Greggs scum hack prompts Twitter team to “bribe” Google with doughnuts August 19, 2014 Greggs bakery’s cheeks were left burning as hot as the middle of its sausage rolls yesterday, when someone who Googled the firm found that its logo had been hacked to read “providing shit to scum for 70 years”. Naturally, the news went viral and Greggs was trending on Twitter. “We are aware of the [...]
“I resign”: Russian prime minister Medvedev’s Twitter account hacked August 14, 2014 “I resign. I am ashamed for the actions of the government. I’m sorry,” Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev tweeted earlier today. Or so hackers would have us believe. The Russian leader's Twitter account appeared to have been successfully targeted, publishing a series of tweets this morning criticising president Vladimir Putin, retweeting opposition journalists and [...]
Richard Branson’s PM Chequers boast sparks awkward Twitter questions August 14, 2014 Richard Branson’s latest blog has been conjuring some awkward questions on Twitter. The entrepreneur wrote about relationship between business and politics before stating, “Dined at Chequers with 9 of last 10 Prime Ministers. Won’t reveal who didn’t invite me – was it something I said?!” Impressive, you might say. But Michael Jary, partner at OC&C [...]
Top of the Bots: Twitter’s users not all they seem as 23 million revealed to be robots August 12, 2014 The concept of Twitter bots is an amusing one. We’re imagining legions of automatons sitting behind their iMacs in a dark room, pressing the tweet button with mechanically superior bot fingers and spamming us with mega lolz. But Twitter bots are a reality (albeit slightly different, it’s just a computer) and yesterday the social [...]
New Twitter hashtag #ad for adverts approved by FCA August 6, 2014 The City watchdog officially approved a new hashtag yesterday for finance firms promoting products on Twitter and other social networks. Adverts should be clearly labeled with the tag #ad, the Financial Conduct Authority said. But the promotions must also be fair and balanced, and include the risks associated with a product – something which is [...]
Scottish independence debate: Here’s what Twitter’s saying about Salmond V Darling August 5, 2014 Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling, leader of the Better Together campaign, are going head to head in a live TV debate ahead of the Scottish Independence Referendum. In the blue corner, Salmond is urging Scotland to vote for independence, and on the other side is Darling, who is arguing for Scotland to [...]
Twitter share price soars as company reveals 24pc rise in monthly users July 29, 2014 Shares in Twitter rose a whopping 35 per cent in after-hours trading late last night, after the company announced its second quarter results in America. The social media giant, whose shares have been struggling in recent months, revealed a 24 per cent increase in monthly users, but a widening loss of $145m (£86m) during the three [...]
Twitter reports net loss but growth in users July 29, 2014 Twitter has reported a net loss of $145m (£86m) in its second-quarter earnings for the three months to June. The social micro-blogging platform's loss was three times larger than for the equivalent period in 2013. However, shares went up by over 26 per cent following the news because Twitter also reported that it [...]
Twitter upgrades its direct messaging service, but is it preparing for a battle against WhatsApp? July 21, 2014 Twitter looks like it is preparing a serious bid to take on Facebook-owned WhatsApp in the battle of the messaging apps. The social network is improving the features that its direct messaging tool offers, the company said in a tweet today, a sign that it was attempting to enhance its status as a chat application. [...]
Germany’s thrashing of Brazil smashes Twitter records July 9, 2014 Germany's ruthless 7-1 semi-final demolition of tournament hosts Brazil had records tumbling – both on and off the pitch. The thrashing was Brazil's heaviest ever defeat, eclipsing a 6-0 loss at the hands of Uruguay in 1920 as well as being the side's first defeat at home in a competitive fixture in 39 years. Perhaps unsurprisingly, [...]