Vine will stick around as a camera app
Twitter’s October announcement that it would be shutting down its popular Vine feature drew criticism from across the internet — and apparently that collective outrage worked. The company published a Medium post on Friday stating that while the Vine hosting service would still be going away, the ability to record and save six-second videos would not
You can now download your Vines on https://t.co/8uc7yWpE77 or through the iOS & Android apps. ✅ https://t.co/uCQpEVA0VK
— Vine (@vine) December 16, 2016
Beginning in January, users will be able to download Vine Camera — a pared down version of the previous app — for both iOS and Android. The new app will record six-second videos but, rather than post them on the Vine website, they’ll be saved to either the phone’s local storage or posted directly to Twitter. Vines that were posted to the Vine.co website before the October announcement will also be made available for download. What’s more, the company will also be making it easier for Vine creators to build their audience on Twitter (instead of, say, Giphy) through an upcoming “Follow on Twitter” notification.
Via: Vine (Twitter)
Source: Medium
Twitter Transitioning Vine to a Simpler ‘Vine Camera’ App
Twitter today announced that rather than shutting down the Vine app entirely as planned, it will be transitioned into a new app called “Vine Camera.”
Vine Camera will allow users to continue to make six-second looping videos that can then be saved to the iPhone’s camera roll or shared directly on Twitter. No other Vine features will remain.
The Vine app will also be updated with a new feature that makes it easier for Vine users to link accounts to transition from Vine to Twitter, with a tool for allowing Vine followers to follow Vine users on Twitter instead.
Existing Vine videos can be downloaded through the Vine app or the Vine website, and all Vines will continue to be available on the Vine.co site. Vines will be available for download through the app until the transition is made to Vine Camera.
Twitter first announced plans to shut down Vine back in October. Twitter allegedly entertained multiple purchase offers for Vine before deciding to create the Vine Camera app.
Tags: Twitter, Vine
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Twitter Testing Out iOS Redesign That Turns ‘Retweet’ Icon Into ‘Sharing’ Button
Twitter has confirmed to TechCrunch that the social network is performing a small scale test for some of its iOS users, changing the popular “retweet” icon into an new “share” button. “Retweet” and “quote tweet” are now simply options to pick from within the “share” menu.
Additionally, the arrow that currently indicates a prompt to reply to a tweet has been overhauled into a small speech bubble icon. The change to the reply button is purely cosmetic and doesn’t functionally alter how the feature works, but the “share” option is introducing a few new choices into the sub-menu.
In addition to the expected “retweet” and “quote tweet” buttons, when users click on “share,” they are discovering new “send by direct message” and “share tweet” options. Currently in the iOS Twitter app, send by direct message is a one-tap option below each tweet represented by a small envelope, which has now been removed.
“Share tweet” lets users spread a tweet to other platforms. In its current state on the iOS app, it can be found by tapping a small, easily missable down arrow in the top right corner of the screen, after clicking on the tweet to expand it and get more information. Both the current and potentially new options bring up Apple’s usual share card.
In its confirmation to TechCrunch, Twitter said that its purpose for the test is “to see how it changed behavior on the site,” seemingly hoping to make it easier for users to send links to friends and family members with the new share options, boosting engagement in the process.
“We’re testing new icons on Tweets to evaluate how this impacts the way that people use Twitter,” a spokesperson said in an email.
Another reason for the change is rumored to be Twitter’s acquiescence to “more established social media norms” that have been popularized by other social networks, with Twitter hoping that “share” is more recognizable and understandable by new users than Twitter-specific lingo like “retweet.” In the new tests, “retweet” still exists, it’s just buried under a newly named button. So if this part of Twitter’s decision is true, it’s still not clear why “retweet” would exist in any form within the app.
The new share button includes four options: retweet, quote tweet, send by direct message, and share tweet
This would also fall in line with the company’s decision to change “stars” and “favorites” to “likes” and “hearts,” two terms Facebook users are undoubtedly familiar with at this point. The move to a speech bubble from the curved “reply” arrow might also make it easier for new users to navigate the app, thanks to its similarity to app icons like iMessages. As with the sharing option, this has the potential to boost user engagement, which Twitter has been having trouble with this year.
It’s the same reason Twitter would change the reply arrow to a speech bubble: Twitter is looking for more understandable iconography, and having too many arrows was, again, confusing to anyone less familiar with Twitter beyond very regular, existing users. Having a speech bubble icon may also prove to remind people to react more frequently, boosting engagement — a key metric that Twitter, as an ad-based service, needs to grow (especially since user growth has largely been flat).
The details of how long the test might go on for were left unspecified, but one Twitter insider also mentioned that there are “a bunch” of tests being performed at the company, so it’s impossible to say which change will become a permanent mainstay for its users. Twitter has been rolling out updates to compete with the growing popularity of Snapchat and Instagram, most recently adding in live video to its mobile apps earlier this week.
