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Tag: Twitter

  • Tips to make the best use of #hashtags on Twitter

    Tips to make the best use of #hashtags on Twitter

    When something happens in the world, it happens on Twitter, and hashtags have been collating some of the most important conversations on Twitter. A hashtag—written with a # symbol is used to index keywords or topics on Twitter. They connect Tweets that talk about the same thing in one place. As the internet gears up to celebrate the 13th birthday of the hashtag on August 23, here are   some pro-tips on Twitter hashtags. 

    How to use hashtags on Twitter: 

    ·       Just use the symbol (#) before a relevant keyword or phrase in a Tweet. 

    ·       Click on the hashtagged word in any message and all the Tweets with similar hashtags will come-up on your timeline. 

    How to ensure the hashtags you used are functional: 

    ·       A hashtag will not work as intended if there are spaces or punctuations in it. Punctuation marks ( , . ; ' ? ! etc.) will end your hashtag wherever punctuation occurs. 

    ·       A hashtag will not work with letters or numbers in front of the # symbol. The # symbol must have a space directly in front of it in order for it to show correctly in searches. If you write 123#sofun or word#sofun, your Tweets will not show in searches for the hashtag #sofun

    ·       A hashtag will not work if completely made of numbers. However, if you include letters following the numbers in the hashtag, for example, #123go, then the hashtag will work correctly.

    Fun facts about using hashtags on Twitter:

    ·       If an individual Tweets with a hashtag on a public account, anyone who does a search for that hashtag may find their Tweet.

    ·       Popular hashtags often emerge as  Trending Topics.

    ·       Hashtags are not case-sensitive, but adding capital letters does make them easier to read. 

    ·       Twitter recommends using no more than two hashtags per Tweet as best practice, but you may use as many hashtags in a Tweet as you like.

    So, #AreYouExcited to #BeCreativeWithHashtags on Twitter?

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  • #ConversationStarters: Women leaders share how Twitter is helping shatter gender stereotypes

    #ConversationStarters: Women leaders share how Twitter is helping shatter gender stereotypes

    Time and again, Twitter has facilitated women with an open, public space to raise their voice, leading to massive movements that have brought about ground-breaking changes in society, especially in the workplace. With movements like #MeToo, #GirlsWhoDrinkBeer and #LahuKaLagaan the service has brought forward various issues concerning women. Brands such as Uber India, Ariel, among others, have also addressed and championed women-focused causes through pioneering campaigns on the service.

    To manoeuvre this dialogue further, Twitter Marketing India (@TwitterMktgIN) hosted another episode of #ConversationStarters with Guneet Monga (@guneetm), CEO of Sikhya Entertainment, and Sairee Chahal (@Sairee), Founder and CEO, SHEROES, about how women are rallying change and breaking barriers.

    Sairee (@Sairee), who often shares recommendations of accounts to follow on Twitter, mentioned that her favourite  account is @WordWhispers and called it her happy Twitter place. “I follow tons of interesting people and Twitter is like my little oasis to find very, very interesting conversations.” she said.

    Speaking about how the pandemic has impacted women, Sairee commented that having to manage workload with household chores and the effect of the slowing economy is taking a toll on women’s lives. However, she mentioned that digital consumption has increased considerably and this will have a huge impact on a lot of women-related issues such as mobility and income generation. Entrepreneurship among women is a real deal now.

    For Guneet (@guneetm), Twitter is her medium of staying connected with the happenings of the world. “I consume news through Twitter. It allows me to filter a lot of rubbish that is thrown at us. So you can just follow people you love. I get my piece of dosage from them which is credible and which I know can be trusted. So it's almost like you have to dive into what you want rather than stuff that is just put out there for you.”

    Guneet, who has been making waves in the global film space through women-centric stories, sounded positive and optimistic regarding the role of women in her industry. “For a long time, men have run the industry. I see a power shift, a narrative shift, an equation shift. It's now cool to be a part of women led stories. Films have now ramped up in putting women stories out there.  What we collectively need to do as an industry is amplify women voices as creators and not limit them to just telling women led stories.”

