old/
 |title=17-Year-Old Australian Boy, Japanese Developer Take Blame for Twitter Meltdown
 |author=Schroeder, Stan|work=[[Mashable]]
 |date=September 22, 2010|accessdate=February 23, 2011
}}</ref> Kinugawa, a Japanese developer, reported the XSS vulnerability to Twitter on August 14. Later, when he found it was exploitable again, he created the account 'RainbowTwtr' and used it to post coloured messages.<ref name=Mashable/> Delphin says he exposed the security flaw by tweeting a JavaScript function for "onMouseOver",<ref name=Mashable/> and Holm later created and posted the [[XSS Worm]] that automatically re-tweeted itself.<ref name=BBCscram/> Security firm Sophos reported that the virus was spread by people doing it for "fun and games", but noted it could be exploited by cybercriminals.<ref name=BBCscram>{{cite news|author=Fildes, Jonathan|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11382469|title=Twitter Scrambles To Block Worms|work=[[BBC News]]|date=September 21, 2010|accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref> Twitter issued a statement on their status blog at 13:50 UTC that "''The exploit is fully patched''".<ref name=BBCscram/><ref>{{cite web
 |url= http://status.twitter.com/post/1161435117/xss-attack-identified-and-patched
 |title=Twitter Status&nbsp;&ndash; XSS Attack Identified and Patched
 |work=status.twitter.com
 |accessdate=September 21, 2010
}}</ref> Twitter representative Carolyn Penner said no charges would be pressed.<ref>{{Cite news
|author=[[Staff writer]]| title = Kiwi Link To Twitter 'Mouseover' Chaos
| work = [[The New Zealand Herald]]| accessdate = February 23, 2011
| date = September 22, 2010| url = http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10675311
}}
</ref>

In May 2011, a [[claimant]] known as "CTB" (subsequently identified as [[Ryan Giggs]]) in the case of ''[[CTB v News Group Newspapers|CTB v Twitter Inc., Persons Unknown]]'' took legal action at the [[High Court of Justice]] in London against Twitter.,<ref>[http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-20/twitter-inc-unknown-posters-sued-by-athlete-known-as-ctb-at-u-k-court.html Twitter Inc., Unknown Posters Sued by Athlete Known as ‘CTB’ at U.K. Court] ''From: ''bloomberg.com ''Date:'' May 20, 2011</ref> requesting that Twitter release details of account holders. This followed [[gossip]] posted on Twitter about Giggs' private life, causing conflict relating to [[2011 British privacy injunctions controversy|privacy injunctions]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politics.co.uk/news/culture-media-and-sport/twitter-users-served-with-privacy-injunction-$21388933.htm |title=Twitter users served with privacy injunction |publisher=Politics.co.uk |date= |accessdate=2011-05-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Parker |first=Nick |url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3593093/Imogen-footie-rat-in-bid-to-gag-Twitter-site.html |title=Imogen footie rat in bid to gag Twitter site |publisher=The Sun |date= May 20, 2011|accessdate=2011-05-22 |location=London}}</ref> Tony Wang, the head of Twitter in Europe, said that people who do "bad things" on the site would need to defend themselves under the laws of their own jurisdiction in the event of controversy, and that the site would hand over information about users to the authorities when it was legally required to do so.<ref name=wang>{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13546847|work=[[BBC News]] |location=UK |title=Twitter's European boss Tony Wang gives legal warning|date=25 May 2011 |accessdate=25 May 2011}}</ref> He also suggested that Twitter would accede to a UK court order to divulge names of users responsible for "illegal activity" on the site.<ref name=independent>{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/twitter-chief-hints-he-may-have-to-divulge-users-names-2289187.html|work=[[The Independent]] |location=UK |title=Twitter chief hints he may have to divulge users' names|date=May 26, 2011 |accessdate=December 13, 2011 |first=Lewis |last=Smith}}</ref>

