The rapper went on the Joy Daily Show to express his regret over posting tweets last week that indicated he was suicidal. On Saturday, Bow Wow had tweeted, “I swear i be wishing I was dead sometimes. Because i feel like that’s the only way ill (sic) get peace.”

Soon after, Bow Wow admitted fault in the situation, telling Daily, “Twitter is not a diary.”

Bow Wow recommended that other stars keep their private lives private, suggesting options other than unloading on Twitter. “Hold your emotions, punch a wall,” he said. “Have a drink.”

Despite his minor Twitter meltdown, Bow Wow hopes to better contain his emotions in the future. “We’re still artists at the end of the day and there’s a lot of things you’ve got to keep secret.”

Originally reported by PopEater.com. Read the original article here.

Bow Wow: ‘Twitter Is Not a Diary" | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

George W. Bush sat down with Matt Lauer for an interview surrounding the release of his presidential memoir ‘Decision Points,’ and yes, Kanye West‘s “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” remark came up.

“It was one of the most disgusting moments in my presidency,” Bush tells Lauer.

“That means ‘he’s a racist,’” Bush says of West’s comment. “And I didn’t appreciate it then. I don’t appreciate it now. It’s one thing to say, ‘I don’t appreciate the way he’s handled his business.’ It’s another thing to say, ‘This man’s a racist.’ I resent it, it’s not true.”

In the book, W. writes that Kanye’s televised remark “represented an all-time low.”

Lauer then read the Kanye passage from Bush’s memoir in the interview, and the former president commented: “Yeah. I still feel that way as you read those words. I felt ‘em when I heard ‘em, felt ‘em when I wrote ‘em and I felt ‘em when I’m listening to ‘em.”

At the time, in 2005, Bush was hard-pressed to think of a worse moment of his time in office, and told his wife Laura the same. “My record was strong, I felt, when it came to race relations and giving people a chance. And it was a disgusting moment.”

Lauer went on to assert — leading the way for media headlines proliferating as this is written — that Bush definitively considers West’s diss as the toughest moment in his eight-year presidency. “You’re not saying that the worst moment in your presidency was watching the misery in Louisiana. You’re saying it was when someone insulted you because of that,” Lauer grills.

Bush’s response? “No, and I also make it clear that the misery in Louisiana affected me deeply as well. There’s a lot of tough moments in the book. And it was a disgusting moment, pure and simple.”

Kanye has not commented, unless this new tweet means something:

The full interview will air on NBC on Nov. 8 at 8PM.

Originally reported by PopEater.com. Read the original article here.

George Bush Reflects on Kanye West’s ‘Racist’ Remark | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

CINCINNATI – A message on Terrell Owens’ Twitter feed Sunday violated the NFL’s rules against using social media before games.

A post on his Twitter account noted that a fan wearing his jersey at the Bengals’ game against Tampa Bay would get a football signed by him and Chad Ochocinco. The message was posted an hour before kickoff, violating the NFL’s social media policy that prohibits posts 90 minutes before a game.

Owens was on the field shortly after the message was posted on his Twitter account.

“A lucky fan wearing my jersey 2day will get a signed football by Me & Ocho Cinco! My asst will pick U out!! Good luck!” the message said.

Even if someone else posted it on his account, it would violate the NFL’s restrictions on players and coaches using social media before, during and after games.

An NFL spokesman didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Ochocinco was fined $25,000 by the league for tweeting before and during a preseason game against Philadelphia in August. He was the first player fined for violating the year-old policy.

Ochocinco apologized after his violation and promised the league he wouldn’t do it again. He has kept his word, respecting the NFL’s time frame for tweeting. Several hours before the kickoff on Sunday — well within NFL guidelines — Ochocinco tweeted about his pet pigeon and a few other topics.

“Man watching the morning news n something always is going on wrong in the world, will there ever b a 24 hr problem free day?” Ochocinco tweeted.

TO’s tweet violates NFL’s rules (AP) | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Gregg will report on pop culture news using Twitter (@mtvtj), Facebook, blogs and MTV’s website.

Gregg is the founder of the fashion blog Young, Fat and Fabulous.

Originally reported by FOX News Chicago. Read the original article here.

The New Face of Social Media: MTV’s TJ | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Gregg won the position Sunday night after a nationwide vote.