    While both Sairee and Guneet agree that women have made significant strides in society as well as in work settings, they also believe that there is still a great distance to be covered for women to actualise their potential and resourcefulness. They feel digitisation, social mobility through internet access, and strong support systems from the government will catalyse this growth in the right direction. In line with this view, Twitter plays an integral role in bringing together women as a community, and allowing an open forum of discussion, debate, as well as a window into the changing dynamics of the world.

  • #WorldPhotographyDay: Twitter captures people’s love for photos

    #WorldPhotographyDay: Twitter captures people’s love for photos

    Time and again, Twitter has come to be dominated by photograph driven trends creating beautiful visual experiences – from #SareeTwitter and #JhumkaTwitter to #BirdTwitter, #BlueTwitter, and much recently #HalfFaceTwitter. In fact, earlier in July, a magnificent photograph of a black panther from the jungles of Kabini, clicked by photographer Shaaz Jung (@shaazjung), took Twitter by storm. The world through the lens of photography enthusiasts has definitely found a stronghold in conversations on Twitter – from professional photographers and budding shutterbugs to those with a knack for selfies and pretty portraits. This #WorldPhotographyDay, we bring you some picture perfect snapshots from Twitter, take a look – 

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    If you’re interested in photography and want to see more of it on your Twitter timeline, you can also choose to follow ‘Photography’ as a Topic on Twitter. Twitter Topics let you follow specific subjects of your interest, allowing you to pick what you see on your timeline. Here’s how you can follow a Topic – 

    How to follow a Twitter Topic: 

    On your profile icon menu, tap More and then Topics.

    Next, tap Follow some Topics to browse by category type, such as Entertainment, Gaming, Sports, among many others. 

    From within each category and sub-category type, tap the Follow button next to the Topics you’d like to follow. 

    When finished, tap Done.

  • Here’s how you can control who replies to your Tweets with Twitter’s new conversation settings

    Here’s how you can control who replies to your Tweets with Twitter’s new conversation settings

    NEW DELHI: Twitter is where people go to see and talk about what’s happening. But sometimes, unwanted replies make it hard to have meaningful conversations. The service has been working to give people more control over their conversations. To this end, Twitter has globally rolled out a new update that gives people the ability to choose who can reply to their Tweets and join in their conversation.

    These new conversation settings are available to everyone using Twitter, across iOS, Android and twitter.com. Here are some simple tips on how you can make the most of these new controls from Twitter 

    How to choose: who can reply to your Tweet
    From twitter.com or the Twitter for iOS or Android app, tap on the compose Tweet button

    Click or tap the globe icon, to choose who can reply to your Tweet from the following options: 

     Everyone

     People you follow

     Only people you mention

    Once you finalise your settings, compose your Tweet and click or tap Tweet to post

    Important to note: People who can’t reply will still be able to view, Retweet, Retweet with Comment, like and share your Tweets. Also, once you’ve published a Tweet, you cannot change the reply settings of that particular Tweet.

    How to choose: who you can reply to 

    From the compose screen, you can see the people in the conversation you will reply to. Click or tap Replying to… to bring up an editing screen with a list of everyone who is a part of the conversation. Up to 50 people who are in the conversation will be displayed. 

    Adding people to a conversation: Swipe down to close the editing screen, and then simply type their username into your Tweet.

    Removing people from a conversation: To remove people from the conversation in the editing screen, simply click or tap on the checkmark icon to deselect participants. Once someone is unselected, the checkmark icon will be unchecked.

    Blocked accounts: Accounts you have blocked will be visible to you in the recipient list, and will indicate that you have blocked them. From the editing screen, you can choose to remove the blocked account from the conversation by clicking or tapping on the checkmark icon.

    How to view participants of a conversation

    You can also view participants of a conversation from Tweets you see in your Home timeline, profile page, notifications, or from a Tweet detail. To view participants’ names, bio, and @usernames:

    Click or tap Replying to… 

    From here you can see everyone who is included in this reply. You can also follow or unfollow people in this list.

