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'''Twitter, Inc.''' is a social networking tool that has rapidly emerged as a new medium of online [[news]] distribution. The free microblogging [[website]], where users can submit messages containing 140 characters or less to their followers, was co-founded by [[Jack Dorsey]] and Evan Williams. ''Twitter'' is a privately funded startup established by Obvious.com in [[San Francisco]], on March 21, 2006. <ref>[http://mashable.com/2009/03/21/happy-birthday-twitter/ Happy Birthday Twitter!] Mashable</ref> <ref>[http://cellphones.about.com/od/textmessaging/a/twittertexting.htm Twitter: Free Microblogging Service Perhaps the Perfect Mobile Blogging Tool, About.com, August 16, 2008]</ref>

The Twitter [[API]] allows developers to create applications for computers and mobile phones that allow users to filter their twitter Twitter feed, as well as track click-through rates, manage multiple accounts, or log-in to a website using their Twitter login.

Per 2011 figures, they are a fast growing company with over 200 million registered users worldwide, with an average of 65 million tweets daily. <ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748703716904576134543029279426-lMyQjAxMTAxMDAwOTEwNDkyWj.html Twitter as Tech Bubble Barometer, Wall Street Journal, February 10, 2011]</ref> As of 2009, the major search engines integrated tweets into the search results. Twitter achieved its first profits by signing search engine contracts with Google and [[Bing]]. <ref>[http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2009/tc20091220_549879.htm Content-Search Deals Make Twitter Profitable, BusinessWeek, December 21, 2009]</ref> The company has an enormous market capitalization of 10-15 billion dollars. Twitter has rejected takeover offers worth hundreds of millions of dollars from [[Google]] and [[Facebook]].

The site is such a popular destination that new news articles about Twitter appear daily. In fact, one tweet by Daniel Knight Hayden, 52, which stated that he would massacre hundreds attending an Oklahoma City [[Tax Day Tea Party]] led to him being arrested by the FBI. <ref>[http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10227769-93.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0 FBI accuses Twitter user of massacre threats] CNet, April 26, 2009</ref> Tweets of popular celebrities and politicians have also been commented on in the [[mainstream media]].

Thus far, Republicans have been more adept at utilizing Twitter than Democrats. Republicans occupy 18 of the top 20 spots in terms of followers for politicians on Twitter as of January 2010. <ref>[http://newsbusters.org/blogs/lachlan-markay/2010/01/14/study-twitter-republicans-dominate-dems Study: On Twitter, Republicans Dominate Dems, NewsBusters.org, January 14, 2010]</ref> The study, "Twongress: The Power of Twitter in Congress," <ref>[http://www.eyeonfda.com/files/twongress-white-paper-final-1-14-10.pdf Twongress: The Power of Twitter in Congress (PDF), Eyeonfda.com, January 2010]</ref> showed twice as many Republicans use Twitter even though there were far fewer Republicans in Congress at the time. ''"Republican (members of Congress) are outpacing their Democratic rivals in nearly every single category that was measured"'' <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/01/15/republicans-gain-twitter-edge-democrats-study/?test=latestnews Republicans Gain the Twitter Edge on Democrats, Study Shows, Fox News, January 15, 2010]</ref> This has ushered a markedly different trend for Republicans, who for years have been outmatched by Democrats online.

Conservatives dominate on Twitter. <ref>[http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/07/22/conservatives-won-2010-twitter-battle/27982.html Conservatives Won 2010 Twitter Battle, PsychCentral, July 22, 2011]</ref> Some observers claim that liberals, who use wordy statements, have a hard time explaining themselves in 140 characters but it is to a conservative's advantage to articulate short and concise messages. Conservative words and phrases constantly make the top trending hashtags. As such, [[liberal tools]] are employed such as false flagging an account in large numbers. <ref>[http://www.examiner.com/article/report-angry-liberals-abusing-twitter-features-to-silence-conservatives, Report: Angry liberals abusing Twitter features to silence conservatives, Examiner.com, April 30, 2012]{{dead link}}</ref> <ref>[http://www.stumpreport.com/990911-twitter-bans-another-conservative-account Twitter Bans Conservative Account, The Stump Report, August 10, 2011]</ref> This results in the banning of popular conservatives, commonly referred to as Twitter's Gulag.

Conservative dominance is especially troubling for the campaign of [[Barack Obama]]. The Obama campaign loves to take full advantage of social networking to get their message out to the masses. Nearly every time Team Obama promotes a hashtag, such as #dontdoublemyrate, conservatives hijack the message. <ref>[http://www.theblaze.com/stories/gen44-conservatives-usurp-obamas-twitter-hashtag-again/ #GEN44: CONSERVATIVES USURP OBAMA’S TWITTER HASHTAG…AGAIN, The Blaze, March 25, 2012]</ref> A quick search would result in thousands of satirical responding tweets drowning out the Obama campaign's message with mockery.

In a separate incident, a group calling itself Iranian Cyber Army hacked into Twitter and defaced their homepage. They replaced the page with a bold pro-Iranian and anti-American message. <ref>[http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/12/18/twitter-dns-attack-iran/ Twitter Hack: Part Of Broader Iranian Strategy, Techcrunch.com, December 18, 2009]</ref>

== See Also also ==

== External Links links ==

[[Category:Online social networkingSocial Networking]]