Tag: Twitter
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Twitter won’t share tweets with law enforcement data hubs
Twitter is still determined to avoid facilitating mass surveillance by spies and law enforcement. The company has told Dataminr, a firm it partly owns, to stop sharing tweets with the 77 law enforcement fusion centers (that is, data hubs where agencies share info and make connections) in the US. This doesn’t prevent police from sifting through Twitter posts, but it certainly makes their work harder. The centers won’t have ready access to “billions” of tweets they can pass on to the federal government for spying purposes, according to the ACLU.
This doesn’t mean that Dataminr is without government business. Rather, it’s emphasizing a “focused” service that delivers breaking news to first responders, including police. The move should help with emergencies while preventing easy user profiling, geospatial analysis (say, where protesters are operating) and other forms of monitoring. Twitter and Dataminr aren’t flouting the law, then. They just don’t want to contribute to attempts to discourage free speech, whether it’s a protest on the street or journalists who challenge political leaders.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: ACLU
Twitter built and cancelled a messaging app
For years, it’s been rumored that Twitter is working on a standalone messaging app. Direct Messages, or DMs, are certainly popular with some of the service’s most dedicated users. According to BuzzFeed News, a messenger app was in development as recently as September — but its form was a little different than you might expect. It packaged tweets and new “instant messages” around particular topics — a news story or a football team, for instance — which were set by chosen “influencers.” They were threads, essentially, similar to Reddit or Slack where groups could chat.
The spin-off messaging service was designed by Twitter’s Indian engineering center in Bengaluru. It was meant to be a lighter, newcomer-friendly version of the social network for users in emerging markets. The hope was that they would see the tweets and the valuable discussions they spawned. They would then be encouraged to dive into Twitter proper, following the accounts that they had appreciated in the messaging app.
“Look, as a product, Twitter isn’t easy to figure out for most people,” an unnamed source who reportedly worked on the app said. “Everyone around us was hooked to WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, and I think internally, there was some concern about how much people were engaging with those platforms versus ours. Instant messaging seemed like a natural choice to build something around.”
BuzzFeed News says the app was shelved in September after poor user testing. “It didn’t test out so well in the market surveys that we did with college students,” the source said. The team was let go a few weeks laters, ahead of a larger, global round of layoffs affecting roughly 350 people.
The app’s failure comes with a silver lining: Twitter is aware of the interest in Direct Messages, and the role instant messaging could play in its service. There’s no guarantee that it will ever materialize in a standalone app, however. Twitter has announced its plans to shutter Vine, a creative six-second video-sharing platform. Periscope’s broadcasting functionality is now baked into the main Twitter app, putting its future as a standalone service in doubt. It would seem that Twitter wants fewer apps, not more, in order to focus its business and product strategies. For now, the dream of a dedicated DM app seems to be just that — a dream. Sorry, Twitter fans.
Source: BuzzFeed News
Twitter for iOS Integrates Live Video Functionality Powered by Periscope
Twitter today will begin rolling out a new update for its iOS and Android apps centered around the introduction of a full-featured live video client within the social networking app (via The Verge). The live video functionality is “powered by Periscope,” but doesn’t require users to have downloaded that app separately.
The new update is an expansion of the “Go Live” Periscope button Twitter introduced to a small group of users over the summer, but is now more deeply integrated into Twitter. For example, new broadcasts will appear on followers’ timelines, and users will be able to tap to join, and then send comments and hearts. To initiate a broadcast, users must navigate to compose a tweet, tap the camera icon, tap the Periscope “Live” button, and begin the live video.
Periscope was bought by Twitter in early 2015, and the former app had a well-publicized debut year, ending up as Apple’s App of the Year in the Best of 2015 charts last December. The service has slowly tapered off in popularity ever since, leading to Twitter’s slow integration of Periscope into the main Twitter app this year. Still, Periscope told The Verge that the dedicated live-streaming app will continue to exist and be updated.
Periscope says the app will continue to be developed. “We are fully invested in the Periscope app,” said Sara Haider, senior engineering manager at Periscope. She noted that not all Periscope users regularly use Twitter.
Twitter’s hopes for live streaming have expanded beyond mobile as well, with the company introducing a live video-focused Apple TV app this past September.
Facebook began heavily integrating live video into its mobile app in 2016 as well, and even launched a specific marketing campaign aimed at promoting it. In related live video news, Instagram just this week expanded live video to all U.S. users, YouTube for iOS added the feature, the creators of the now-dead Vine app announced a live-streaming app, and an all-new service called “Live.ly” breached the top of the Top Free iPhone Apps chart this summer.
Tags: Twitter, Periscope
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You can now livestream directly from Twitter’s mobile apps
The line between Twitter and its livestreaming service, Periscope, is beginning to fade. Starting today, anyone can broadcast by hitting the compose tweet button inside Twitter’s iOS and Android apps, followed by the “Live” button. Instead of being bounced to the Periscope app, however, you’ll now start start a livestream immediately. The functionality is still “powered by Periscope,” and indeed the experience is mostly the same as before — you write a quick caption before you go live, and then registered users can leave hearts and comments while you stream. Is this a direct reaction to Facebook Live’s growing popularity? Almost certainly.