    Just like you can see the total number of likes and retweets for any tweet, you can also see how many people are participating in the conversation by the reply count. You’ll see a number next to the reply icon indicating how many direct replies the original Tweet has received. 

  • Brands doing moment marketing the Binod way

    Brands doing moment marketing the Binod way

    NEW DELHI: Internet is a weird place; from woke discussions on politics, society, and economy to reviews of movies, shows, and books, to national and international news, to good and bad memes, anything can be found on the web. The place has often provided brands great moment marketing ideas , like the costly bananas that Rahul Bose once ate and the recent Netflix release, Indian Matchmaking . 

    While most of these moment marketing themes had a context or content to spur the reactions and brand participation, the most recent bait to catch brands’ attention — Binod — left many scratching their heads. The faceless man is viral with no great feat achieved.

    The trend originated from a YouTube parody video covering weird comments that the creators, Abhyudaya and Gautami were getting on their channel Slayy Point and one fine gentleman named Binod Tharu had innocently commented, well, his own first name. After several days of the video going online, some bright minds of the web noticed the comment and started a hilarious meme fest over the weekend, which was soon joined by some of the brands.

    One of the first few to join the league was Paytm, which upon getting prompted by its followers, changed its name on Twitter to Binod.

    Here are some more brands that joined the moment marketing fest that Binod sparked.

    Amazon Prime India

    Call 112 Uttar Pradesh

    Disney + Hotstar

    Mumbai Police

    State Bank of India

    Surat City Traffic Police

    Tinder India

  • Twitter announces new labels for government, state-affiliated media accounts

    Twitter announces new labels for government, state-affiliated media accounts

    NEW DELHI: Twitter has announced that the micro-blogging site has started labelling accounts of government officials and state-affiliated media.

    The blog read that it will focus on labelling ‘Senior officials and entities who are the official voice of the state abroad.’

    For the time being, this will be applicable only to accounts from China, Russia, France, United Kingdom and the United States — the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

    The blog further emphasised that this new feature is for transparency and practicality, Twitter is starting with a limited and clearly-defined group of countries before expanding to a wider range of countries in the future. “At this time, we're not labeling the personal accounts of heads of state, as these accounts enjoy widespread name recognition, media attention, and public awareness. Institutional accounts associated with their offices that changeover depending on election results will be labeled, however.”

    “We believe that people have the right to know when a media account is affiliated directly or indirectly with a state actor. As part of the development of this process, we consulted with a number of expert groups, including members of the Digital and Human Rights Advisory group in Twitter’s Trust & Safety Council,” the blog post said.

    Twitter will no longer amplify state-affiliated media accounts or their tweets through recommendation systems including on the home timeline, notifications, and search.

  • Twitter backs disaster preparedness efforts; launches a dedicated search prompt in India

    Twitter backs disaster preparedness efforts; launches a dedicated search prompt in India

    NEW DELHI: People come to Twitter first to learn about news and events unfolding in real-time, and the company is committed to ensuring that the information they receive is credible and authentic. To continue serving its purpose, Twitter India today launched a dedicated search prompt to help people stay updated with the latest information from authoritative sources around disaster relief and preparedness efforts.

    Every time someone searches for certain keywords associated with disaster relief, a prompt will direct them to the relevant information and sources of help available on Twitter. This is an expansion of Twitter’s #ThereIsHelp prompt, which was specifically put in place for the public to find clear, credible information focusing on disaster preparedness and emergencies. 

    Twitter has partnered with the National Disaster Response Force (@NDRFHQ) in India to expand its efforts towards handling disaster situations. The search prompt will be available on iOS, Android, and on mobile.twitter.com in India, in both English and Hindi languages.

