Twitter reports slow user growth but points finger at iOS 8
Twitter reported its smallest user growth ever on Thursday. Q4 saw its user base increase by just 4 million to 288 million, though the company said issues with iOS 8 were partly to blame.
Twitter and Google reportedly strike deal to make tweets more discoverable in search
In what looks to be a similar deal to one that ended between the two companies in 2011, Twitter and Google have reportedly reached a new agreement to make tweets more discoverable in search.
Twitter CEO takes ‘full responsibility’ for site’s troll problem
Internal memos reportedly written by Twitter CEO Dick Costolo reveal he's "ashamed" of how poorly the company is dealing with the issue of abuse on the service. The boss says he takes "full responsibility" for the situation and that it has to change.
Twitter brings its ads to Flipboard and Yahoo in bid to boost revenue
Twitter has done a deal with Flipboard and Yahoo! Japan to start showing promoted tweets on the sites. The move brings Twitter ads to millions of non-users of the social media service, and looks set to boost the company's bottom line.
How smartphones, Oreos, and hashtags have changed Super Bowl ads forever
Oreo proved back in 2013 that social media can win the Super Bowl for advertisers, but as other brands like Nationwide demonstrated during last night's game, sometimes when you try to bottle lightning, you get zapped.
How human testers are revealing our Facebook News Feed habits
The world's largest social network uses a small team of testers to get detailed feedback on the News Feed — and their responses are revealing more about how we make use of social media.
NFL, brands look to social media to manage Super Bowl buzz
With Super Bowl attendees turning to Facebook and Twitter to chat about the big game, social media is top of mind for the National Football League as well as brands looking to capitalize on Super Bowl moments.
Tumblr revamps writing tools in ‘big’ update
Tumblr on Wednesday rolled out a significant update aimed at offering a more refined user experience and more posting options for its millions of bloggers.
Twitter users can soon post 30-second videos, send group messages
Ideal for anyone that splits their time between mobile video applications like Vine or Instagram and Twitter, the social network is adding the ability to post 30-second video clips directly to the main feed.
Make temporary tattoos out of your Instagram photos with Picatoo
Instagram photos have gone a weird full circle: Now you can print them as full-color temporary tattoos with Picattoo.
Pinterest presents search results based on your gender to attract more men
If you're a guy who's tired of sifting through irrelevant pictures on Pinterest, help has arrived — the site now lets you filter content for men and women through its Guided Search.
Twitter wants its popular users to stop posting Instagram links
Apparently having had enough of users skipping off to Instagram to view images, Twitter is now sending out messages to its verified users suggesting they post pictures within their tweets.
Twitter announces ‘while you were away’ recap feature
Twitter has officially announced a new feature for surfacing "the best tweets" you might've missed while away from the service. The 'recap' posts will show at the top of your timeline, with infrequent users likely to notice the feature more than regular ones.
WhatsApp lands on desktop, though iOS users are left out in cold
WhatsApp on Wednesday rolled out a desktop version of its popular messaging app that pairs with smartphones with the software, though issues with Apple's platform mean iOS users won't be able to make use of it.
Facebook tweaks News Feed to cut down on hoax posts
Facebook is launching a new offensive against hoax content on News Feeds, tweaking its algorithm to pinpoint such material, which should result in reduced distribution in the feed.
Turkish government again threatens to block Twitter
Twitter users in Turkey are once again facing a bit of downtime after the government threatened to block the service. Officials have demanded the company delete the account of a newspaper it says threatens national security, though Twitter has so far refused.
Post a selfie for a chance to win a Sigma lens accessory
Sigma is running a social media campaign where Sigma lens owners have a chance to score a circular polarizing filter simply by posting a selfie.
Snapchat reportedly asking brands $750,000 for ads (which disappear)
Snapchat is said to be asking brands $750,000 to gets their message in front of the 100 million+ users of the ephemeral messaging app. If it sounds like a lot, that's because it is, though it appears that so far a few advertisers have coughed up the cash.
