Twitter

Twitter is the web's most popular short messaging service. It basically enables users to broadcast a short (140 characters or less) message about themselves or what they are doing/thinking at a given point in time. These thoughts, ideas, observations, opinions, hello messages, random updates etc... are presented as a linear set of posts (similar in nature to Facebook's Friend Update feature, which mimics the success of Twitter and similar short messaging "status update" services.

Authentication/Authorization

As of August 31st, 2010 basic authentication is no longer supported in Twitter's API web services for posting tweets and accessing private user timelines.

• Twitter API Auth documentation: http://dev.twitter.com/pages/auth_overview
• Twitter OAuth Clients (list apps registered to your account): http://twitter.com/oauth_clients

Twitter Mobile

Twitter Mobile also includes Mobile SMS but is (at least in North America) dwarfed in number of texts sent, by users of the mobile carriers' default, direct SMS text messaging services.

Revenue

Advertising

• Ads on Twitter -- How Would Users React?: http://mashable.com/2009/09/11/ads-on-twitter/

12seconds.TV

• Commercials Come to Twitter Courtesy of 12seconds.tv: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/commercials_come_to_twitter_courtesy_of_12se.php
• Skittles: Tweet the rainbow (or racial slurs): http://venturebeat.com/2009/03/01/skittles-tweet-the-rainbow-or-racial-slurs/

Selling Friends

Professional hustler turned CEO Jason Calacanis spelled it out on Twitter tonight. The new Twitter "suggested friends" feature (first blogged by Pete Cashmore) is a natural place to sell friend connections between users and companies wanting to communicate with them.

Services

Twitter Search

Twitter Search is slowly but surely becomign a thorn in Google's side by providing a superior stream of constantly updated, user-generated search results based on real-time Tweets by Twitter users.

• Twitter Search: http://search.twitter.com/
• Twitter Search to dive deeper, rank results: http://news.cnet.com/twitter-search-to-dive-deeper-rank-results/

Twitter API

• TWITTER TWEETS (post only, using PHP + fsockopen): http://www.phpclasses.org/browse/package/4216.html

Twitter Location

• Twitter Buys Mixer Labs to Boost Location Features: http://mashable.com/2009/12/23/breaking-twitter-buys-mixer-labs-to-boost-location-features/
• Why Twitter Wants to Know Where You Are: http://mashable.com/2010/01/23/local-trends-analysis/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+(Mashable)

Examples

* BC$ - Twitter API: http://bcmoney-mobiletv.com/twitter
* Tweetcall - Twitter by voice (from a mobile phone): https://www.tweetcall.com/
* Twitter Maps - Uses GeoIP to determine your location and plot nearby Twitterers on Google Maps: http://twittermap.com/maps
* TwitterVision - LIVE worldwide interactive map of (global) Twitter activity: http://twittervision.com/
* Flittr, picture your words (Flickr + Twitter): http://www.flittr.cc/
* TwitterThoughts: http://yvoschaap.com/twitterthoughts/
* Twitter Cloud: http://tweetcloud.com/
* Twitter Deck: http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta/
* TweetMixx: http://tweetmixx.mixx.com/
* TweetParade: http://isparade.jp/

Resources

• uberVU php library: http://webdeveloper2.com/2009/06/ubervu-php-library/
• Twitter API and jQuery Showcase - Display your Followers or Friends: http://tympanus.net/codrops/2009/12/02/twitter-api-and-jquery-showcase-display-your-followers-or-friends/

HashTags

• (Twitter) HashTag trend search: http://hashtags.org/mobileTV
• Twitter FAN wiki - Hashtags: http://twitter.pbworks.com/w/page/1779812/Hashtags
• Twitter hashtags for emergency coordination and disaster relief: http://factoryjoe.com/blog/2007/10/22/twitter-hashtags-for-emergency-coordination-and-disaster-relief/

Tutorials

• Update twitter via curl: http://www.commandlinefu.com/commands/view/176/update-twitter-via-curl
• Creating a live Twitter status update with YQL and JavaScript: http://www.tutorialized.com/view/tutorial/Creating-a-live-Twitter-status-update-with-YQL-and-JavaScript/54838
• The first PHP Library to fully support OAuth for Twitter's REST API: https://github.com/abraham/twitteroauth
• JISC10 Conference Keynotes with Twitter Subtitles: http://www.rsc-ne-scotland.org.uk/mashe/2010/04/jisc10-conference-keynotes-with-twitter-subtitles/