On May 29, 2011, it was reported that [[South Tyneside]] council in England had successfully taken legal action against Twitter in a court in California, which forced Twitter to reveal the details of five user accounts. The council was trying to discover the identity of a [[blog]]ger called "Mr Monkey"<ref>[http://mrmonkeysblog.wordpress.com/ "Mr Monkey"] accessed 30 May 2011</ref> who allegedly posted [[defamation|libellous]] statements about three local councillors.<ref name="tyneside-twitter">{{Cite news |date=29 May 2011|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-13588284|title=South Tyneside Council takes Twitter to court in US|publisher=BBC News}}</ref>

On January 23, 2012, it was reported that Twitter will be acquiring [[Dasient]], a startup that offers malware protection for businesses. Twitter hopes that Dasient will help remove hateful advertisers on the website.<ref>Smith, Catharine January 23, 2012. “Twitter Buys Dasient Security Startup To Combat Spam.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/twitter-dasient-security-startup_n_1227842.html</ref>

On January 26, 2012, Twitter began offering a feature which would allow tweets to be removed selectively by country. Twitter cited France and Germany as examples, where pro-[[Nazism|Nazi]] content is illegal. Previously, deleted tweets were removed in all countries.<ref name="BBC_censor">{{Cite news |date=27 January 2012|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16753729|title=Twitter to selectively 'censor' tweets by country|publisher=BBC News}}</ref><ref>[http://blog.twitter.com/2012/01/tweets-still-must-flow.html Twitter Blog - Tweets still must flow] 26 January 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2012.</ref>

On February 20, 2012, a [[Third-party software component|third-party]] [[public-key encryption]] [[Application software|app]] (written in [[Python (programming language)|Python]] and partially funded by a grant from the [[Shuttleworth Foundation]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cso.com.au/article/415975/cryptweet_encrypts_twitter_direct_messages/ |title=CrypTweet encrypts Twitter direct messages - CSO &#124; The Resource for Data Security Executives |publisher=CSO |date=2012-02-21 |accessdate=2012-07-23}}</ref>) for direct messaging in Twitter, CrypTweet, was released.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://plexusproject.org/ |title=CrypTweet: Experimental Twitter Encryption |publisher=Plexusproject.org |date= |accessdate=2012-07-23}}</ref>

On May 17, 2012, Twitter announced it would implement the "[[Do Not Track]]" privacy option, a [[HTTP cookie|cookie]]-blocking feature found in [[Mozilla Foundation|Mozilla]]'s [[Firefox]] browser. The "Do Not Track" feature works only on sites that have agreed to the service.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/twitter-implements-do-not-track-privacy-option/ |first=Nick|last=Bilton|title=Twitter Implements Do Not Track Privacy Option|publisher=The New York Times|date=May 17, 2012|accessdate=May 26, 2012}}</ref>

In August 2012 it was reported that there is a market in fake Twitter followers that are used to increase  politicians and celebrities apparent popularity.<ref>{{cite web|author=Rory Carroll in Los Angeles |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/09/fake-twitter-accounts-mitt-romney?newsfeed=true |title=Fake Twitter accounts may be driving up Mitt Romney's follower number &#124; World news &#124; guardian.co.uk |publisher=Guardian |date= |accessdate=2012-08-16}}</ref>

===Open source===
Twitter released several [[open source]] projects developed while overcoming technical challenges of their service.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://twitter.com/about/opensource |title=Twitter / OpenSource |publisher=Twitter.com |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref> Notable projects are the [[Gizzard (scala framework)|Gizzard Scala framework]] for creating distributed datastores and the distributed graph database [[FlockDB]].

