In the Twitterverse, Republicans Are King

Staff / Truthdig Mar 5, 2010 They may be in the minority, but Republican members of Congress far outnumber Democrats on Twitter. They're also more active, tweeting about twice as often as Democratic lawmakers. House Republicans alone make up 50 percent of all tweeting members. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pentagon Frees Troops to Poke, Tweet and Lip-Sync to Lady Gaga

Staff / Truthdig Mar 1, 2010 The Department of Defense didn't have an official policy on what it calls "new/social media" -- until now. Starting immediately, DoD employees (including troops) are free to use most of the non-porn Web, from Facebook to YouTube, without worrying about a court-martial. The usual rules on national security still apply. (continued) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Tweeting War

Staff / Truthdig Feb 27, 2010 The U.S. military is allowing its troops access to social media websites, including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, after a review of Internet use and security. The ruling follows a Pentagon decision in 2007 to block those sites. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Unfriending Your Insurance Premiums

Staff / Truthdig Feb 20, 2010 A British insurance price comparison service is predicting that use of social media could eventually lead to increases in home insurance premiums. Membership on Twitter or Facebook could become just another variable in determining costs, based on fears that such sites let potential criminals know when a user is not at home. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Please Rob Me

Staff / Truthdig Feb 18, 2010 A Dutch developer has created a website called Please Rob Me that takes Twitter data and compiles a list of people who say they are away from home and at a restaurant or movie -- with geocoded information and the likelihood of an empty house being broadcast throughout the Internet. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Buzz’-Kill for Privacy Advocates

Staff / Truthdig Feb 13, 2010 Buzz, Google's answer to Twitter, is getting a lot of bad looks from privacy advocates. The service, which allows users to share short messages or "tweets" (buzzers?) with a network of friends, is faulted for an alleged invasion of privacy that uses e-mail data to automatically create a preconfigured friends list. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

‘Daily Show’: Bill Gates, Twitter-er

Staff / Truthdig Jan 27, 2010 Now that Bill Gates doesn't have to run one of the world's biggest companies, he has more time to devote to a few of his favorite causes including, say, trying to revamp the school system at home and fight hunger abroad -- you know, just hobby material. Here, he tells Jon Stewart about his post-Microsoft life, as well as how he learned to tweet just last week. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bill Gates Launches Online Diary

Staff / Truthdig Jan 21, 2010 Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates is getting into online sharing mode with the launch of his new Web diary, the Gates Notes, in which he holds forth about his various projects, plus sections called "What I'm Learning" and "Curious Classroom" -- plus travel videos! Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Studios to Stars: No Twitter for You

Staff / Truthdig Oct 20, 2009 There was a time when Hollywood studios kept their stables of stars on a short leash, keeping close watch over their public personas and even arranging their marriages. Actors at least appear to have more leeway these days, but some studios are requiring that they refrain from broadcasting the minutiae of their daily lives via social media like Facebook and Twitter. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pepsi Amps Up the Sexism with Pickup App

Staff / Truthdig Oct 15, 2009 PepsiCo Inc. ran into trouble trying to be all hip and stuff with an iPhone app aimed at young male consumers of Amp energy drink. It was bad enough that the app was built around the charming idea of bagging 24 different types of women -- and then posting the conquests online. Almost worse was the company's Twittered apology after reception of its "Amp Up Before You Score" app fell flat. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Want to Reach Moviegoers? Go Online

Staff / Truthdig Sep 30, 2009 It's official: Movie marketers can no longer afford to ignore social networking sites. This may strike some as a foregone conclusion (i.e., duh), but those in the industry who are still resisting the all-consuming pull of online vortexes like Facebook and Twitter are doing so at their own peril, according to the new "Moviegoers 2010" report. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Parents: Stalk Your Own Kids on Facebook

Staff / Truthdig Sep 8, 2009 Parents everywhere may feel as if they're losing their kids to the Internet, or more specifically, to those mysterious "social networking" time-suck sites like Facebook and Twitter. However, take it from the chirpy hosts of "today NOW!" -- The Onion's eerily realistic spoof on morning-show blather -- parents can also use these sites to their stalking advantage. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )