Design, Science and Technology

A staggering 500 million tweets are sent per day, and 80% of active users are on mobile.

Some 302 million people actively use Twitter—in myriad ways. Here are some stats about Twitter use around the globe, according to HubSpot.

While you may have learned the symbol for pound as a child, that sign (#) today is called a hashtag.  And in the world of Social Media, it turns any word or phrase into a searchable link.  It is used so that users on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google Plus can track and join discussions on topics based on hashtagged key words or phrases.

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know You Could Do With #Twitter Search

"Storytelling is an art that requires finesse, integrity and a touch of humility, and there is possibly no greater storyteller than filmmaker Steven Spielberg."

Read the full article to find out more about these 6 storytelling lessons from Spielberg:

Work with the right collaboratorsGet up close and personalKnow when to repurpose great storiesDelight in the processStory first, technique secondLearn from your mistakes

Is Twitter an effective marketing tool for brands? What sorts of challenges are businesses facing on Twitter? According to a recent survey conducted by SMMU, 40 percent of brands consider Twitter to be an effective marketing tool. Brands face a number of challenges (like building an audience, developing strong content, etc.) using Twitter as a social media marketing tool, with measuring Return-on-Investment being the greatest challenge.

 In addition, most brands have not used Twitter's paid services. In fact, some brands were unaware that they were available. Among Twitter features being used on a regular basis, Vine remains underutilized, despite the rise in popularity of video marketing. Check out this infographic for all the findings from the survey....

A recent study revealed that 99% of brands are on Twitter. Although small businesses may have paved the way for Twitter marketing success, the world's largest brands are adopting the platform a both a customer service and marketing tool at an increasing rate.

Twitter is a cultural phenomenon that has changed the way we communicate around the world. This infographic shows the literal journey of a tweet - from the initial tweet to the retweet and beyond.

This graph shows that a single tweet can cross social media channels in mere seconds. In this age of quick technology, people are getting information at such a rapid rate that it’s hard to keep up at times...

Check out the infographic for more interesting facts.

By Franck Ernewein, Tweetping is a map that shows where everyone in the whole world is tweeting from in real time.

Much like Poptip’s treatment of Twitter, you’re not really meant to follow it all. Country-by-country tickers do track the total tweets, words, and characters sent since you signed on, but hashtags and @-mentions flash for milliseconds, constantly replaced by a stream of data that can’t be paused for a moment, lest the system fall perpetually behind. Meanwhile, the geolocations of each tweet make their way to a world map as a glowing dot. As the tweets pile up, so do the dots, meaning the world transforms from prehistoric shadows to blindingly bright connectivity in a matter of minutes.

"Twitter is developing an ad format that will enable marketers to leverage your tweets in their brand campaigns. A source familiar with the matter tells..."

Are you using all available tools for your school's social media campaigns? Learn why and how you should effectively be using hashtags.

Learn more:

- http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?tag=Hashtags

- https://gustmees.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/how-to-use-twitter-with-success-for-education-and-more/

- https://gustmees.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/what-you-should-know-about-twitter-chats/

- http://www.scoop.it/t/social-media-and-its-influence/?tag=Twitter

The Twitter bio is one of the most overlooked features on Twitter (with lists). Many people think that no one looks at it anymore. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Every time I check a Twitter profile, the first thing I focus on is the bio. If I find it relevant to me, I will have then read some tweets, and peruse lists. 

Making a Twitter bio shine is not difficult. Aaron Lee has some great tips for us. My favorite is #4: including the username of your employer. 

Read the article at http://www.postplanner.com/awesome-twitter-bio-ideas-to-entice-followers/

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Cendrine Marrouat 

Social Media Ads Cheat Sheet: Image Sizes for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & More [INFOGRAPHIC]

Why do you follow brands on Twitter?

If you’re anything like 52 percent of consumers it’s to be notified of special offers and promotions, while 33 percent click “follow” on the hope that they’ll be getting some freebies.

30 percent expect access to exclusive content, while just two in five (38 percent) are current customers. This visual fromTwitter looks at 10 reasons why people follow brands on the social network.

H&M is rated as one of the world’s top 25 brands, so it’s a great candidate for one of our posts looking at how brands use the four main social networks.