===Innovators patent agreement===
On April 17, 2012, Twitter announced it would implement an “Innovators Patent Agreement” which would obligate Twitter to only use its patents for defensive purposes.  The agreement will go into effect later 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/17/twitter-introduces-innovators-patent-agreement/ |title=Twitter introduces Innovators Patent Agreement, vows to not abuse patent system |first=Terrence |last=O’Brien |work=[[Engadget]] |publisher=[[AOL]] |date=April 17, 2012 |accessdate=August 11, 2012}}</ref>

===URL shortener===
t.co is a [[URL shortening]] service created by Twitter.<ref name="twitterhelpshort"/> It is only available for links posted to Twitter and not available for general use.<ref name=twitterhelpshort /> All links posted to Twitter use a t.co wrapper.<ref name=twitterblog>{{cite web |author=Garrett, Sean|date=June 8, 2010|url=http://blog.twitter.com/2010/06/links-and-twitter-length-shouldnt.html |title=Links and Twitter: Length Shouldn't Matter|publisher=''Twitter Blog'' ([[blog]] of Twitter)  |accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref> Twitter hopes that the service will be able to protect users from malicious sites,<ref name=twitterhelpshort /> and will use it to track clicks on links within tweets.<ref name=twitterhelpshort /><ref name=register>{{cite web |author=Metz, Cade|date=September 2, 2010|url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/09/02/twitter_ipad_app_and_url_shortener/ |title=Twitter Tightens Grip on Own Firehose  |accessdate=February 23, 2011|work=[[The Register]]}}</ref>

Having previously used the services of third parties [[TinyURL]] and [[bit.ly]],<ref>{{cite web |author=Weisenthal, Joe|date=May 6, 2009|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-switches-from-tinyurl-to-bitly-2009-5 |title=Twitter Switches from TinyURL to Bit.ly |work=[[Business Insider]]|accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref> Twitter began experimenting with its own URL shortening service for direct messages in March 2010 using the twt.tl domain,<ref name=twitterblog /> before it purchased the t.co domain. The service was tested on the main site using the accounts @TwitterAPI, @rsarver and @raffi.<ref name=twitterblog /> On September 2, 2010, an email from Twitter to users said they would be expanding the roll-out of the service to users. On June 7, 2011, Twitter announced that it was rolling out the feature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.twitter.com/2011/06/link-sharing-made-simple.html |author=Penner, Carolyn |title=Link Sharing Made Simple |date=2011-06-07 |accessdate=2011-06-09 |publisher=''Twitter Blog'' ([[blog]] of Twitter)}}</ref>

===Integrated photo-sharing service===
On June 1, 2011, Twitter announced its own integrated photo-sharing service that enables users to upload a photo and attach it to a Tweet right from Twitter.com.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=June 1, 2011 |url=http://techshrimp.com/2011/06/01/twitter-now-with-integrated-photo-sharing-service-and-completely-new-twitter-search/ |title= Twitter now with integrated photo-sharing service and completely new twitter search  |publisher=Techshrimp |date=June 1, 2011}}</ref> Users now also have the ability to add pictures to Twitter's search by adding hashtags to the tweet.<ref name=twitpic>Mike Flacy, Digital Trends. "[http://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/twitter-photo-sharing-goes-live-for-all-users/ Twitter photo sharing goes live for all users]." August 9, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.</ref> Twitter also plans to provide photo galleries designed to gather and syndicate all photos that a user has uploaded on Twitter and third-party services such as TwitPic.<ref name=twitpic/>

==Use and social impact==
[[File:Twitter Town Hall-Dorsey Obama.png|thumb|Man in his twenties smiling at left, man in his forties using computer at center, large crystal chandelier, several people in audience|Dorsey (left) said after a [[Barack Obama on Twitter|Twitter Town Hall with Barack Obama]] held in July 2011, that Twitter received over 110,000 #Ask[[Barack Obama|Obama]] tweets.<ref>{{cite video|people=Jack Dorsey|title=Impressions on the White House Twitter Townhall|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2011/07/08/impressions-white-house-twitter-townhall|date=July 8, 2011|publisher=The White House|accessdate=July 10, 2011}}</ref>]]
{{main|Twitter usage}}
{{see also|Censorship of Twitter}}

