Twitterfall
Encyclopedia
Twitterfall is a UK
-based website designed to allow users of the social networking
site Twitter
to view upcoming trends and patterns posted by users in the form of tweets
. The project was founded by David Somers and Tom Brearley, computer science students at the University of York
.
In February 2009, it was revealed that the site was projected onto a wall at The Daily Telegraph
to allow journalists there to view breaking news posted by users to Twitter. Twitterfall gained momentum in March after The Telegraph reported on the creation of the tool. However, the paper was criticised for including an unmoderated Twitterfall stream of budget news (using hashtags) on its site, which was subsequently abused by Twitter users.
Twitterfall takes advantage of Twitter's search trends (listed on the Twitter search page), which reveal the topics that are currently most popular and most discussed at that time. Twitter has become more and more important in news coverage, such as the US Airways
plane crash-landing in the Hudson
and the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. In May 2009, ITV
announced that they were taking advantage of Twitterfall on their site during the FA Cup Final
.. During the Iran election protests of 2009
, Twitterfall was used to follow the events as they unfolded.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based website designed to allow users of the social networking
Social network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
site Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
to view upcoming trends and patterns posted by users in the form of tweets
Micro-blogging
Microblogging is a broadcast medium in the form of blogging. A microblog differs from a traditional blog in that its content is typically smaller in both actual and aggregate file size...
. The project was founded by David Somers and Tom Brearley, computer science students at the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
.
In February 2009, it was revealed that the site was projected onto a wall at The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
to allow journalists there to view breaking news posted by users to Twitter. Twitterfall gained momentum in March after The Telegraph reported on the creation of the tool. However, the paper was criticised for including an unmoderated Twitterfall stream of budget news (using hashtags) on its site, which was subsequently abused by Twitter users.
Twitterfall takes advantage of Twitter's search trends (listed on the Twitter search page), which reveal the topics that are currently most popular and most discussed at that time. Twitter has become more and more important in news coverage, such as the US Airways
US Airways
US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
plane crash-landing in the Hudson
US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549 was US Airways' scheduled domestic commercial passenger flight from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina...
and the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. In May 2009, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
announced that they were taking advantage of Twitterfall on their site during the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
.. During the Iran election protests of 2009
2009 Iranian election protests
Protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world starting June 13, 2009...
, Twitterfall was used to follow the events as they unfolded.