The TJ position is the updated version of the network’s VJ job, and Gregg will report on pop culture news using Twitter, Facebook, blogs and MTV’s website.

Gregg graduated from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts in 2008, where she studied international relations and African-American studies. Gregg is the founder of the fashion blog Young, Fat and Fabulous.

She was raised in Detroit and lives in Chicago.

___

Online:

http://tj.mtv.com

MTV selects its first-ever Twitter jockey | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

How does the US military‘s public relations combat the release of 91,000 gruesome war logs from Afghanistan through the Wikileaks website? By opening a new front on the social media battleground.

Generals are often accused of fighting the last war – but not Admiral Mike Mullen, the most senior US military officer as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Mullen today made his first public response to the war logs leak – and instead of holding a press conference or releasing a statement, Mullen made his views known in 140 characters through Twitter.

Posting as @thejointstaff, Mullen wrote:

Appalled by classified docs leak to Wikileaks & decision to post. It changes nothing on Afghanistan strategy or our relationship w/Pakistan

Mullen was travelling in Afghanistan when the news of the war logs – carried in the Guardian, New York Times and Der Spiegel – first came to light. Shortly after tweeting his thoughts Mullen held a more conventional press conference in Baghdad.

Mullen’s tweet came as President Obama made his first comment on the controversy, although Obama used the comparatively elderly format of a statement in the White House Rose Garden. “These documents don’t reveal any issues that haven’t already informed our public debate on Afghanistan,” Obama said.

US military combats Wikileaks via Twitter | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

(CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM) — Twitter this week began testing a new type of advertising: “Promoted Trends.” Under the new system, brands can pay to appear below the “Trending Topics,” the most talked-about terms on Twitter at any given moment.

The idea is, in a word, ingenious — the perfect way to generate revenue from the popular social network without infuriating users.

The threat of in-stream ads

It’s no secret that Web users dislike ads. Why shouldn’t they? Offline ads are all too often distracting and interruptive — from TV advertising at 10-minute intervals to magazines that seem to carry as many ads as articles. Such commercial interruption is often tolerated but rarely is it welcomed.

When rumors first surfaced of Twitter’s plans to make money, there was talk of putting ads into the streams of Tweets — a repeat performance of the annoying, interruption-based advertising we’re used to on TV, radio and in magazines. It’s hard to imagine users reacting positively to a Coca-Cola ad inserted between personal updates from friends.

But this gruesome rumor has yet to transpire — Twitter is in fact blocking this type of advertising, while embracing new ad formats dubbed “Promoted Tweets” and “Promoted Trends.” It’s a smart plan that seems unlikely to irk Twitter addicts.

Banning ads in streams

Twitter recently banned “in-stream” advertising — a move that received mixed reactions. While the restriction does prevent Twitter search results from becoming littered with paid advertisements, it also threatens a handful of third-party services that pay users to place ads in their streams.

Ad networks such as Ad.ly and Sponsored Tweets say they’re getting around the new rules by allowing users to copy and paste commercial messages, although this workaround does appear to bypass the true spirit of the so-called “ban.” And while Twitter says the rules aim to preserve “the integrity and relevance of the timeline,” its critics argue that Twitter is simply killing off the competition to its new ad offerings.

The in-stream ads blockade provided ammunition, too, to those who say Twitter is hobbling its valuable ecosystem of third-party developers. Those who build Twitter-powered applications for the iPhone, Google’s Android OS and other mobile platforms have recently seen their efforts challenged by Twitter itself, which is buying or building “official” Twitter apps for each platform.

Promoted tweets and trends

To the relief of some users, Twitter is not competing head-on with in-stream advertising networks, however. Instead, its Promoted Tweets appear in search results — search for “Toy Story 3″ and the top Tweet is a message from @DisneyPixar. This, I think, is a better solution to Twitter’s revenue problem: You’ll see ads only when you’re searching for a relevant term.

A second element of the Promoted Tweets system emerged this week. Disney has additionally purchased a Promoted Trend on the service, meaning that “Toy Story 3″ appears beneath the most-discussed topics on the site. This too is smart: Brands long to be a part of the conversation, and Promoted Trends create buzz around a product or service without vexing the user.