Twitter has been used for a variety of purposes in many industries and scenarios. For example, it has been used to organize protests, sometimes referred to as "Twitter Revolutions", which include the [[2011 Egyptian revolution]], [[2010–2011 Tunisian protests]], [[2009–2010 Iranian election protests]], and [[2009 Moldova civil unrest]].<ref>{{cite web |accessdate=January 15, 2011|url=http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2011/01/could-tunisia-be-the-next-twitter-revolution.html |title=Could Tunisia Be the Next Twitter Revolution? |work=[[The Atlantic]] |date=January 13, 2011 |author= }}</ref> The governments of Iran and Egypt blocked the service in retaliation.<ref>{{cite news |title=
Iran Election, Uprising Tracked On Twitter As Government Censors Media |author=Rebecca Santana |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/15/iran-election-uprising-tr_n_215914.html |date=15 June 2009 |accessdate=29 June 2011 |work=Huffington Post}}</ref><ref>{{registration required|date=February 2011}} {{cite news
| last=  Fahim
| first=  Kareem
| url=  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/world/middleeast/27egypt.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
| title=  Protesters in Egypt Defy Ban as Government Cracks Down
| work=  [[The New York Times]]
| date=  January 26, 2011
| accessdate= }}</ref> [[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] on February 28, 2011 described Twitter and other social media as a "strategic weapon ... which have the apparent ability to re-align the social order in real time, with little or no advanced warning."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/technology/146397-social-media-as-a-strategic-weapon/ |title=Social media as a strategic weapon by Paul JJ Payack and Edward ML Peters |publisher=The Hill (newspaper) |date=28 February 2011|accessdate=8 June 2012}}</ref> During the [[Arab Spring]] in early 2011, the number of hashtags mentioning the uprisings in [[Tunisia]] and [[Egypt]] increased.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/americas/september-11/twitters-influence-on-the-arab-spring/article2135272/|title=Twitter's influence on the Arab Spring |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |date=August 19, 2011|accessdate=June 10, 2012}}</ref> A study by the [[Dubai School of Government]] found that only 0.26% of the Egyptian population, 0.1% of the Tunisian population and 0.04% of the Syrian population are active on Twitter.<ref>{{cite web|author=Fox, Zoe |url=http://mashable.com/2012/06/08/arab-world-facebook-twitter/|title=How the Arab World Uses Facebook and Twitter |work=Mashable |date=June 8, 2012|accessdate=June 9, 2012}}</ref>

The service is also used as a form of [[civil disobedience]]: in 2010, users expressed outrage over the [[Twitter Joke Trial]] by making obvious jokes about terrorism;<ref name="twitterjoke-spartacus-hashtag-guardian">{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/nov/12/iamspartacus-campaign-twitter-airport|title=#IAmSpartacus campaign explodes on Twitter in support of airport joker|date=2010-11-12|accessdate=12 November 2010|location=London|work=The Guardian|first=Haroon|last=Siddique}}</ref> and in the [[2011 British privacy injunctions controversy|British privacy injunction debate]] in the same country a year later, where several celebrities who had taken out anonymised injunctions, most notably the [[Manchester United]] player [[Ryan Giggs]], were identified by thousands of users in protest to traditional journalism being censored.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/may/22/scottish-newspaper-identifies-injuction-footballer |title=Scottish newspaper identifies injunction footballer |last1=Gabbatt |first1=Adam |last2=Taylor |first2=Matthew |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=UK |date=22 May 2011 |accessdate=22 May 2011}}</ref>

Another, more [[Real time (media)|real time]] and practical use for Twitter exists as an effective ''de facto'' [[Emergency Communication System|emergency communication system]] for [[breaking news]]. It was neither intended nor designed for high performance communication, but the idea that it could be used for emergency communication certainly was not lost on the originators, who knew that the service could have wide-reaching effects early on when the San Francisco, California company used it to communicate during earthquakes.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Mills|first=Alexander|coauthors=Chen, Lee, Rao|title=WEB 2.0 EMERGENCY APPLICATIONS: HOW USEFUL CAN TWITTER BE  FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE?|journal=Twitter for Emergency Management and Mitigation|year=2009|page=3|url=http://denman-mills.net/web_documents/jips_mills.etal._2009.07.22_finalsubmission.pdf|accessdate=18 April 2012}}</ref>

