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[[File:Twitter logo.jpg|right|160px]]

[[File:Twitter logo.jpg|right|160px]]

'''Twitter, Inc.''' described as a social networking tool and has rapidly emerged as a new medium of online [[news]] distribution. The free microblogging [[website]] of 140 characters or less was co-founded by [[Jack Dorsey]]. ''Twitter'' is a privately funded startup established by Obvious.com in [[San Francisco]], March 21, 2006. <ref>[http://mashable.com/2009/03/21/happy-birthday-twitter/ Happy Birthday Twitter!] Mashable</ref> <ref>[http://cellphones.about.com/od/textmessaging/a/twittertexting.htm Twitter: Free Microblogging Service Perhaps the Perfect Mobile Blogging Tool, About.com, August 16, 2008]</ref> Twitter is a new kind of technology that uses multiple methods of communication to help keep you in touch with people to find out what's happening right now. More than half of all Twitter users connect with the service via their [[cell phone]]s. As a simple messaging tool, the website states:

'''Twitter, Inc.''' is  a social networking tool that has rapidly emerged as a new medium of online [[news]] distribution. The free microblogging [[website]], where users can submit messages containing 140 characters or less to their followers, was co-founded by [[Jack Dorsey]] and Evan Williams. ''Twitter'' is a privately funded startup established by Obvious.com in [[San Francisco]], on March 21, 2006. <ref>[http://mashable.com/2009/03/21/happy-birthday-twitter/ Happy Birthday Twitter!] Mashable</ref> <ref>[http://cellphones.about.com/od/textmessaging/a/twittertexting.htm Twitter: Free Microblogging Service Perhaps the Perfect Mobile Blogging Tool, About.com, August 16, 2008]</ref>

{{cquote|Twitter asks one question, "What are you doing?" Answers must be under 140 characters in length and can be sent via mobile texting, instant message, or the web. The result of using Twitter to stay connected with friends, relatives, and coworkers is that you have a sense of what folks are up to but you are not expected to respond to any updates unless you want to.}}

{{cquote|Twitter asks one question, "What are you doing?" Answers must be under 140 characters in length and can be sent via mobile texting, instant message, or the web. The result of using Twitter to stay connected with friends, relatives, and coworkers is that you have a sense of what folks are up to but you are not expected to respond to any updates unless you want to.}}

Per 2011 figures, they are a fast growing company with over 200 million registered users worldwide, with an average of 65 million posts daily, called tweets. <ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748703716904576134543029279426-lMyQjAxMTAxMDAwOTEwNDkyWj.html Twitter as Tech Bubble Barometer, Wall Street Journal, February 10, 2011]</ref> As of 2009, the major search engines integrated tweets into the search results. Twitter achieved its first profits by signing search engine contracts with Google and [[Bing]]. <ref>[http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2009/tc20091220_549879.htm Content-Search Deals Make Twitter Profitable, BusinessWeek, December 21, 2009]</ref> The company has an enormous market capitalization of 10-15 billion dollars. Twitter has rejected takeover offers worth hundreds of millions of dollars from [[Google]] and [[Facebook]]. Many celebrities, national sports figures and members of [[Congress]] <ref>[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Members_of_Congress_who_Twitter Members of Congress who Twitter] Source Watch Encyclopedia</ref> have Twitter accounts and anybody can follow their posts.  

 

Per 2011 figures, they are a fast growing company with over 200 million registered users worldwide, with an average of 65 million tweets daily. <ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748703716904576134543029279426-lMyQjAxMTAxMDAwOTEwNDkyWj.html Twitter as Tech Bubble Barometer, Wall Street Journal, February 10, 2011]</ref> As of 2009, the major search engines integrated tweets into the search results. Twitter achieved its first profits by signing search engine contracts with Google and [[Bing]]. <ref>[http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2009/tc20091220_549879.htm Content-Search Deals Make Twitter Profitable, BusinessWeek, December 21, 2009]</ref> The company has an enormous market capitalization of 10-15 billion dollars. Twitter has rejected takeover offers worth hundreds of millions of dollars from [[Google]] and [[Facebook]].  

 

Many celebrities, national sports figures and members of [[Congress]] <ref>[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Members_of_Congress_who_Twitter Members of Congress who Twitter] Source Watch Encyclopedia</ref> have verified Twitter accounts and anybody can follow their posts.  

==About The CEO==

==About The CEO==

Evan Williams, a Jack Dorsey's partner, started the website ''Blogger'', which he sold to ''Google''.

Evan Williams, Jack Dorsey's partner, started the website ''Blogger'', which he sold to ''Google''.