Room for improvement

Twitter’s new ads aren’t beyond criticism. For instance, the current system provides few opportunities for small businesses — Promoted Trends are said to cost “tens of thousands” of dollars, putting them out of reach for all but the biggest brands. Promoted Tweets, meanwhile, have yet to become available to the so-called “Long Tail” of small and medium-size businesses.

The problem is easily rectified: Search ads could be sold in a marketplace akin to Google AdWords, where bids are made against specific search terms. And the Trending Topic ads would carry less of a premium if they were available on a local level — buying buzz in a single city rather than around the globe.

A tentative success

The bottom line is this: Twitter has introduced ads, and there’s not the faintest sign of a backlash. No calls to jump ship to Facebook or other rivals. No threat of a unified uprising. No “#down-with-ads” hashtag among Twitter’s Trending Topics.

That, I think, is an accomplishment: Twitter may find itself able to serve its advertisers without exasperating its users.

Why Twitter’s new ads are ingenious | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel has banned Blagojevich from tweeting from the courtroom.

The technologically challenged ex-governor joined Twitter earlier this month, but most of his 140-character messages seem to be written by his publicist. Blagojevich didn’t even know how to send a text message or open a Word file on the “Celebrity Apprentice” when it was filmed last year.

The ex-governor will be allowed to continue speaking with the media and appearing on radio programs during the trial — at his own peril.

Zagel told Blagojevich his sound bites, quips and “repeated public statements” to the cameras could be used against him if he testifies during the trial.

“I’m quite sure it has been explained by his attorneys,” Zagel said.

Read the original article from Stateline.org.

IL: Judge bans Blago from tweeting from the courtroom | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

The award recognized COT’s social media efforts in the summer of 2009, including the launch of @explorechicago, the city’s Twitter concierge service; two new Flash games on www.ExploreChicago.org, the City’s official tourism website; the Life by the Lake series of Flickr photo journals; Explore Chicago Facebook page and more.

“We are proud to be recognized as an innovator in utilizing social media to effectively market Chicago around the globe,” said Office of Tourism Director Dorothy Coyle. “These emerging technologies are especially important because they allow us to showcase Chicago’s unique assets, including our vibrant neighborhoods and cultural traditions, at a minimal cost, while also providing a highly personalized level of service to visitors and residents alike.”

Most recently, COT has launched a new partnership with Foursquare, the location-based, social networking application for mobile phones. COT is the first tourism office to use Foursquare to promote citywide neighborhoods, restaurants and attractions.

About the Communicator Awards

The Communicator Awards are judged and overseen by the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA), a 550+ member organization of leading professionals from various disciplines of the visual arts dedicated to embracing progress and the evolving nature of traditional and interactive media. Current IAVA membership represents a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms including: Condè Nast, Coach, Disney, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Estee Lauder, HBO, Keller Crescent, Monster.com, MTV, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Tribal DDB, Victoria’s Secret, Wired, Yahoo!, and many others. See www.iavisarts.org for more information.

About the Chicago Office of Tourism

The Chicago Office of Tourism, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, is the official City agency dedicated to promoting Chicago to domestic and international visitors and to providing innovative visitor programs and services.

Visitors and Chicagoans planning to entertain out-of-town guests can receive Chicago brochures, reserve hotel accommodations and receive trip-planning assistance by calling toll-free 1.877.CHICAGO (1.877.244.2246), or visiting www.explorechicago.org.  Brochures and information on Chicago’s exciting events and activities are also available at the Visitor Information Centers. The centers are located at Chicago Water Works, 163 East Pearson Street at Michigan Avenue and the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 East Randolph Street.

International Academy of the Visual Arts Honors Chicago with a 2010 Communicator Award of Excellence for Marketing Effectiveness | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

“We’re testing the ‘You both follow’ feature (in the profile sidebar),” Kallen wrote. “Only 10 percent of people have it for now.”

Basically, this feature (if it ever takes off–loads of test features on social-media sites never see a full launch) will let you see, on a random Twitter user’s profile, whether there are any Twitter accounts that both of you follow.

If you follow lots of people or companies or news outlets in common, presumably you might have something in common with that user as well and might want to follow him or her in turn.

Or more likely you’ll be exposed to fellow closet Ashton Kutcher stalkers.