Twitter has been adopted as a communication and learning tool in educational settings mostly in colleges and universities. <ref>Rankin, M. (2010). [http://www.utdallas.edu/~mrankin/usweb/twitterconclusions.htm Some general comments on the “Twitter Experiment”]</ref><ref>Grosseck & Holotescu (2008). [http://www.cblt.soton.ac.uk/multimedia/PDFsMM09/Can%20we%20use%20twitter%20for%20educational%20activities.pdf Can we use Twitter for educational activities?] Proceedings of the 4th International Scientific Conference: eLearning and Software forEducation, Bucharest, Romania.</ref> It has been used as a [[backchannel]] to promote student interactions, especially in large-lecture courses. <ref>Elavsky, CM, Mislan, C & Elavsky, S (2011). When talking less is more: exploring outcomes of Twitter usage in the large‐lecture hall. Learning, Media and Technology  Volume 36, Issue 3. </ref> Research has found that using Twitter in college courses helps students communicate with each other and faculty, promotes informal learning, allows shy students a forum for increased participation, increases student engagement, and improves overall course grades. <ref>Junco, R., Heiberger, G., & Loken, E. (2011). [http://blog.reyjunco.com/pdf/JuncoHeibergerLokenTwitterEngagementGrades.pdf The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades]. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 27(2), 119-132.</ref><ref>Junco, R., Elavsky, C. M., Heiberger, G. (2012). [http://reyjunco.com/wordpress/pdf/JuncoElavskyHeibergerTwitterCollaboration.pdf Putting Twitter to the test: assessing outcomes for student collaboration, engagement, and success]. British Journal of Educational Technology. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2012.01284.x</ref><ref>Ebner, Lienhardt, Rohs, & Meyer (2010). [http://www.cblt.soton.ac.uk/multimedia/PDFs10/micriblogs%20in%20higher%20education%20process%20orientated%20learning.pdf Microblogs in Higher Education – A chance to facilitate informal and process-oriented learning?] Computers & Education, 55, 92-100.</ref>

Twitter is also increasingly used for making TV more interactive and social.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvgenius.net/blog/2011/03/31/shows-viewers-tweeting-operators/ |title=What Shows Are Viewers Tweeting About and What Does this Mean for Operators? |publisher=Tvgenius.net |date=2011-03-31 |accessdate=2011-05-22}}</ref> This effect is sometimes referred to as the "virtual watercooler" or [[social television]] — the practice has been called "chatterboxing".<ref>[http://news.sky.com/home/technology/article/16189017 Social Web Makes TV Viewers 'Chatterboxers'], Sky News, 15 March 2012</ref> Twitter has been successfully used to encourage people to watch live TV events, such as the [[Oscars]], the [[Super Bowl]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.twitter.com/2010/02/super-data.html |title=Twitter Blog: Super Data |publisher=Blog.twitter.com |date=2010-02-10 |accessdate=2011-05-22}}</ref> and the [[MTV Video Music Award]]s; however this strategy has proven less effective with regularly scheduled TV shows.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvgenius.net/blog/2011/05/25/twitter-drive-tv-live-ratings/ |title=Does Twitter Drive TV Ratings? |publisher=Tvgenius.net |date= |accessdate=2011-11-14}}</ref> Such direct cross-promotions have been banned from French television due to regulations against secret advertising.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20110606-business-technology-france-regulators-ban-facebook-twitter-promotion-on-tv# |title=France bans Facebook and Twitter promotion on TV |publisher=FRANCE 24 |date=2011-06-06 |accessdate=2011-11-14}}</ref>