[[File:Twitter office space.jpg|thumb|Twitter office space (Photo by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo).]]

[[File:Twitter office space.jpg|thumb|Twitter office space (Photo by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo).]]

==Twitter Phenom==

==Twitter Phenom==

The site is such a popular destination that new news articles about Twitter appear daily. First for FBI arrests, Daniel Knight Hayden, 52 had Twittered that he would massacre hundreds attending an Oklahoma City [[Tax Day Tea Party]]. <ref>[http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10227769-93.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0 FBI accuses Twitter user of massacre threats] CNet, April 26, 2009</ref>

The site is such a popular destination that new news articles about Twitter appear daily. In fact, one tweet by Daniel Knight Hayden, 52, which stated that he would massacre hundreds attending an Oklahoma City [[Tax Day Tea Party]] led to him being arrested by the FBI. <ref>[http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10227769-93.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0 FBI accuses Twitter user of massacre threats] CNet, April 26, 2009</ref> Tweets of popular celebrities and politicians have also been commented on in the [[mainstream media]].

==Prominence==

==Prominence==

Republicans dominate the social networking site. Republicans occupy 18 of the top 20 spots in terms of followers for politicians on Twitter. <ref>[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/lachlan-markay/2010/01/14/study-twitter-republicans-dominate-dems Study: On Twitter, Republicans Dominate Dems, NewsBusters.org, January 14, 2010]</ref> The study, "Twongress: The Power of Twitter in Congress," <ref>[http://www.eyeonfda.com/files/twongress-white-paper-final-1-14-10.pdf Twongress: The Power of Twitter in Congress (PDF), Eyeonfda.com, January 2010]</ref> showed twice as many Republicans use Twitter even though there were far fewer Republicans in Congress at the time. ''"Republican (members of Congress) are outpacing their Democratic rivals in nearly every single category that was measured"'' <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/01/15/republicans-gain-twitter-edge-democrats-study/?test=latestnews Republicans Gain the Twitter Edge on Democrats, Study Shows, Fox News, January 15, 2010]</ref>  This has ushered a markedly different trend to Democrats who for years have outmatched its opponents online.

Thus far, Republicans have been more adept at utilizing Twitter than Democrats. Republicans occupy 18 of the top 20 spots in terms of followers for politicians on Twitter as of January 2010. <ref>[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/lachlan-markay/2010/01/14/study-twitter-republicans-dominate-dems Study: On Twitter, Republicans Dominate Dems, NewsBusters.org, January 14, 2010]</ref> The study, "Twongress: The Power of Twitter in Congress," <ref>[http://www.eyeonfda.com/files/twongress-white-paper-final-1-14-10.pdf Twongress: The Power of Twitter in Congress (PDF), Eyeonfda.com, January 2010]</ref> showed twice as many Republicans use Twitter even though there were far fewer Republicans in Congress at the time. ''"Republican (members of Congress) are outpacing their Democratic rivals in nearly every single category that was measured"'' <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/01/15/republicans-gain-twitter-edge-democrats-study/?test=latestnews Republicans Gain the Twitter Edge on Democrats, Study Shows, Fox News, January 15, 2010]</ref>  This has ushered a markedly different trend for Republicans, who for years have been outmatched by Democrats online.

==Iranian Protesters==

==Iranian Protesters==

Iranian protesters angered by the results of [[Iran]]'s disputed presidential election started to tweet marches on the government. This forced the Islamic Republic to block all cell phone messaging in June 2009. At the request of the U.S. State Department, they asked Twitter to delay scheduled maintenance to allow tweets from Iranians.

Iranian protesters angered by the results of [[Iran]]'s disputed presidential election started to tweet marches on the government. This forced the Islamic Republic to block all cell phone messaging in June 2009, as tweets can also be submitted via text message. At the request of the U.S. State Department, Twitter delayed scheduled maintenance to allow tweets from Iranians.

In a separate incident, a group calling itself Iranian Cyber Army hacked into Twitter and defaced their homepage. They replaced the page with a bold pro-Iranian and anti-American message. <ref>[http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/12/18/twitter-dns-attack-iran/ Twitter Hack: Part Of Broader Iranian Strategy, Techcrunch.com, December 18, 2009]</ref>

In a separate incident, a group calling itself Iranian Cyber Army hacked into Twitter and defaced their homepage. They replaced the page with a bold pro-Iranian and anti-American message. <ref>[http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/12/18/twitter-dns-attack-iran/ Twitter Hack: Part Of Broader Iranian Strategy, Techcrunch.com, December 18, 2009]</ref>