The announcement of a relatively small feature like this is likely to set off speculation about Twitter and Facebook going head-to-head once again, considering the feature’s resemblance to Facebook’s longstanding “friends in common” feature, but it’s more likely designed as one of a series of minor upgrades to the Twitter.com interface.

Critics say that Twitter’s own website lags behind the experience of many of the third-party clients developed for the service, something that Twitter is now addressing with acquisitions and new developments.

The test on a small portion of Twitter’s user base will likely give the company an indication of whether it actually does much of anything to build follower counts and user engagement.

Twitter feature shows fellow ‘Ashton-stalkers’ | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

NEW ORLEANS – All-Pro safety Darren Sharper is returning to New Orleans for a chance to repeat as Super Bowl champion in 2010.

“He’s real motivated to win another Super Bowl,” said Sharper’s agent, Joel Segal. “It’s rare to have that opportunity and he’s very excited.”

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis also confirmed in an e-mail that Sharper had agreed to terms for one more season. He did not disclose financial terms.

The 34-year-old Sharper intercepted nine passes last season, returning three for touchdowns, and helped the Saints win their first Super Bowl. His total of 376 interception return yards set new NFL single-season high, breaking the mark of 358 yards set by Baltimore’s Ed Reed in 2004. Sharper leads all active NFL players in interceptions with 63, a career total that places him in a tie with Ronnie Lott for sixth on the all-time list. His 11 career interception returns for TDs ranks second to Rod Woodson’s 12. Sharper’s 1,412 career interception return yards ranks second to Woodson’s 1,483.

Sharper was hoping for a multiple year deal, but his negotiating position appeared to weaken when he had minor arthroscopic surgery after the Super Bowl to alleviate swelling in his left knee that bothered him intermittently during the second half of the season.

He talked with other clubs, including Jacksonville last week, before deciding on Monday to remain in New Orleans, where he made several offseason appearances to soak in post-Super Bowl celebrations.

“We have said since the end of the season that we would love to have Darren back in a Saints uniform for 2010 and I’m glad we’ve been able to make that happen,” Loomis said. “Darren was an integral part of our Super Bowl-winning team and we look forward to having him back.”

Soon after agreeing to terms, Sharper posted a note on his Twitter account, reading: “To the entire WHO-DAT Nation, guess what? I’M BAACKK!”

Sharper will be entering his 14th season out of William & Mary. He spent his first eight NFL season with Green Bay, which drafted him in the second round in 1997. He then played four seasons at Minnesota before joining New Orleans last season.

The agreement represented a fresh dose of good news for the Saints, who for the past few days have been dealing with the fallout from a civil lawsuit alleging the team covered up the theft of Vicodin prescription pills by a senior staff member at the team’s training headquarters.

The Saints have denied those allegations, but the Drug Enforcement Administration confirmed to The CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM on Sunday night that the agency was aware of the allegations and that an investigation was pending.

The civil suit, seeking damages and back pay, was filed by a former security director who claims he was compelled to resign because of the team’s handling of the Vicodin episode.

Agent: Safety Darren Sharper returning to Saints (AP) | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Much like the prominent ad results from Google AdWords, Microsoft AdCenter, and Yahoo Sponsored Search, which typically land at the top and to the right of the users’ natural search results, Promoted Tweets will also resemble natural tweets and will appear at the top of the Twitter search results.  Much like the above-mentioned advertising platforms, Twitter too will display the fact that these results are paid for by advertisers. To further cement the similarity, Twitter advertisers will also bid on keywords that will trigger the display of their Promoted Tweets.  Perhaps what Twitter’s Biz Stone is referring to as “non-traditional” is the real-time relevancy and engaging nature of these Promoted Tweets.  Additionally, all Promoted Tweets are actually organic tweets, but due to the advertiser’s keyword bidding and real-time relevancy, they will also appear on related searches.

Promoted Tweets, unlike many sponsored ads on search engines’ results pages, will or should have a more interactive and casual feel in order to be effective for the advertiser.  Businesses can best use this tool to endorse a brief sale, promotion, or event that either people are tweeting about directly, or can be easily related to topics people are tweeting about.  The format will resemble regular tweets, and will therefore be dramatically different from “typical” advertising layouts; Promoted Tweets will more closely resemble a conversation among friends than an advertisement, or at least that is Twitter’s intention.  When a user sees these ads, they will have the ability to respond in the same manner that they do with all other tweets: they can retweet, reply, or follow the promoter.