In May 2008, ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' wrote that [[social networking service]]s such as Twitter "elicit mixed feelings in the technology-savvy people who have been their [[Diffusion (business)|early adopters]]. Fans say they are a good way to keep in touch with busy friends. But some users are starting to feel 'too' connected, as they grapple with check-in messages at odd hours, higher [[cellphone]] bills and the need to tell acquaintances to stop announcing what they're having for dinner."<ref>{{cite news|accessdate=February 22, 2011 |url=http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117373145818634482-ZwdoPQ0PqPrcFMDHDZLz_P6osnI_20080315.html |title=Friends Swap Twitters, and Frustration&nbsp;&ndash; New Real-Time Messaging Services Overwhelm Some Users with Mundane Updates from Friends |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=March 16, 2007 |last=Lavallee |first=Andrew}}</ref>

Tech writer [[Bruce Sterling]] opined in 2007 that using Twitter for "literate communication" is "about as likely as firing up a [[CB radio]] and hearing some guy recite the ''[[Iliad]]''".<ref>{{Registration required|date=February 2011}} {{Cite news| author=Pontin, Jason| title=From Many Tweets, One Loud Voice on the Internet | date=April 22, 2007 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/business/yourmoney/22stream.html | work =[[The New York Times]] | accessdate = June 21, 2009 | authorlink= Jason Pontin }}</ref> In September 2008, the journalist [[Clive Thompson (journalist)|Clive Thompson]] mused in a ''[[The New York Times Magazine]]'' editorial that the service had expanded narcissism into "a new, supermetabolic extreme—the ultimate expression of a generation of celebrity-addled youths who believe their every utterance is fascinating and ought to be shared with the world."<ref>{{Registration required|date=February 2011}} {{Cite news| first=Clive | last=Thompson| title=I'm So Totally, Digitally Close to You | date=September 5, 2009 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all | work =[[The New York Times Magazine]] | accessdate = August 22, 2009 }}</ref> Conversely, ''[[Vancouver Sun]]'' columnist [[Steve Dotto]] opined that part of Twitter's appeal is the challenge of trying to publish such messages in tight constraints,<ref>{{Dead link|date=February 2011|url=http://www.vancouversun.com/Entertainment/Tweet+this+year+Twitter/1470046/story.html}} {{cite web|accessdate=April 13, 2009 |url=http://www.vancouversun.com/Entertainment/Tweet+this+year+Twitter/1470046/story.html |title=Tweet This: It's the Year of the Twitter|work=[[The Vancouver Sun]] |date=April 16, 2009 |last=Lewis|first=Nick}}</ref> and [[Jonathan Zittrain]], professor of Internet law at [[Harvard Law School]], said that "the qualities that make Twitter seem inane and half-baked are what makes it so powerful".<ref>{{registration required|date=February 2011}} {{Cite news| first=Noam | last=Cohen | title=Twitter on the Barricades: Six Lessons Learned | date=June 20, 2009 | work=[[The New York Times]] | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/weekinreview/21cohenweb.html?_r=1&hp | accessdate = June 21, 2009 }}</ref>

Novelist [[Rick Moody]] wrote a short story for Electric Literature called "Some Contemporary Characters," composed entirely of tweets.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Rick Moody’s Twitter Short Story Draws Long List of Complaints|url=http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/12/01/rick-moodys-twitter-short-story-draws-long-list-of-complaints/|date=December 1, 2009|work=[[Wall Street Journal]]|accessdate=May 19, 2012}}</ref>

