Kik continues to ship new features for its chatting application. Following on the heels of Promoted Chats and its in-app browser comes the…
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How did GamerGate become a lightning rod for violence — and is social media helping or making it worse?
A hashtag that started as a complaint about ethics in video-game journalism has spawned a movement aimed at attacking and harassing female journalists, developers and others -- and the same fuel that allows positive social-media campaigns to go viral has fanned the flames of violence…
Read MoreYes, hashtags can be trivial and annoying — but discussion threads like #YesAllWomen can also be powerful
In the aftermath of multiple killings in California by a violent misogynist, the hashtag #YesAllWomen became a lightning rod for criticism and trolling -- but also showed just how powerful the weak ties of social media can be when harnessed for good…
Read MoreWhat we can learn from what didn’t happen at CES
Last week’s weekly update was entitled Things that didn’t happen, and what that means, which was directed toward 2013 in retrospect. I…
Read MoreTwoodo is a clever microsyntax-based work management tool
Years ago I coined the term ‘hashtag’Â while in a very active blog-to-blog and Twitter conversation with Chris Messina, the inventor, who suggested…
Read MoreWhy Facebook isn’t the right company to create a Google Reader replacement
With speculation that Facebook might be launching an RSS reader at its press event next week, it's important to think about why users loved the Google Reader experience. Hint: it wasn't because Google Reader was social.…
Read MoreTwitter and American Express team up to let you purchase with hashtags
Looking to buy a new Kindle Fire or Xbox product? How about making your purchase through a hashtag? Twitter has teamed up with American Express to allow purchases on the site, raising questions about the company's future in e-commerce.…
Read MoreMcDonald’s Social Media Director Explains Twitter Fiasco
This morning I spoke with McDonald's social media director, Rick Wion, about how the company's own Twitter ad became a viral delight for pot……
Read MorePlay that hashtag: Eye-C crowdsources media curation
A new iOS and Android app called Eye-C turns hashtags into collaborative media playlists, allowing you to play a continuous stream of videos from the #occupywallst movement or check out the artists your friends are listening to. All media can be beamed straight to your TV.…
Read MoreSheen vs. Kutcher: Guess who was #winning?
Comedy Central heavily promoted its Roast of Charlie Sheen on Twitter, and it looks like the bet may have paid off: Twitter users commented more than twice as much about the roast than about the season debut of his former show Two and a Half Men.…
Read MoreProject Runway brings fan voting to Twitter
Project Runway viewers are already big social media users, sharing thoughts about the show while watching it live. So why not use Twitter as a way for fans to vote for their favorite contestant. That was the thinking behind Project Runway's Fan Favorite contest.…
Read MoreThe Short and Illustrious History of Twitter #Hashtags
On August 23, 2007, the Twitter hashtag was born. Invented by Chris Messina (now an open web advocate for Google), the first tweet with a hashtag read as follows: "how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]?"…
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