For interested advertisers, signing up will initially be limited until Twitter smoothes out all kinks in the new platform.  After that time, it will become easier for companies to sign up and get tweeting.  In the meantime, advertisers and SEO agencies should begin to brainstorm about potential topics and events that might be a good starting point for Promoted Tweets, as well as catchy, conversational, and tweet-friendly creative.

Contributed by Amanda Finch, VP Operations, Titan SEO, Inc.

SOURCE Titan SEO, Inc.

http://www.titan-seo.com

Promoted Tweets: Titan SEO’s Take on Twitter’s New Advertising Platform | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

When you’re done with that, look at your friends’ profiles and see what they’re up to. Oh, a friend just logged in, too, so now you can chat.

What, it’s been two hours since you logged on? How did the time pass so quickly? You should get back to work.

And this is why some employers have banned social media sites — as well as other potential time wasters — from the office. The only problem is that social media aren’t a fad. Certain sites might have come and gone over the past five years, but the movement toward interactive communities continues, and companies are active participants.

In fact, having social media skills on your résumé is a boon right now, when many of today’s employers haven’t ever logged on to Facebook or Twitter and don’t understand what these sites do.

The case against social media

Few employers would argue that social networks are inherently bad, but what makes the sites great (freedom to post what’s on your mind, discuss the day’s hot topics, post silly pictures) is also what makes the sites dangerous for a company. Consider these findings from a 2009 survey on policies and data loss risks from Proofpoint Inc.:

• 17 percent of companies report that they have investigated the posting of confidential, sensitive or private information to a social network, such as Facebook or LinkedIn.
• 10 percent have taken disciplinary actions against an employee who violated social networking policies in the past 12 months.
• 8 percent terminated an employee for violating a social networking policy.
• 45 percent are highly concerned about unauthorized information being posted on social networks.

Even the most ardent Facebooker can see that employers have reason to be concerned about security breaches. Factor in the issue of wasting time and you have a viable threat to productivity. Or is it all sound and fury?

Dona Hall works in a commercial real-estate firm where Facebook and MySpace are banned from any computer connected to the network. Sites for shopping and watching sports are also restricted. Yet, Hall points out that employees could use a smart phone to connect to any of these sites and the company couldn’t stop them. She says she thinks that doing so wouldn’t address the problem, however.

“As a manager, the focus needs to be on tasked results and productivity, not merely taking the toys away and hoping they don’t find something else with which to play,” Hall says.

Site forbidden

Nan York works for a corporation that has blocked several Web sites, including Facebook, and her work experience is worse as a result.

“I am not more productive for it. I worked hard for my employer before the ban, and appreciated having something I really enjoyed doing in my few minutes of break from my work,” York says. “I am a grown-up and take my grown-up responsibilities very seriously — from paying my bills to doing my work. I don’t need stodgy, out-of-touch corporate drones to censure me.”

For York, the situation is an issue of trust, or lack thereof, by her bosses.

“They don’t trust their work force to differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate media in the workplace, or to do work when on the job,” she says.

Book Masters Distribution has found one solution, says marketing coordinator Kim Swanstrom. The company has blocked all social networking sites, as well as streaming media and other potentially objectionable or harmful pages.

“As I do understand the importance, it does become extremely annoying when I am researching things and am constantly being blocked,” Swanstrom says. “We try to keep up with what is being said about our books and our company on social networking sites. Our solution has been to set up a community computer in plain sight that has no restrictions.”

Other organizations, such as the Patrick Hoover Law Offices, use social media for their businesses. At Hoover Law, employees and interns are encouraged to access and utilize social media as they see fit because it can help the business. Facebook has been successful in getting new clients and publicity for the firm. Plus, the organization can tout its tech-savvy approach to business, not to mention the effect that access to social media has on employee morale.

Obviously, companies haven’t formed a uniform stance on social media, and based on their varying experiences, a single approach might not be the best way to handle it. If Facebook can benefit your company, why would you ban it? If employees are wasting time and bandwidth, does it make sense to allow it?