Obama calls for tighter cyber security after U.S. Central Command Twitter hack
ISIS supporters hacked the U.S. Central Command's Twitter and YouTube accounts during President Obama's speech on cyber security and data protection.
Facebook acquires video tech startup QuickFire
Facebook's latest acquisition of tech startup QuickFire Networks should see improved video quality for users as the social networking giant continues on its quest to build out its video platform.
FlapIt takes your social media achievements for an analog spin
FlapIt is an split-flap, analog counter that lets small businesses boast their social media metrics in regards to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more.
Facebook acquires speech recognition startup Wit.ai
Judging by its latest acquisition, Facebook is planning to incorporate speech recognition features into some of its products. The newly acquired startup builds technology that lets users interact with apps and machines via Siri-like voice commands.
Twitter broken? Timelines slow to update, company investigating
Twitter engineers are currently working on fixing an issue with the social media site that's causing delays in timeline updates. Developing....
Mark Zuckerberg starts a book club — and we’re all invited
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is challenging himself to read a book every fortnight during the course of 2015 — and you can join in by signing up on the A Year Of Books page on Facebook.
Polaroid rebrands, re-launches Blipfoto one-photo-a-day social network
Polaroid has partnered with online one-photo-a-day sharing site Blipfoto to rebrand and re-launch the social network.
Twitter rolling out ‘while you were away’ timeline feature
If you follow hundreds of other users or go for a long time without logging in, Twitter thinks you might be missing lots of interesting tweets. With that in mind, it's now rolling out a recap feature that places such tweets at the top of your timeline.
Facebook says sorry after ‘Year in Review’ feature causes heartache
Facebook has apologized to a user after an auto-generated 'Year in Review' feature put an image of his deceased daughter front and center. An upset Eric Meyer described his experience in a written piece titled 'Inadvertent Algorithmic Cruelty.'
Survival of the felines: 10 reasons why Grumpy Cat has lasted so long (and her 15 minutes are up)
Grumpy Cat's 15 minutes of fame are wearing thin. We look back at the highlights of everybody's favorite Internet meme.
Turn your selfies into ads for clothes, make some money
Stylinity app allows you to get free stuff and cash if someone buys an item from a selfie you tagged with fashion items and uploaded to their site.
Woman assaults grandmother for denying Facebook friend request
Likely feeling spurned after her grandmother ignored her Facebook friend request, a 27-year-old Florida women decided that committing aggravated battery would be the best way to become Facebook friends.
Rolling solo at a hotel? Marriott wants to hook you up (with platonic pals)
Your next business stay at a Marriott hotel could be more like a hostel thanks to Six Degrees, a social-networking experiment designed to connect like-minded travellers staying under the same roof.
Instagram mass-deletes spam accounts, users freak out
In an attempt to purge Instagram of problematic accounts and useless spammers, the social network deleted millions of accounts this week much to the chagrin of celebrities and general users.
Snapchat quietly put down $15m for a company that makes smart glasses
Leaked emails have revealed that back in March Snapchat quietly acquired a company that makes smart glasses. The startup apparently paid $15 million for the company, though the reasons for the purchase aren't altogether clear.
Twitter said to be weighing up whether to put autoplay videos in timelines
Use Twitter? How do you like the sound of autoplay videos in your timeline? According to an Adweek report this week, the social media site is considering the feature in a bid to boost ad revenue.
Facebook won’t add a ‘Dislike’ button, but it might add an ‘LOL’ button to your News Feed
Facebook isn’t going to build you a “Dislike” button, though they’ve considered it, according to founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Facebook search now lets you relive all your old status updates
After indexing more than one trillion pieces of content, Facebook is finally ready to launch a new search feature that will include old status updates from friends and family in the search results.
The best selfie fails: 10 self-portraits gone awry
Every so often, a selfie can capture a spontaneous moment, whether intentional or accidental. Check out 10 of our favorite selfie fails on the Web.
Facebook tries again with Slingshot
Facebook launched Slingshot back in June, but the Snapchat competitor has apparently failed to capture the imagination of smartphone users. Now it hopes to change that with a redesigned version introduced on Thursday.