social media

Twitter may be officially blocked in China, but a report out late last month that's attracted a number of skeptics suggests that the microblogging service still has more users there than any other country in the world, including the United States.

According to statistics published by GlobalWebIndex and analyzed by Emarketer, Twitter has 35.5 million active users in China, and just 22 million in the U.S. India actually comes in second in the report, with 33 million people tweeting or reading tweets regularly.

The idea that anyone at all could be using Twitter in China isn't … Read more

Like it or not, Web pages can count your Facebook shares as a "Like."

A Facebook Like multiplier bug going around highlighted a feature of the social network that may seem unfair to some: If you send a Web site's link to a friend via a Facebook message or if you post it to your Facebook wall, that Web page's Like counter ticks upward.

First noticed by The Wall Street Journal, the feature may rankle some users who don't want to be a part of an overinflated count for some Web site tracking its visitors, … Read more

The initial presidential debate last night between President Barack Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney generated more than 10 million tweets, making it the most tweeted political event in U.S. history.

In a blog post issued early this morning, Twitter recounted the issues -- and quips -- that got users tweeting the most. Those ranged from questions about fact-checking to discussions about Medicare and Obamacare to general dissatisfaction with moderator Jim Lehrer.

Among certain circles, the politics of the debate were secondary to Romney's suggestion that to help reduce spending, he would propose cutting the PBS budget, impacting … Read more

Sixty percent of Twitter users access the microblogging platform on mobile devices, and there are more than 400 million tweets per day, Twitter said today. And promoted tweets have an engagement rate of between 1 percent and 3 percent.

Just a couple of hours after Twitter unveiled a new feature for big brands that will allow them to embed surveys in tweets, at a session called "Building a real-time brand" At Advertising Week in New York, Twitter President of Revenue Adam Bain and sales marketing chief Shane Steele shared statistics and anecdotes demonstrating that the service is an … Read more

Twitter users -- especially those with desirable handles -- risk having their accounts stolen, according to one recently hacked user who says there's a fundamental vulnerability in the service's security system.

According to Daniel Dennis Jones, whose account, @blanket, was recently hijacked, Twitter's password reset process allows hackers to attempt a more wide-ranging brute force approach to breaking into accounts than other services with more restrictive systems.

In a lengthy write-up of his recent experience, Jones says he discovered that the security system Twitter employs limits log-in attempts by IP address, rather than by account, meaning that … Read more

Current Caller ID is an almost fiendishly clever app. It feeds your contacts' social-media updates right to your Android phone. Even if Aunt Matilda's status update about her recent purchase of an iPhone 5 fell under your Facebook radar, you'll be able to quickly get up to speed when she calls you for tech support.

For friends and colleagues who use Twitter and let apps access their Facebook pages, the Current Caller ID app works very well. If a good chunk of your contact list falls into that category, then the app can add a lot to your experience. … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Neil Young introduces his own Pono audio system, could rival Apple.

- Stop showing me your stupid Internet face.

- Top face pullers gurning for the UK title.

- Life-sized pictures of Google Street View screenshots printed and wheatpasted IRL.

- Nerdy art uses computer messages to poke fun.

- If you have time tomorrow, check out Field Trip Day for Android users across the country.

- Connect with Ty Pendlebury on Twitter.

Bathroom break video: People acting irrationally to a telephone.… Read more

Twitter today unveiled the latest iteration of its Discover tab, a move it said will show users a steady stream of tweets deemed relevant to them.

The company first launched the Discover feature on Twitter.com last December, aiming to "bring you essential information from the Web [and in] May, we added stronger signals and a new design that made it more personal for you with better stories and tweets from people you know."

And in a blog post this morning, Twitter wrote that "Now we're improving Discover again: When you visit the Discover tab on … Read more

Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown took to social media today to announce that he signed two privacy laws protecting employees and students from bosses and universities wanting to snoop on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media accounts.

"Today I am signing Assembly Bill 1844 and Senate Bill 1349, which prohibit universities and employers from demanding your email and social media passwords," he wrote in a Facebook post. "California pioneered the social media revolution. These laws protect Californians from unwarranted invasions of their social media accounts."

AB 1844 was designed to prohibit employers from requiring an employee or … Read more