External Links

• wikipedia: Twitter
• wikipedia: Twitter subtitling
• Google Search vs Twitter vs Google Reader: http://morethan140.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/google-search-vs-twitter-vs-google-reader/
• TwitterThoughts: http://yvoschaap.com/twitterthoughts/
• (Tag) Cloud Based Twitter Search is Great for Searcher’s Block: http://mashable.com/2009/03/09/cloudli/
• At SXSW, attendees confront Twitter saturation: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10196526-2.html
• Nova Spivak - Can Twitter Survive What is About to Happen to It?: http://www.twine.com/item/123c9051b-g8/can-twitter-survive-what-is-about-to-happen-to-it
• Guy Kawasaki - Twitter Tips & Tricks: http://dondodge.typepad.com/the_next_big_thing/2009/03/twitter-tips-and-tricks-from-guy-kawasaki.html
• Style Your Twitter Tweets Without Plugins: http://www.junglejar.com/2008/11/08/style-twittertweets/
• The Fragile Flight of the Twitterlings: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2009/tc20090413_877116.htm
• Stop the Twitter train and let me off: http://www.toddrjordan.com/thebroadbrush/2009/04/stop-the-twitter-train-and-let-me-off/#
• Google searching Twitter? OneRiot does it already: http://venturebeat.com/2009/05/07/google-searching-twitter-oneriot-does-it-already/
• Twitter Proves Its Worth as a Killer App for Local Businesses: http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=136662
• Why Ford is Winning on the Social Web: http://mashable.com/2009/05/18/ford-social-media/
• Confirmed - Twitter Acquires Summize Search Engine: http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/15/confirmed-twitter-acquires-summize-search-engine/
• It’s Time To Start Thinking Of Twitter As A Search Engine: http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/05/its-time-to-start-thinking-of-twitter-as-a-search-engine/
• Twitter goes down, but life goes on: http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/twitter-goes-down-life-goes/2009-08-07
• Report -- Nine Scientifically Proven Ways to Get Retweeted on Twitter: http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/dan-macsai/popwise/report-nine-scientifically-proven-ways-get-re-tweeted-twitter?partner=homepage_newsletter
• Is Twitter giving stock options to celebrities?: http://eliasbizannes.com/blog/2009/11/is-twitter-giving-stock-options-to-celebrities/
• Ashton Kutcher challenges CNN to Twitter popularity contest: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/15/ashton.cnn.twitter.battle/index.html
• Twitter’s Internal Strategy Laid Bare -- To Be “The Pulse Of The Planet”: http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/16/twitters-internal-strategy-laid-bare-to-be-the-pulse-of-the-planet/
• Twitter's big day? Here comes Oprah: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10222030-2.html
• Demographics -- LinkedIn 39, Facebook 33, Twitter 31, MySpace 26: http://www.penn-olson.com/2009/11/06/linkedin-39-facebook-33-twitter-31-myspace-26/
• Introducing ‘Sign-in with Twitter’, OAuth-Style “Connect”: http://hueniverse.com/2009/04/introducing-sign-in-with-twitter-oauth-style-connect/
• Build a PHP Twitter Widget: http://brenelz.com/blog/build-a-php-twitter-widget/
• The Twitter OAuth PHP Class Gets Even Better: http://kovshenin.com/archives/the-twitter-oauth-php-class-gets-even-better/
• Diving into the Twitter API: http://net.tutsplus.com/tutorials/other/diving-into-the-twitter-api/
• Creating a live Twitter status update with YQL and JavaScriptRead more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/206910_creating-a-live-twitter-status-update-with-yql-and-javascript
• Tweeting 101 - A Twitter Cheat Sheet: http://webworkerdaily.com/2010/04/07/tweeting-101-a-twitter-cheat-sheet/
• Scaling Twitter for 600 Requests per Second: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2007/09/18/scaling-twitter-for-600-requests-per-second/
• Scaling Twitter - Making Twitter 10000 Percent Faster: http://highscalability.com/scaling-twitter-making-twitter-10000-percent-faster
• jQuery quickie - Unlimited Scroll using the Twitter API: http://www.marcofolio.net/webdesign/jquery_quickie_unlimited_scroll_using_the_twitter_api.html
• The Best Subtle Things About New Twitter: http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/14/new-twitter-tips/
• Mouse over renders Twitter.com useless for a spell: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/mouse-over-renders-twittercom-useless-for-a-spell/39424?tag=nl.e539
• 10 Most Extraordinary Twitter Updates: http://mashable.com/2009/04/10/extraordinary-twitter-updates/
• Update Twitter with AJAX-powered form: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2348752/update-twitter-with-ajax-powered-form
• Twitter Sucking the Internet Down the Drain?: http://stever.ca/internet/twitter-internet-down-drain/
• Making the most of hashtags: http://factoryjoe.com/blog/2007/12/23/making-the-most-of-hashtags/
• A brief tutorial on Twitter hashtags and Twemes: http://www.socializedpr.com/a-brief-tutorial-on-twitter-hashtags-and-twemes/

See Also

OAuth | API | Web Service | IM