Ultimately employees’ best chance of avoiding this battle is to keep the social networking to a minimum while on the clock. Don’t give the boss a reason to dislike social media and you won’t have to resort to crouching under your desk to check Facebook on your iPhone.

Read the original article from CNN Technology.

Social media at work — ban or boon? | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Betty Draper, a Twitter feed in the voice of “Mad Men’s” long-suffering housewife, took top honors in the Innovation category at the awards, which were handed out Tuesday night in New York.

“Oh my heavens! #Shortyawards just called long distance to say my recipe won the bake-off! Grateful to all who voted for Bourbon Meatloaf!” tweeted the writer behind @bettydraper.

Sponsored by the nonprofit Knight Foundation, the Shorty Awards are billed as “for the Twitter community, by the Twitter community.” Wednesday’s event was hosted by CNN anchor Rick Sanchez, an avid Twitter user.

In their second year, the awards allowed Twitter users to tweet nominations and then vote on five finalists in categories ranging from art and celebrities to food and finance.

Winners, whether accepting in person at the award ceremony or remotely on their Twitter accounts, were required to give their acceptance speeches in 140 characters or less — the limit for each post on Twitter.

“A Toast: to Highballs, High Jinks and Advertising. Limit my acceptance speech to 140? Shorty…if you were a woman I’d marry you. Cheers, F”

That was the “speech” by another fictional character inspired by “Mad Men,” which follows the cigarette-smoking, whiskey-swilling employees of a 1960s ad firm.

Frank Adman (@adman), a fictional character created as Twitter-only entertainment, took top honors in the Advertising category, besting some actual advertising executives.

The acceptance-speech limit proved confusing for the Muppet named Grover, who, on the arm of a puppeteer, listed Hamlet, Tarzan and Superman before being told by Sanchez that those were the wrong kind of characters.

Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) tied with Whole Foods Market (@wholefoods) for Best Brand.

Other winners included actor Nathan Fillion, HBO’s “True Blood,” finance expert Suze Orman and Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Corey Booker, an early Twitter adopter with more than 1 million followers.

The awards come as Twitter is poised to pass a big milestone. Sometime late Thursday — about 8:15 p.m. ET, according to one estimate — the site is expected to see its 10 billionth tweet.

The number is a sign of the site’s astronomical growth over the past year. Although the total number of Twitter users appears to have flatlined in recent months, those who use the site look to be tweeting more often.

Twitter saw its 1 billionth tweet about a year ago and hit 5 billion tweets about four months ago.

• Watch a counter keeping track of Twitter’s total posts in real time.

According to a Wednesday night e-mail from Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, the number of Twitter accounts has grown 1,500 percent in the past year.

In the note to users, Stone celebrated not just the site’s popularity but the role it played in world events like election protests in Iran and fundraising for earthquake victims in Haiti.

“By working together during critical times when others needed help, sharing important information that otherwise might not make the news, and inventing new and interesting ways to use Twitter, you’ve shown us that Twitter is more than a triumph of technology — it is a triumph of humanity,” Stone wrote.

Read the original article from CNN Technology.

‘Mad Men,’ Muppets top Twitter’s Shorty Awards | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

LOS ANGELES — Twitter’s founder says the Dalai Lama laughed at the thought of using the social networking service. But the Tibetan spiritual leader now has an official Twitter site — and more than 68,000 followers.

Twitter founder Evan Williams posted a message Sunday that he’d just met the Dalai Lama in Los Angeles and pitched using Twitter.

On Monday, a Twitter page set up by the Dalai Lama’s office in India carried its first message. It mentioned that the Dalai Lama had been in L.A. and gave a Web site link for details.

Six other Tweets since then provide links to interviews, photos and webcasts.

So far, the Dalai Lama hasn’t posted any personal messages.

The Dalai Lama was in Florida on Tuesday where addressed about 4,000 people at Nova Southeastern University.

Read the original article on DailyHerald.com.

Dalai Lama gets his own official Twitter page | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

Vonn says on her Twitter feed Thursday that “warmup was still very painful” but she thinks she will be able to try the training run.

She was on the mountain Thursday morning for course inspection. The start of the later training run was delayed because of fog that made it hard to see the slope.

