The police are here to help you! Really — they’ll even retweet your request for someone to drop off marijuana at your place of employment and add a fun side comment. But the downside of all that amicable assistance is you might be out of a job as a result. And if you’re not making money, how will you pay for the drugs* you tweet about? Classic dilemma, right there. [More]
Twitter Users Rebelling Against Promoted Tweets Using Age-Old Tool Of Mockery
By 8.5.13
Now that companies and brands have caught on to the fact that there are a bunch of people on Twitter that they can market to, users are increasingly being targeted by promoted tweets from those businesses. Maybe you don’t mind a few ads touting the benefits of such-and-such product or service, but an entire subculture on Twitter has had it up to here. Those users are turning against companies by turning their very own tweets against them. [More]
Chipotle Says It Faked Its Twitter Hack Attack As Part Of Some Kind Of Treasure Hunt
By 7.25.13
The only reason we can think of for Chipotle to stage that odd series of tweets over the weekend — making it appear that perhaps the account had been hacked by a mild-mannered fella or lady trying to make guacamole — is a bid for attention from the cool kids on Twitter. Because as it turns out, that’s exactly what the company is admitting, that it made it seem its Twitter account was hacked when really it was all about getting people to talk about it. [More]
Twitter Users Surprised To Learn Tweets They Didn’t Write Showed Up In Twitter Ad Promo
By 7.24.13
Remember back when Facebook got in mounds of trouble for swiping users’ profile photos and using them to market ads without their permission? Wouldn’t it be really silly for another company to repeat that mistake? Yes, yes it would [cough cough AHEM TWITTER]. While Twitter didn’t roll out any such ads on a widespread basis, it did apparently make up glowing Tweets about a company and attribute them to real Twitter users for a promotional blog about its new ad platform. Silly Twitter. [More]
Chipotle Just Grateful No One Sent Nude Pics During Odd Twitter Episode
By 7.22.13
“What is cilantro?” “Where is the avocado store?” “Do I have a tweet?” Those are very normal questions, but perhaps not the sort one might expect showing up on Chipotle’s official Twitter account. After a somewhat bizarre string of mini missives yesterday, the company says everything appears to be fine now. [More]
This Burger Map Of The U.S. Is Both Fascinating And Flawed
By 7.19.13
People love burgers. People love Twitter (maybe love is too strong a word; perhaps “tolerate”). People also like interesting maps. So why not combine the three into a map of the U.S. showing which burger joints are the subject of the most Tweets in towns around the nation? [More]
Twitter’s Mobile Update Will Keep You Safe From All The Naked People
By 7.18.13
Perhaps the reflex that causes you to clap your hands over your eyes when you see a naked body part is not so quick, but hush now, don’t worry – Twitter’s mobile version will keep your eyes pure. A new update for iOS and Android has a block in place that filters out questionable content inside of tweets, politely informing you before you view it that you might not want to see what’s coming next. [More]
Proof That Bank Of America’s Twitter Account Is Moderated By Robots Or Morons (Or Moronic Robots)
By 7.8.13 — Updated: 10.1.14
We started the day writing about a Twitter mistake from a company that got all-too-human in its attempt to be funny online. Now comes a story from the other end of the social media idiocy spectrum, with Bank of America’s Twitter ‘bots caught in a loop, confounded that someone would be Tweeting about BofA without actually being a BofA customer. [More]
Company Learns That Fat-Shaming People On Twitter Will Just Lead To Lots Of Apologizing On Twitter
By 7.8.13
As most of us have learned over the last half-decade, while Twitter and other forms of social media do give users the ability to freely and instantly broadcast a message to the world, they also do nothing to stop users from firing off messages that would have been best left unsent. Case in point: A postcard company that is now having to do the apology shuffle after a Tweet effectively telling overweight people to cover up this summer. [More]
Twitter Protects Global Economy, Introduces Two-Factor Authentication
By 5.23.13
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 5.22.13
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 5.20.13
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 5.3.13
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 4.25.13
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 4.24.13
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 4.23.13
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 4.23.13
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 4.18.13
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]
