After a number of high-profile and embarrassing Twitter feed hackings, the tweeps over at Twitter realized that they need to join every other online service that has moderate importance in users’ lives and implement two-factor authentication already. If it’s good enough for our bank accounts and our Gmail, it’s good enough for our joke-delivery service, right? [More]
Advertisers Will Now Be Able To Collect Customer Info Directly Through Twitter
By May 22, 2013
Twitter, that one-time bastion for social media users who abhor having their online lives exposed to advertising and marketing ploys, is continuing to go the paid way with new technology that will allow people to sign up for advertiser’s offers or promotions within a tweet itself. Good news for people who hate having to click a link and leave Twitter, somewhat suspect for people who are already wary of sharing their personal information online. [More]
Graphic: Which Internet Biggies Are Even Slightly Concerned About Your Privacy?
By May 20, 2013
When it comes to online privacy, many consumers assume that their service provider, or the websites they are browsing, have the users’ best interest in mind and that these companies won’t simply hand over your information to authorities. These people are mistaken, as are those who believe that no online companies make user privacy a priority. The truth, as usual, is a bit from column A and a bit from column B. [More]
Nail Salon Apologizes For Insulting, Racially Charged Tweets About Upset Customer
By May 3, 2013
When a Texas woman felt she’d been slighted by a local nail salon, she took to Twitter to vent, not expecting that the salon’s owner would fire back with a handful of offensive Tweets that she now regrets writing. [More]
AP Twitter Hack Shows That Not Every Scam Email Is Created Equal
By April 25, 2013
So you think you’re savvy when it comes to scams, huh? Maybe you’d never click on a link in an email from someone you don’t know with a funny email address asking to send money to Nigeria — but what if it seemed to come from a coworker you know very well including a link that looks totally legit? That’s apparently how the hack of the Associated Press Twitter account went down, with a scam called “spear-phishing.” [More]
Report: Twitter Working On Two-Step Verification In Wake Of AP Hack Attack
By April 24, 2013
If Twitter needed a reason to start using a two-step security process to protect its users, yesterday’s hack attack against the Associated Press’ Twitter account would be more than enough. One single fake tweet from the AP about an attack on the White House sent the Dow Industrial Average diving, and a new report today says Twitter is working on a solution so that kind of thing doesn’t happen in the future. [More]
We Live In A World Where A Single Fake Tweet Can Screw With The Stock Market
By April 23, 2013
Earlier today, someone hacked the Associated Press’s Twitter feed and decided to use this opportunity to let the world know that there had been explosions at the White House and that President Obama was injured, neither of which were true. Not so long ago, this might have sent MySpace pages ablaze but would have been ignored by Wall Street. Oh, how we dream of those more innocent days. [More]
Celebrity Chef Gives Us The VIP Treatment After We Miss Out On Restaurant Week Deal
By April 23, 2013
Consumerist reader Tom is not the kind of guy who usually goes out for fancy meals. But heck, it was his wife’s birthday coming up and one of her favorite local restaurants was participating in Jersey Shore Restaurant Week. It would be perfect — a nice dinner + plus a great deal = a happy wife and an equally happy wallet. But then Tom realized the deal had just expired, and decided to throw a hail Mary pass via social media. [More]
Pairing Condolences With A Marketing Pitch: How To Get Social Media Wrong After A Tragedy
By April 18, 2013
There are many ways to be insincere, but a surefire method if you want to destroy any shred of goodwill toward others you’ve just expressed on social media? Follow it up with a pitch for your business. Unfortunately, as in past tragedies, some brands still don’t understand that when something like the bombings in Boston happen, it’s time to zip it up. [More]
Be Careful What You Tweet About Because It Will Now Determine The Ads You See
By April 17, 2013
UPDATE: A source at Twitter tells Consumerist that there are behind-the-scenes systems in place to try to prevent ads being served to users who have posted negative Tweets about a particular advertiser. Users can also report promoted Tweets that they feel are inappropriate or counter to their interests. [More]
Twitter Kills Off Ribbon’s In-Stream Payment System Hours After Its Launch
By April 11, 2013
Yesterday morning the Interwebs were all abuzz about a new in-stream payment system from a company called Ribbon, which would allow Twitter users to buy stuff without ever leaving their Twitter feed. But mere hours after Ribbon debuted the feature, Twitter swiftly killed it off. [More]
Microsoft Apologizes For Loudmouthed Creative Director’s Tweets
By April 5, 2013
Earlier this week, a Microsoft Studios creative director stepped into a huge, flaming virtual bag full of doo-doo when he decided to make his case for always-online gaming, and possibly gave away information about the next generation of Xbox in the process. Today, Microsoft has had to issue a “don’t listen to that guy” statement. [More]
Restaurant Uses Twitter To Shame People Who Blew Off Reservations
By March 26, 2013
Allowing diners to reserve tables can be a risky proposition for restaurant-owners, as the business may have to turn away walk-in customers based solely on the reservation-holders’ say-so that they are going to show up. When the diners fail to materialize, it can mean lost business to the eatery, which is why one L.A. restaurant recently decided to start naming names of no-shows on Twitter. [More]
Wendy’s Tells Customers To Tweet At Wrong Username Two Weeks Too Early
By March 20, 2013
Barry got a flyer for a cool new social media promotion at Wendy’s. It looks fun and simple enough: just take a picture of your chicken sandwich and tweet it with a specific hashtag. He writes that what should be a simple enough promo became needlessly complicated because of two mistakes on the part of Wendy’s: they handed flyers out two weeks before the actual start date of the promotion, and directed people to the wrong Twitter account. You know, minor details. [More]
Samsung Wants To Patch Up My Defective Phone So It Can Break Again
By March 18, 2013
Alex has a Samsung Galaxy SII on AT&T, and his phone has one of the common defects of that model: it likes to randomly shut itself down for no reason. Instead of casting him into smartphone replacement purgatory, AT&T and Samsung are instead trying to divert him into repair purgatory. His phone will be totally fine after their repair, AT&T assured him. It wasn’t. He turned to Samsung and made his case to them. They were willing to repair his phone, but not replace it. [More]
Facebook Might Introduce Hashtags & Twitter Is Like, “Welcome To Five Years Ago”
By March 15, 2013
If the rumors are true and Facebook starts using hashtags, Twitter might get a bit peeved. On one hand, it’s just another symbol sitting there on the keyboard, but on the other, it’s been pretty widely known as strictly Twitter territory. A new report says Facebook wants to get in on the hashtag action, which could elevate the already frosty relationship between the two social networks to ice cold. [More]
FTC Says Social Media Ads Have To Be Held To Same Rules As Traditional Ads
By March 13, 2013
One of the important duties held by the Federal Trade Commission is making sure ads don’t mislead consumers. Yesterday the FTC set out clear rules for short-form ads on social media like Twitter and Facebook as well. Namely, they have to be held to the same basic requirement as other advertising — be upfront about what’s going on. [More]
the inside poopThe official Charmin Twitter feed is notorious for its constant stream of poop-related musings, ranging in quality from sophomoric to brilliant (insofar as fecal humor can be brilliant). Now the Internet has revealed at least one of the people behind Procter & Gamble’s filthiest social media campaign. (via AnimalNewYork.com)