It would be the first time Vonn has skied since hurting herself during pre-Olympic training in Austria on Feb. 2. She revealed the injury Wednesday and was questioning if she would be able to ski.

Thursday’s training is the first for women at these Winter Games.

Vonn says she took ‘a bunch’ of painkillers | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

IT is the creator of Golden Tee Golf, the #1 bar room video game in the world.

Golden Tee‘s key demographic is a fun-loving guy who enjoys socializing in pubs and spending time online.

IT was among the first to use tools like Facebook, Twitter and blogs to enhance its online presence.

IT is using social media to enhance the customer’s experience by actually embedding it into the heart of its flagship product, an 18-hole video golf game found in over 10,000 bars worldwide.

Anyone who’s been in a bar in the last 20 years knows Golden Tee.  While 5,000,000 people play Golden Tee, its bread and butter are the half-million diehards who play every week.

Like serious competitors of any game, these players love regaling each other with tales of their greatest shots.

IT’s game development team figured out a way to bring their players’ words to life.  Players not only record their legendary shots for all posterity, but they also share them online, courtesy of YouTube.

If one is playing Golden Tee and hits a virtual hole-in-one, he’s invited to upload the “Great Shot” to YouTube, free of charge.  Within five minutes, the replay is posted online.

As soon as it’s posted, IT will shoot the player an email with a link to the video.  If he has a smart phone, he can watch the replay in the bar where he just made the shot.  It’s instant gratification (in HD, of course).

In just one year, nearly 70,000 Great Shots have been uploaded.  They’ve been viewed over 1.2 million times.  It’s a winning experience for players and for IT,  as their online branding is experiencing exponential growth.

Also, players can post the video on their Facebook page. Since 80% of Golden Tee players are also Facebook users, IT sees opportunity in developing programs that interface with Facebook.

Another of IT’s goals for using social media was to build its online presence and since it’s done so, Web site traffic has doubled.

Check out a few Great Shots at:

• youtube.com/watch?v=d9xU6isoBjw
• youtube.com/watch?v=52sPQSSYwI4

Golden Tee swings at social networking | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.

The world’s richest man just met the social media network where millions of users issue reports of 140 characters or less.

On Tuesday afternoon, Gates posted his first tweet: ” ‘Hello World.’ Hard at work on my foundation letter — publishing on 1/25.’ ”

The reference was to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest nonprofit.

Gates’ office confirmed the Twitter account, @billgates, was the real Bill Gates. A Gates representative declined to give any more details about what topics Gates planned to discuss on Twitter.

Microsoft spokesman Lou Gellos confirmed the company was aware of the account but declined to comment further.

By the late afternoon, Gates had exchanged public messages with “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest and actor Ashton Kutcher.

He thanked Seacrest for his fundraising work on Haiti.

Kutcher received a “thank you” for welcoming Gates to Twitter.

In addition to nonprofits, news sites and Microsoft accounts, Gates chose to follow actress Ashley Tisdale and Queen Rania of Jordan.

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

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“Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon realty thinks it’s okay,” Amanda Bonnen wrote in her Twitter feed May 12 at 9:08 a.m.

Horizon Group Management, which leased the Uptown apartment to Bonnen, wasn’t pleased and filed a libel suit against her saying she “maliciously and wrongfully published the false and defamatory Tweet.”

On Wednesday in Cook County Circuit Court Judge Diane J. Larsen ordered the case dismissed with prejudice, meaning that Horizon cannot refile the same case. According to Bonnen’s attorney, the judge felt the tweet was too vague to meet the legal standards of libel.

The offending message apparently rose out of a class-action suit filed in March after a contractor caused a roof leak that affected some units at 4242 N. Sheridan Road, then Bonnen’s home.

When it filed the libel suit in July, Horizon said in a statement that all grievances with tenants in the class action were resolved “amicably,” except Bonnen’s.

While responding to the class action, Horizon’s lawyers found Bonnen’s tweet and “acted to protect our reputation just as we would for any other related comment made in a public forum,” Horizon said at the time of the libel suit.

Bonnen moved out of the apartment at the end of June “of her own volition … at which time there was no mold in her
apartment,” the statement said.

The last entry in her Twitter account was logged at 10:11 a.m. July 22, a day before Horizon’s filed the libel suit. The account itself is no longer online.

One of Bonnen’s lawyers said this morning the judge dismissed the case on the grounds that the tweet itself was too vague to fit the legal elements required to prove a libel case.

The tweet, said Leslie Ann Reis, “could be innocently construed. It could be construed as her opinion.”

“It mentioned Horizon Realty but it never specified whether it referred to Chicago or Illinois and knowing that Twitter is international, that could pertain to any company that uses the name Horizon,” said Reis, who is director of the Center for Information Technology and Privacy Law at John Marshall Law School.

That, she said, runs afoul of one of the elements required in proving a libel, that the plaintiff show the defendant made a false statement specifically about the plaintiff.

Another requirement is that the statement be published — which it was, via Twitter — but the third element asks the plaintiff to prove actual harm from the statement.

While the publication channel was novel, the legal grounding was not. “This was not a case about Twitter. This was a case about defamation. … The fact of the matter is that you have to meet all those elements” to prove libel, Reis said.

A lawyer for Horizon did not immediately return a call for comment. By law, the plaintiff has 30 days to appeal the judge’s ruling.

Reis said the center took on Bonnen’s case pro bono and was assisted by a group of law students and attorneys Richard Balough and Jeff Sobek.

– Andrew L. Wang

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.

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The interactive game, built by Chicago-based Mightbytes, Inc., was recently named a Silver W³ award winner by the International Academy of the Visual Arts.

“‘Picture Yourself in Chicago’ was developed in response to the growing interest in Chicago’s neighborhoods,” said Dorothy Coyle, Director of the Chicago Office of Tourism.

“The game highlights diverse communities such as Pilsen, Bronzeville, Chinatown and President Obama’s own Hyde Park neighborhood through a fun, engaging activity.”

Using the game, site visitors upload their photo to create their own custom cartoon character, which can be personalized by adding unique accessories like Chicago sports jerseys, outrageous hairstyles and more.

Then, they can choose an iconic Chicago location as a backdrop for the postcard, including attractions like Millennium Park, Wrigley Field or Navy Pier.

The postcards can be emailed to friends or shared on Facebook, Twitter and other popular Web sites.

Visit explorechicago.org/games to make your own Chicago e-Postcard.

Other interactive web highlights include the virtual “Chicago Neighborhood Express,” which transports visitors to a new neighborhood to learn about and explore; the ‘Life by the Lake’ Flickr Photo Journal series in which five Chicago-based photographers explore the City through their photos; and diverse profiles of everyday Chicagoans offering their “insider” tips.

@ExploreChicago Ranked Highest Among Destinations

The Chicago Office of Tourism’s official Twitter account, @ExploreChicago, has been ranked in the Top 3 Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) accounts for three consecutive months, according to Go See Tell, a Web site that ranks Twitter feeds of over 450 destinations nationwide on a monthly basis.

Go See Tell rankings are based on scores provided by the third-party group Twitter Grader, which measures criteria including number and “power” of followers, frequency of updates and overall engagement. @ExploreChicago was named #1 in DMOs for the month of September 2009, gaining over 600 new followers and posting an average number of 24.7 updates per day.

The Chicago Office of Tourism uses @ExploreChicago as a seven-day-a-week “Twitter Concierge Service”, offering advice and suggestions about the city.

Visitor service representatives answer questions and provide information with a focus on free and discounted events and activities in neighborhoods throughout Chicago.

The Chicago Office of Tourism, a division of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, is the official city agency dedicated to promoting Chicago to domestic and international visitors and providing innovative visitor programs and services.

Visitors and Chicagoans planning to entertain out-of-town guests can receive Chicago brochures, reserve hotel accommodations and receive trip-planning assistance by calling toll-free 1-877-CHICAGO (1-877-244-2246), or visiting explorechicago.org.

Brochures and information on Chicago’s exciting events and activities are also available at the Visitor Information Centers.

The centers are located at Chicago Water Works, 163 East Pearson Street at Michigan Avenue and the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 East Randolph Street.

The TTY toll-free number for the hearing impaired is 1-866-710-0294.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kristin Unger, 312-742-1080
kristin.unger@cityofchicago.org

Chicago Office of Tourism Wins Social Media Awards for e-Postcard and Twitter | Chicago Press Release Services - Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.