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Twitter to Start Logging URL Mouse Clicks
Posted 09/02/10 at 09:45:30 AM by Paul Lilly
Twitter sent out an email on Wednesday announcing a couple of upcoming updates, one of which includes automatic t.co link wrapping. In the coming weeks, Twitter's link wrapping service will intercept all URLs posted on the microblogging service and convert them into shorter, easier to read URLs. So what exactly has privacy mavens up in arms? This little tidbit:
"When you click on a wrapped link, your request will pass through the Twitter service to check if the destination site is known to contain malware, and we will then forward you on to the destination URL ... When you click on these links from Twitter.com or a Twitter application, Twitter will log that click. We hope to use this data to provide better and more relevant content to you over time," the microblogging site said.
Before you reach for the pitchforks and lighter fluid, keep in mind Twitter isn't the only one harvesting your click activity. As CNET points out, Yahoo tracks user searches, Bing and Facebook both appear to use JavaScript to keep track of where users click through to, and even Google sometimes uses redirects. And don't forget that everything you tweet ends up at the Library of Congress.
Even so, this will come as little consolation to privacy advocates who view this move as a "disgusting data landgrab."
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Fake TweetDeck Making the Rounds on Twitter
Posted 08/31/10 at 04:29:42 PM by Ryan Whitwam
It seems TweetDeck is the latest target of unscrupulous internet fiends. Just weeks after seeing a fake TweetDeck app show up in the Android Market, hacked Twitter accounts are spewing out links purporting to be an update to the popular Twitter client. As TweetDeck notes on their website, "These tweets are from hacked accounts and this file does not come from us. Do not download it."
The scam tweets are usually packed with some sort of phrase making them seem more authentic. The tweets may read, " Download TweetDeck udate ASAP!" or, "Sorry for offtopic, but it is a critical TweetDeck update. It won't work tomorrow!" It is unclear what the download does, but users that fell for this are advised to run a full virus scan of their computer, and have it serviced if need be.
Have you seen these tweets floating through the social web? Do you know anyone that fell for it? We can't find any victims 'round here.
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New Site Extracts and Posts Geotags From Twitter Pics
Posted 08/23/10 at 05:08:28 PM by Ryan Whitwam
Smartphones are really amazing devices. They do so many things that many people can't really keep track of all of them. Such is the case with the geotagging of images many smartphones do by default. A new site called "I Can Stalk U" is parsing Twitter in search of geotagged photos. The information then shows up in the stream on the site.
Now that phones have both GPS and cell network location services, it's easy to add geographical information to the EXIF data every time a picture is snapped. Most of the time, users are expected to turn this off if they do not want their location stored. I Can Stalk U is the brainchild of security researchers Ben Jackson and Larry Pesce. They explain that the site is aimed at raising awareness regarding what people are really telling the world at large about their movements.
This site is not unlike the now defunct Please Rob Me, which consisted of an aggregation of everyone that Tweeted they were not at home. In the case of I Can Stalk U however, it's not about the blatant statements people are making, but rather about data they might not know exists. Have you ever posted an image someplace only to realize you'd posted your location?
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Twitter Launching a Tweet Button for Websites
Posted 08/11/10 at 04:52:34 PM by Ryan Whitwam
You know that Facebook 'like' button you're seeing everywhere? Well, Twitter is about to follow suit by releasing an official Tweet Button for sharing content you find online. Leaked documents suggest the button could start showing up as soon as Thursday. The button is available in three sizes, with five different display customizations. This single line of code can be added to any page, allowing users to share it over Twitter easily. The button will also be a way to track how many people are retweeting a page.
Tweetmeme is the company currently running most of the twitter button embeds you currently see around. This move from Twitter certainly threatens their business model. That's nothing new for Twitter though. Be it URL shorteners, mobile clients, or buttons, Twitter might make an official option at any time.
Image via Mashable
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Twitter to Insert Ads into API, Will Share Revenue with Developers
Posted 08/09/10 at 07:37:58 PM by Ryan Whitwam
We knew something like this was coming. Twitter couldn't get by forever just showing advertising on the website. A Twitter developer advocate has confirmed that changes are being made in the API to insert ads automatically into the stream. The system is set t o be beta tested with a small group of developers before a wide scale rollout. The developers of Twitter clients like Tweetdeck and Seesmic will get a share of this ad revenue, but no exact values have been decided.
Twitter's limited use of advertising has, thus far, caused little objection. The trick will be getting enough ads in place to turn a profit, without alienating users. As for the developers, some of them stand to make quite the handy payday from this arrangement. Twitter has not clarified if displaying the ads from the API will be voluntary or not. Would you accept ads in your Twitter stream if it meant the developer got paid?