In 2009, [[Nielsen Online]] reported that Twitter has a user retention rate of forty percent. Many people stop using the service after a month, therefore the site may potentially reach only about ten percent of all [[Global internet usage|Internet users]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Many Twitters Are Quick Quitters: Study|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/deborahCohen/idUSTRE53S1A720090429|date=April 29, 2009|work=[[Reuters]]|accessdate=February 22, 2011|first=Belinda|last=Goldsmith}}</ref> In 2009, Twitter won the "Breakout of the Year" [[Webby Award]].<ref name="Webby Awards">{{cite web|author=[[Staff writer]]|date=undated|url=http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/specialachievement13.php/#twitter|title=13th Annual Webby Special Achievement Award Winners|publisher=[[Webby Award|The Webby Awards]]|accessdate=February 22, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Paul">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/164374/jimmy_fallon_wins_top_webby_and_the_winners_are.html|title=Jimmy Fallon Wins Top Webby: And the Winners Are...|work=[[PC World (magazine)|PC World]]|date=May 5, 2009|accessdate=February 22, 2011|first=Ian|last=Paul}}</ref> During a February 2009 discussion on [[NPR|National Public Radio]]'s<!--it only changed to "npr" in 2010--> ''[[Weekend Edition]]'', the journalist [[Daniel Schorr]] stated that Twitter accounts of events lacked rigorous fact-checking and other editorial improvements. In response, [[Andy Carvin]] gave Schorr two examples of [[breaking news]] stories that played out on Twitter and said users wanted first-hand accounts and sometimes debunked stories.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101265831|title=Welcome to the Twitterverse|publisher=[[NPR|National Public Radio]]<!--it only changed to "npr" in 2010-->|date=February 28, 2009|author=Carvin, Andy|accessdate=February 22, 2011|authorlink=Andy Carvin}}</ref> On November 29, 2009 Twitter was named the Word of the Year by the [[Global Language Monitor]], declaring it "a new form of social interaction".<ref>[http://www.languagemonitor.com/top-words/top-word-of-2009-twitter/ Top Word of 2009: Twitter]</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine acknowledged its growing level of influence in its 2010 [[Time 100]]; to determine the influence of people, it used a formula based on famous social networking sites, Twitter and Facebook. The list ranges from [[Barack Obama]] and [[Oprah Winfrey]] to [[Lady Gaga]] and [[Ashton Kutcher]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Vidyarthi, Neil|url=http://www.socialtimes.com/2010/04/time-magazines-social-influence-index-led-by-obama-gaga-kutcher/ |title=Time Magazine's Social Influence Index Led by Obama, Gaga, Kutcher |publisher=socialtimes.com |date=April 30, 2010 |accessdate=February 22, 2011}}</ref><ref>[[The Hill]]on February 28, 2011 described Twitter and other social media as a "strategic weapon ... which have the apparent ability to re-align the social order in real time, with little or no advanced warning."</ref>

According to an analysis of accounts, the heads of state of 125 countries and 139 other leading politicians have Twitter accounts that have between them sent more than 350,000 tweets and have almost 52 million followers. However, only 30 of these do their own tweeting, more than 80 do not subscribe to other politicians and many do not follow any accounts.<ref>John Heilprin ''Leaders all a twitter but few do own tweets'' [[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|The Advertiser]] July 28, 2012 Pg 64</ref>

After claims in the media that the hashtags [[WikiLeaks|#wikileaks]] and [[Occupy Wall Street|#occupywallstreet]] were being censored because they did not show up on the site's list of trending topics, Twitter responded by stating that it does not censor hashtags unless they contain obscenities.<ref>{{cite news|author=Arthur, Charles|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2010/dec/09/anonymous-twitter-facebook-disabled|title=Wikileaks: Twitter explains why it's not trending, as hackers play cat and mouse|publisher= ''[[The Guardian]]''|date=December 9, 2010 |accessdate=November 29, 2011|location=London}}</ref><ref>[http://twitter.com/#!/cpen/status/118393858659860480 Reply to question from journalist about alleged censorship of #occupywallstreet] Twitter, September 26, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Larson, Dave|url=http://blog.tweetsmarter.com/twitter-rules/twitter-admits-editing-offensive-trending-topics-plans-more/|title=Twitter admits editing offensive Trending Topics, plans more|publisher= |date=August 1, 2011 |accessdate=November 29, 2011}}</ref>

==Reception==
In 2006, when Twitter launched under the name "Twttr", [[Michael Arrington]] of ''[[TechCrunch]]'' commented that although he liked the service, he also noted that he felt uncomfortable with the fact that every user's Twitter page is available to the public.<ref name="launch"/>

