Twitter reaches 100 million active users

Twitter is ready to bask in the glory of its success after reaching an astonishing 100 million active users worldwide. This news comes after the discovery that the social network averages 230 million tweets a day, revealing that half of the active user base actually accesses Twitter on a daily basis. A great achievement for a start up that only began 5 years ago, with a simple tweet from co-founder Jack Dorsey announcing “just setting up my twttr”.

Since @jack’s first tweet, billions of twitter updates have flooded the social networking site. The 140-character updates have attracted a huge variety of personalities, from celebrities, politicians, journalists and sports stars over the years.

In contrast with Facebook, growth is rapidly increasing this year compared with last. In fact, Twitters predicted trajectory is a further 26 million users likely to join the social network by January 2012. That is more than the amount of users from 2006-9 combined!

Well done Twitter for introducing us to a world of hash tags and 140-character conservations. I can’t quite imagine a world without it #ThankyouTwitter.

Twitter to launch ads in the UK

Further Twitter news comes in the form of promoted ads. Reports reveal that Twitter is set to open its promoted tweet service to UK brands and businesses this October, after successfully initiating the service back in April, 2010 in the U.S. According to reports, Twitter is currently in the final stage of arrangements and talks with brands such as O2, Vodafone, Sky and Sony, who are set to be first in taking advantage of Twitter’s unique advertising service. The launch of the service in the UK could see Twitter target ads on a more regional basis.

Checking in is least popular social activity

A recent survey by the Pew Research Center discovered that, among smartphone users, checking in to locations with geosocial services like Foursquare is the least popular activity among smartphone users.

Results suggest that while 28% of the 2, 277 American adults surveyed use mobile or social location-based services of some kind, only 5% use their phones to check in to locations. The other location-based activities that smartphone users partake in include, using their phones to get directions or recommendations based on their current locations, and engaging in social media services such as Facebook and Twitter.

This may come as a surprise after the discovery that Foursquare now has ten million users worldwide. This may point to the fact that checkin services may not yet be as mainstream as updating your Facebook status, or tweeting from your smartphone. However, with a strong growing user base it is certainly possible that geolocation services will soon become more popular and earn a deserving spot on the standard smartphone, especially with the exciting introduction of location-based gaming that brands are starting to pick up on and engage users with.

Has Google Plus gone too far?

There has been a lot of discussion surrounding one of the lesser pleasant aspects of Google Plus, in its demand that users are to use their real names to create an account, as opposed to a pseudonym. For instance, critics have argued that  Google Plus is simply Google’s way of amassing more information about each user.What do you think about Google Plus’ demands, are they taking it too far in their quest for real users’ names? Or perhaps it is good thing, that will help keep spammers out of the social network?

Whatever their motives, Google chairman Eric Schmidt in a reported interview argued that:

“Regarding people who are concerned about their safety, G+ is completely optional. No one is forcing you to use it. It’s obvious for people at risk if they use their real names, they shouldn’t use G+.”

 

Via GeekCulture

 

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