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New Site "Hunch" Wants to Know All About You
Posted 08/05/10 at 05:04:03 PM by Ryan Whitwam
Hunch is a newly relaunched site that aims to offer users a personalized list of recommendations based on a brief questionnaire. Users log in with their Facebook or Twitter account, then answer around 20 questions to evaluate the user's tastes. Hunch then generates recommendations for movies, restaurants, music, books, products, and much more.
Hunch uses your seemingly random answers to build a profile based on what it has learned about other people. Some of the recommendations are also based on who is in your social circle, thus the Facebook and Twitter login. Most users find the recommendations eerily accurate. Some might feel discomfort at divulging this information to Hunch, but it's really not much different than what Facebook and Google already know about you.
Have you used Hunch? Let us know how good or bad the results were.
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Microsoft Hardware Plays Coy, Hints at New Product
Posted 08/05/10 at 09:13:49 AM by Paul Lilly
Microsoft Hardware, which just recently opened up a Twitter account, is making up for lost time by teasing followers with tweets encouraging them to guess what the company is cooking up.
"Here's a hint for you: 'Dont be so touchy...flat is where it's at' We'll share another glimpse of our upcoming product with you tomorrow," Microsoft Hardware, or "msfthardware" tweeted earlier this week.
Since then, Microsoft has added a handful of pics and followup tweets, but still no indication of what the product might be.
"Love the excitement about our next product! Just remember, we make keyboards, webcams, and mice...," msfthardware tweeted.
Anyone want to venture a guess? Hit the jump and tell us what you think this thing is!
News
Social Networking Sites are a Time Suck
Posted 08/02/10 at 10:42:20 AM by Paul Lilly
Have you been on Facebook today? How about Twitter, YouTube, or any other of the scores of social networking sites scattered across the Web? Chances are you've visited at least one of them, and if Nielsen's latest stats are correct, you'll spend about six hours this month on social networking sites and blogs.
According to Nielsen, users are now spending 23 percent of their Internet time on social networking sites, a leap of 7 percentage points from this same time last year. This ranks as the biggest jump for any of Nielsen's online categories, which also include checking email, using Web portals, and playing games. And if we widen the social umbrella to also include communicating via blogs, personal email, and instant messaging, that number jumps to 36 percent.
"Despite the almost the almost unlimited nature of what you can do on the Web, nearly half of U.S. online time is spent on three activities -- social networking, playing games, and emailing," says Dave Martin, vice president of primary research at Nielsen.
Other activities, like shopping and random Web searches, haven't changed a whole lot, while watching online videos increased slightly from 3.5 percent to 3.9 percent from June 2009 to June 2010.
News
Twitter Tops 20 Billion Tweets
Posted 08/02/10 at 09:05:27 AM by Paul Lilly
It's official, folks - Twitter is popular. Very popular. As in, the microblogging service recorded its 20 billionth tweet over the weekend when "GGGGGGo_Lets_Go," a graphic designer in Tokyo who works at an advertising agency, posted the milestone message.
"It looks like I posted the 20 billionth tweet. I'm getting replies from people all over the world. It's scary. What are the chances? Maybe Im' going to die. Is it more amazing than winning the lottery? I thought it was a joke," he said in a followup Twitter message.
If you need any proof that Twitter is growing at an incredible rate, consider that the 10 billionth tweet was posted not even five months ago, which itself was four years in the making.
At last count, Twitter was growing by an average of 300,000 new users every day.
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Study: Fee-Based Twitter Service would Flop
Posted 07/27/10 at 08:34:23 AM by Paul Lilly
Twitter hasn't yet figured out how to rake in the big bucks like other social networking outfits, but one idea that will never fly is trying to charge users for the right to microblog, a new study suggests. Not only would such a business model fail, the study says, but it would fail miserably, with zero percent of those surveyed saying they would be willing to pay for Twitter.
"Such an extreme finding that produced a zero response underscores the difficulty of getting Internet users to pay for anything that they feel they already receive for free," said Jeffrey I. Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future at USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
"Twitter has no plans to charge its users, but this result illustrates, beyond any doubt, the tremendous problem of transforming free users into paying users," said Cole. "Online providers face major challenges to get customers to pay for services they now receive for free."
Advertising is another way Twitter could bring in revenue, and one users are more receptive to than paying outright for a service.
"Users express strong negative views about online advertising, but they still prefer seeing ads as an alternative to paying for content," Cole added. "Consumers really want free content without advertising, but ultimately they understand that content has to be paid for -- one way or another."
The annual report touches on a number of online topics, which you can read here (PDF).
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