    Shri SN Pradhan (@satyaprad1), Director General, National Disaster Response Force, said "While disasters both natural and manmade can undoubtedly cause widespread humanitarian havoc, open internet and social media can immensely benefit the ecosystem by enabling people to connect with each other and with government agencies. Twitter’s ability for facilitating real-time dialogue has ensured that crucial information about disaster affected areas flows seamlessly. Timely and reliable updates through Twitter can support the government in communicating to the people on rescue/relief services available to them and what they can do to receive it. Through the launch of this search prompt and our collaboration with Twitter, we are optimistic about bringing authentic and credible information to the fore to promote open public communication, in times when it is needed the most. This partnership will also strengthen NDRFs credo of आपदा सेवा सदैव सर्वदा – Disaster rescue related services everywhere in India & at all times.”

    The feature will be reviewed at regular intervals by the Twitter team to ensure that all related keywords generate the proactive search prompt. Some of the search keywords include:

    English: #cyclone, #DisasterRelief, #earthquake, #flood, #floods, #heavyrainfall, #hurricane, #Landslides, #NDMA, #NDRF, #rain, #rainfall, #SDRF, #storm, #thunderstorm, #tsunami, 

    Hindi: #आंधी, #आंधीतूफान, #आपदा, #एनडीआरएफ, #चक्रवात, #तूफान, #बाढ़, #बारिश, #भूकंप, #भूचाल, #भूस्खलन, #राज्यआपदाप्रतिक्रियाबल, #सुनामी, #राष्ट्रीयआपदाप्रतिक्रियाबल, #राष्ट्रीयआपदाप्रबंधनएजेंसी

    The search prompt will also generate a list of government agencies working towards Disaster Response and Relief in India, so people looking for support can easily identify and establish contact with credible authorities.

    Sharing her thoughts on this initiative, Mahima Kaul (@misskaul), Director, Public Policy, India and South Asia, Twitter, said, “At its core, Twitter is a real-time and modern version of a town square. These characteristics make Twitter a uniquely useful place for timely communication, and more so when a disaster strikes. Relief teams have time and again turned to Twitter to connect with the people on ground, and share real-time information on provision of aid, rescue operations and emergency resources. With the launch of this initiative, we are furthering our commitment to partner the citizens, civil society as well the government. The dedicated search prompt will ensure there is uninterrupted access to relevant and authoritative information, such as important updates on critical transit and utility outages, efforts to oversee crowd management, and establish direct access between the affected areas and the rescue teams.”

    During times of crisis and emergencies, Twitter’s live, open and public nature continue to be leveraged by NGOs, citizens, government agencies and the media to share and exchange information. In India, the usefulness of Twitter during disaster relief has come to light by its use during the Kerala Floods by @CMOKerala and last year during Mumbai Floods by @mybmc and most recently by @CMOfficeAssam as well as the citizen groups that organized themselves entirely on Twitter to help those affected on ground.

    How to search and find credible information around disaster management on Twitter

    On app

    Click on Explore tab

    Type and enter your disaster management-related keyword or query into the Search option on the top

    A prompt on ‘ThereIsHelp’ will appear – click on it to access credible information and facts on the issue

     On desktop

    Go to Home

    Type and enter your disaster management-related keyword or query into the Search option on the top Right

    A prompt on ‘ThereIsHelp will appear – click on it to access credible information and facts on the issue

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  • SonyLIV 2.0 seeks to refresh through new-age, youthful vibe

    SonyLIV 2.0 seeks to refresh through new-age, youthful vibe

    KOLKATA: While the lockdown demotivated many, it did not stop OTT platform SonyLIV from taking a bold stop. With new content in-store, SonyLIV is reviving itself as SonyLIV 2.0. A new team which took up the role to lead the platform last year has reimagined the transformation. As the streaming war in India continues with Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, ZEE5 and MX Player being leading names, the rebranding is likely to give leverage.

    “We wanted to become more new-age, youthful, user-friendly. That was one thing which we wanted to say through the new logo design. Secondly, the V of LIV also resembles the tick mark. So, the entire design came from the fact that this is the right choice of entertainment,” said SPN digital business marketing head Aman Srivastava. The new logo emphasises the ‘liv’ part in a bright yellow colour in contrast to a colourful background with streaks of purple, blue and orange.

