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Obama Hosts ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Chat on Twitter (USA Today)
President Barack Obama urged Twitter followers on Monday to lobby Congress for a debt reduction deal that includes higher taxes on the wealthy. “Keep pressure on Congress,” Obama tweeted during a chat that was part of the White House “My2K” Twitter campaign to drum up support for its position in the “fiscal cliff” debate. CNET Over about an hour, the president answered seven questions on the topic — as well as one about which Chicago sports team will be next to win a championship — demonstrating the ability to stay on (political) message in under 140 characters, and an understanding of Twitter conventions used to best broadcast a tweet. Although it’s virtually certain that Obama was not writing his responses entirely on his own, the White House posted a photo showing that the president was in fact doing the typing. Reuters One questioner, who identified herself as Emma Robertson, asked in a tweet, “As a home owner, I worry deductions for home owners are at risk. Is that the case?” Obama responded: “Breaks for middle class impt for families & econ. if top rates don’t go up, danger that middle class deductions get hit – bo.” TechCrunch @Mica4Life asked: “Who will win it all first: Chicago #WhiteSox, #Bulls, or #Bears? #NFL #NBA #MLB cc: #My2k @BarackObama @whitehouse.” Obama responded: “@Mica4Life da bears still gotta shot, despite sad loss this weekend! plus rose will return for playoffs!!! -bo.” The Wall Street Journal Here is the complete transcript of the Twitter chat.
Texting Turns 20: The History of SMS (Mashable)
The first SMS was sent in 1992 by Neil Papworth. He sent the message “Merry Christmas” from his personal computer to his friend Richard Jarvis’ Orbitel 901 handset over the Vodafone GSM network. The text message was first commercially deployed a year later, in 1993, and after a relatively slow start is now one of the most popular ways for people to communicate with one another. The Huffington Post Reached Monday by The Huffington Post, Papworth said that while he doesn’t see texting lasting forever, he also doesn’t “see it going anywhere soon.” “Not everyone has a smartphone,” he said, “and smartphones usually rely on an Internet connection, which isn’t always available.” AllThingsD After years of gigantic growth, overall text-message volume is starting to decline, though total messages sent each year still measure in the trillions. But, despite the fact that rivals can boast cheaper prices and additional services, the SMS has something all its challengers lack — ubiquity.
Messaging App Whatsapp Denies Facebook Acquisition Rumors (VentureBeat)
Whatsapp is refuting rumors that it’s in negotiations for a Facebook buyout. In a statement sent to VentureBeat, the company’s business head Neeraj Arora said, “The TechCrunch article is a rumor and not factually accurate. We have no further information to share at the moment.”
Pope Will be Answering Questions from His New Twitter (AllTwitter)
CNN’s Belief Blog shares that “the Pope will answer a question in his first tweet Dec. 12.” Officials said anyone can send in a question via the hashtag #askpontifex or #B16 [#BXVI].
Even When You Gotta Go, Social Media Goes Too (USA Today)
If you have found yourself using Facebook and Twitter in the bathroom, you are not the only one. Nearly one-third (32 percent) of the heaviest adopters of social networks — those ages 18 to 24 — connect with sites such as Facebook and Twitter in the bathroom.
Hackers Launch Attack on Tumblr, My Little Pony (SocialTimes)
Hackers have taken over thousands of Tumblr blogs, including those of The Daily Dot, The Verge, and CNET, according to a report by TheNextWeb. The anti-blogging group GNAA is using a viral post to spread a worm to more than 8,600 unique sites and counting, according to a group member’s Twitter page.
Ford, Jimmy Fallon Ask Twitter Users to Help Pen Super Bowl Jingle (PC Magazine)
The “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” host is crowdsourcing on Twitter the script of the new Lincoln MKZ commercial, which will debut during the February football game. On Wednesday, Fallon will begin his writing process by sending a single tweet, after which the Twitter universe will take over, working with the comedian to “steer the script” — which is, coincidentally, the same hashtag users should attach to their tweet ideas.
Facebook’s David Fisch Talks Mobile at Inside Social Apps Conference (AllFacebook)
Facebook is increasingly becoming a mobile company, as evidenced by the fact that roughly 600 million people access the social network via their phones. David Fisch, Facebook’s director of platform partnerships, spoke with Inside Network managing editor AJ Glasser at Mediabistro’s Inside Social Apps conference in New York about the future for the company on mobile and why organic reach has decreased.
Police Use Twitter to Reunite Lost iPad with Owner 6,000 Miles Away (The Daily Dot)
When a tourist lost her iPad in the United Kingdom, a police officer was able to return it to her after tracking her down with the help of the Twitter community. North Yorkshire Police Constable Ed Rogerson was able to access some photos on the iPad, including a flight ticket and several images of what appeared to be the device’s owner.
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Texting. We all do it and we all have ridiculous stories about it, whether it’s a text to the wrong person or an embarrassing autocorrect snafu. Today a hilarious video that turns autocorrection into a love song (or should we say…lobe song?) is going viral and it inspired us to put together a list of some of the funniest texting-related videos on YouTube. Enjoy!
Megan O’Neill
Happy Friday, folks! The weekend is just around the corner and, a usual, we’re celebrating with a roundup of some of the funniest videos from the past week. This week’s Friday Morning Laughs includes a hilarious animated short about rude texters, Will Ferrell’s take on the Twilight couple’s breakup, some amazing dog tricks, Batman and (yes, again) a Call Me Maybe parody. So grab your cup o’ joe, sit back and get ready to laugh.