Periscope as a self-contained service won’t be disappearing anytime soon, however. “Our apps and web player on periscope.tv remain the best place to search and discover Periscope content,” the team said in a blog post. While that may be true, the reasons for downloading and using the Periscope app are now greatly reduced. All but the most diehard Periscope fans will be better served by the Twitter app, streaming from the compose interface and watching the broadcasts that pop up in their feed.
For Twitter, it’s an opportunity to reinforce video and livestreaming as a fundamental part of its service. The company has inked a few broadcasting deals, spanning the NFL, Wimbledon tennis and the US Presidential debates, but much of its value comes from user-submitted contributions. That’s what makes it such a valuable tool for activism, citizen journalism and general public debate. The rise of Facebook Live threatens to erode that utility, while publishers, celebrities and brands hunt for larger audiences. Twitter and Periscope’s fusion was inevitable — the question is how long the company keeps the latter around as a standalone entity.
We all saw what happened to Vine.
Tech workers unite against a potential US Muslim registry
Employees from large organizations across the technology industry have pledged to never help build a government database targeting individuals by race, religion or national origin, in response to extreme immigration proposals from US President-elect Donald Trump. The signatories come from companies including Google, IBM, Twitter, Mozilla and NVIDIA, though they don’t represent the organizations themselves.
“We are choosing to stand in solidarity with Muslim Americans, immigrants, and all people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the incoming administration’s proposed data collection policies,” the pledge reads. “We refuse to build a database of people based on their Constitutionally protected religious beliefs. We refuse to facilitate mass deportations of people the government believes to be undesirable.”
The commitment, which resides at neveragain.tech, explains that tech workers are the gatekeepers of “data about people.” It recognizes technology’s role in aiding catastrophic human rights abuses in the past, specifically mentioning IBM’s work with Nazi Germany during World War II. The pledge includes a commitment to engage in whistleblowing, if necessary, and to advocate for the responsible use of data outside of the tech industry.
Trump has toyed with the idea of establishing a national database of all Muslims and said he plans to deport millions of illegal immigrants. It’s already clear that Trump’s proposed immigration policies would be detrimental for the US technology industry, but the neveragain.tech pledge looks beyond the workforce.
“We recognize that mass deportations precipitated the very atrocity the word genocide was created to describe: the murder of 1.5 million Armenians in Turkey,” the pledge reads. “We acknowledge that genocides are not merely a relic of the distant past— among others, Tutsi Rwandans and Bosnian Muslims have been victims in our lifetimes. Today we stand together to say: not on our watch, and never again.”
Source: neveragain.tech
Watch Twitter’s CEO interview Edward Snowden at 12PM ET
The world’s most famous whistleblower, Edward Snowden, will be interviewed by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in less than an hour. Those of you who are interested in watching can do so live via the Pardon Snowden Twitter account, and you can also participate by submitting your own questions using the hashtag #AskSnowden. There are no details on what the conversation will be about, but chances are we’ll hear something related to Russia “hacking” the US Presidential election and other things of that nature. Tune in at 12:05PM ET.
We’ll be live streaming a Q&A between @Snowden & @Jack TODAY at 12:05pm EST! Tune in here and submit your questions now using #AskSnowden
— Pardon Snowden (@PardonSnowden) December 13, 2016
Source: Pardon Snowden (Twitter)
Netflix got weird on Twitter and Instagram for its new show
The latest Netflix original series is The OA, a mysterious eight-part show that comes out, in full, on December 16th. Its tagline is “trust the unknown” and Netflix is apparently taking this advice to heart: The streaming company tweeted a handful of cryptic messages this morning, including the questions, “Have you seen death?” and “Have you seen darkness?” before sharing what appeared to be a cell phone video of a woman jumping off a bridge.
It’s all fictional, of course, but the videos themselves are haunting. A handful of folks responded to the tweets with shock and disappointment. “Please delete this,” wrote one viewer. “Some of us have actually dealt with suicide in real life and don’t need to be reminded of this.” Other viewers defended the videos as a valid marketing strategy.
pic.twitter.com/0mHpjjeuvQ
— Netflix US (@netflix) December 12, 2016
The strangeness didn’t end on Twitter. Netflix set up an Instagram campaign for The OA as well, featuring multi-image posters and videos that ask more questions than they answer.
All of this culminated with the series’ first trailer: The OA focuses on a young woman who was missing for seven years — she was blind when she disappeared, but when she’s found, she’s able to see. She also remembers everything that happened to her, and a lot of it looks super strange.
The teaser images and videos have a supernatural vibe, featuring something called the Empire of Light and a large machine that encases a person’s head while sensors dangle from their limbs and chest. The OA comes from Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, the filmmakers behind the 2011 psychological thriller Sound of My Voice. According to the trailer’s YouTube description, The OA is a “powerful, mind-bending tale about identity, human connection and the borders between life and death.” Despite its title similarities, it’s safe to say The OA will be nothing like The OC, at least.
Source: Netflix
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