    Srivastava said they are informing existing customers about new content through notifications and emailers. Moreover, there is a way to interact with these consumers on the app itself. Apart from that, he adds that SonyLIV has been present on all digital and audiovisual platforms which provides it with the right kind of target audience including its network channels, major platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. He added that SonyLIV was always well-played from a distribution point of view as its available across devices, platforms and telecom players. 

    He is also confident about customer retention even after the lockdown easing as it will have new content every week. Moreover, he added that live sports has also started and the sports fans are coming in and there might even be some more new sports content. As television shootings have resumed, catch-up content will also come back. Together, original, live sports, catch-up content will keep subscribers engaged. 

    Just after the launch, SPN digital business and SET content head Ashish Golwalkar said that it would start the journey with Hindi and English content. Although the English library has always been heavy of the streaming platform, it has now collaborated with the best creative minds of the country for good local content. 

    “Currently, we are starting with Hindi and English content. In English content, we have content from Sony Pictures Television, our own studio. We have acquired some content from ITV and NBC. We have an existing Lionsgate library. We have a rich rapporteur of English content. Now, we are launching with Your Honour. We will launch five shows in the next two months.  We have content planned for Hindi, Marathi and English. We have very enriching content from TVF as well,” he said.

    Golwalkar admitted that the space is highly competitive but even then he feels there is a lot of space for content in certain genres like comedy or content that is Indian in approach. According to him, there is not much content in the genre. The online content that is coming from India is revolving around crime, thriller and dark subjects. There are a lot of other stories that can be told and that will allow SonyLIV to create a niche for itself. He added that they would be launching around 15-20 originals in the next 12 months. Some of the content can be dubbed in major regional languages in the coming days.

    The first original with which the rebranded platform started the journey was Your Honor, Created by Applause Entertainment. Deepak Segal, the content head of Applause Entertainment said that it is one of format among six which were acquired from Israel. The show was first adapted and produced by it and then SonyLIV was approached. It has three shows coming up on SonyLIV.

  • Harley-Davidson India introduces India’s first-ever virtual H.O.G. Rally

    Harley-Davidson India introduces India’s first-ever virtual H.O.G. Rally

    National: Continuing the streak of offering the most experiential and innovative events to its riders, Harley-Davidson India recently hosted India’s first-ever live virtual Eastern H.O.G. ® Rally (EHR) over Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. The EHR is one of Harley-Davidson’s zonal rallies which was originally planned for March 2020, however, had to be postponed on account of the lockdown. In a 60-minute live streaming show, Harley-Davidson India found yet another way to celebrate the love for motorcycling by engaging over 5.7 Lakh organic viewers across H-D’s social media platforms & partner platforms. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Harley-Davidson India, through this virtual rally celebrated the shared passion for freedom, self-expression and epic adventure, attended live by thousands of H.O.G. community members. It also reached out to brand lovers outside the H.O.G. community giving them an opportunity to experience the Harley-Davidson lifestyle.

    Earlier in the year, the 8th India H.O.G. Rally was conducted in Goa in February ’20 that witnessed around 2500 riders joining the annual celebration in person.

    The Rally was kick-started by Mr. Sajeev Rajasekharan with a beauteous welcome message for the H.O.G. community, followed by a quick view on the post-lockdown phase by Regional Directors and the host dealer Bengal Harley-Davidson. The Rally offered exciting performances by leading artists such as Ash Chandler, The Unplugged Project, Rahul Ram from Indian Ocean and Debanjali Lily.

    Speaking on this first of its kind initiative, Sajeev Rajasekharan, Managing Director, – Asia Emerging Markets and India, Harley-Davidson said, “Harley-Davidson has always thrived upon sharing experiential events with their riders. With these changing times, Harley-Davidson India is adapting to new ways to provide experiences to its riders and deliver upon the promise of a Harley lifestyle.  This virtual rally is a testament of our commitment towards celebrating the H.O.G. community and keeping our riders at the forefront of everything we do.”