===Change of focus===
[[File:Newmobiletwitter.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Mobile Web|mobile]] version of Twitter, mobile.twitter.com]]
Twitter emphasized its news and information-network strategy in November 2009 by changing the question asked to users for status updates from "What are you doing?" to "What's happening?"<ref>{{cite web|author=Nuttall, Chris|url=http://blogs.ft.com/techblog/2009/11/whats-happening-a-lot-says-twitter-coo/ |title=What’s Happening? A Lot, Says Twitter|publisher=''FT Tech Hub'' ([[blog]] of ''[[Financial Times]]'')|date=November 20, 2009 |accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.twitter.com/2009/11/whats-happening.html |title=Twitter Blog: What's Happening? |publisher=Blog.twitter.com |date=November 19, 2009 |accessdate=March 28, 2010}}</ref>  ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Limiting yourself to 140 characters—the maximum for messages on this diabolically addictive social-networking tool—is easy."<ref>Geier, Thom; Jensen, Jeff; Jordan, Tina; Lyons, Margaret; Markovitz, Adam; Nashawaty, Chris; Pastorek, Whitney; Rice, Lynette; Rottenberg, Josh; Schwartz, Missy; Slezak, Michael; Snierson, Dan; Stack, Tim; Stroup, Kate; Tucker, Ken; Vary, Adam B.; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Ward, Kate (December 11, 2009), "The 100 Greatest Movies, TV Shows, Albums, Books, Character, Scenes, Episodes, Songs, Dresses, Music Videos, and Trends That Entertained Us over the Past 10 Years". ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''. Issue 1079/1080; pp. 74&ndash;84.</ref>

On November 22, 2010, [[Biz Stone]], a cofounder of the company, expressed for the first time the idea of a '''Twitter news network''',<ref>{{cite web|author=Berkow, Jameson|url=http://business.financialpost.com/2010/11/23/fp-tech-desk-the-coming-twitter-news-network/ |title=FP Tech Desk: The Coming Twitter News Network|publisher=''FPPosted'' ([[blog]] of ''[[Financial Post]]'')|date=November 23, 2010 |accessdate=February 23, 2011}}</ref> a concept of a wire-like news service he has been working on for years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.twitter.com/2008/07/twitter-as-news-wire.html |title=Twitter As News-wire |publisher=blog.twitter.com |date=July 29, 2008 |accessdate=November 23, 2010}}</ref>

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[Ambient awareness]]
* [[Blauk]]
* [[Comparison of microblogging services]]
* ''[[CTB v News Group Newspapers]]''
* [[Heello]]
* [[List of Twitter services and applications]]
* [[List of virtual communities with more than 100 million users]]
* [[Myspace]]
* [[Tumblr]]
* [[Web 2.0 Suicide Machine]]
* [[List of Twitter users]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links |wikt=Twitter |commons=Twitter |b=no |n=Twitter |q=no |s=no |v=no |species=no |display=Twitter}}
*{{Official website|https://twitter.com/|mobile=https://mobile.twitter.com/}}
*{{Twitter|twitter|Twitter}}
*[http://www.quantcast.com/twitter.com#demographics Twitter Demographics and Audience Profile] at [[Quantcast]]
*[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/ Twitter in Depth Archive] by ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''
*[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126086325 The Library of Congress is Archiving Your Tweets] – audio report by ''[[NPR]]''
*[http://rt.com/Top_News/2010-08-31/russia-politicians-twitter-mania.html Twittermania sweeps Russia's politicians] (RT article)
*[http://www.life.com/gallery/61741/outrageous-tweets-a-short-history#index/0 Outrageous Tweets: A Short History] - slideshow by ''[[Life magazine]]''

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{{Good article}}

[[Category:2006 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Companies based in San Francisco, California]]
[[Category:Internet companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2006]]
[[Category:Privately held companies based in California]]
[[Category:Real-time web]]
[[Category:Social media]]
[[Category:Social networking services]]
[[Category:Text messaging]]
[[Category:Twitter| ]]
[[Category:Websites]]

[[km:ថ្វីតធ័រ (Twitter)]]