    The Virtual H.O.G. Rally also witnessed the first virtual launch of Harley Davidson’s new Low Rider® S model, a cruiser that takes a performance-first approach to customizing. This new model is powered by 1,868 CC Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine that puts out good 92 bhp at 5,020 rpm and 155 Nm and is paired with a six-speed transmission. The Low Rider S differentiates itself from the standard version with its all-black theme, it gets its styling inspiration from the West Coast custom design philosophy.  The new Low Rider S is the latest addition to the Softail family and is now available at most of the dealerships for a test ride. The model is priced at INR 14.69 lacs and was earlier introduced to market with a press announcement during the lockdown phase. 

  • Wake-up call for social media platforms as brands boycott in droves

    Wake-up call for social media platforms as brands boycott in droves

    NEW DELHI: Social media platforms, which were a boon for brands, seem to have turned into a bane now. After consumer product giant Unilever announced that it will halt advertising on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in the US for the rest of the year, due to the rising hate speech and upcoming election period, Coca-Cola, which advertises heavily on digital media, has also suspended advertising on social media for at least 30 days.

    "There is no place for racism in the world and there is no place for racism on social media," said The Coca-Cola Company chairman and CEO James Quincey.

    Should social media companies worry about the rising boycott? TRA founder and CEO N Chandramouli believes that the #BlackLivesMatter protests compelled brands to take a closer look at things they often considered “normal.”

    “Coca-Cola and Unilever are leaders not only in terms of the advertising spends but also thought-leaders such that other brands will see and follow. Social media has always been a little free of scrutiny with the indiscriminate show of ads with irrelevant content and also with content that the brand may not want to associate with. Social media has to turn its technology to deliver ads more contextually, with the advertiser deciding what type of content they do not want to be seen with," he says.

    The boycott has had a ripple effect with other brands coming on board to boycott including Diageo, Lululemon, Starbucks, Verizon. Levi's and Dockers have also restricted themselves from advertising on Facebook and Instagram till July. Hershey’s has also decided to join hands with #stophateforprofit; the brand will slash its advertising budget on Facebook. American Honda has also decided to withhold its advertising on Facebook and Instagram for Honda and Acura, to stand with people against hate and racism.

    Even P&G chief brand officer Marc Pritchard said that the company would be conducting a comprehensive review of where it was advertising.

    Tidal7 co-founder and chief creative officer KS Chakravarthy explains, “This is no longer about a few brands or a few hundred million in revenues. It is a wakeup call for all media and particularly for those depending on an online audience. Crossing the line can spark off a whole series of adverse reactions that can very quickly feed off one another to escalate into a universal movement. And it is this symbiotic growth of outrage that Facebook should be seriously worried about.”

    Unilever has more than two dozen brands in its kitty including popular ones like Dove, Lipton and Breyers. According to marketing analytics firm Pathmatics, Unilever spent more than $11.8 million in the US this year on Facebook. While it quit social media, the consumer giant will maintain its planned media investment by shifting to other media.

    Consults Inc founder Harish Bijoor shares, “Brands are getting sensitive in these sensitive times as to where they advertise. Coca-Cola and Unilever's action is part of this sentiment translating into action. Hate speech in the time of social angst is something responsible brands want to avoid. Social media will need to realign its content policy if it wants sponsors to stay with it in terms of advertising.” 

    Following the resentment, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, on Friday, said that the company would implement new policies to connect people with authoritative information about voting and fight hate speech. However, he did not directly address the advertisers boycott.

    As per media reports, Facebook brought in $69.7 billion in ad revenue globally through its millions of advertisers last year. The company said earlier this year it has more than eight million advertisers.

    Brand-nomics MD Viren Razdan says, “For Facebook, it’s really a time to put their transparency out to test, it’s important for them to clarify that their self-created code of conduct does not lean towards any business goals.”

    Chakravarthy says, “Social media does have a real responsibility and unfortunately, they are not stepping up, at least not enough, in many people's opinion, including their own employees.”

    The list of brands boycotting social media platforms, especially Facebook, is likely to increase and unless they take the issue seriously, may incur severe losses.

    (With inputs from Mansi Sharma)