Microsoft seems to be planning to add mouse gestures to Edge in order to give users a fresh set of options for performing common actions, despite indications in the past that this feature is not something that’ll be supported.
Neowin (opens in new tab) reports that Edge policy documents (opens in new tab) have recently been updated to include a section on configuring the mouse gesture feature, with support planned to debut in version 112 of Edge, according to the documentation.
In other words, this feature isn’t even in testing yet, but it should be inbound for beta versions of Microsoft’s web browser before too long.
Mouse gestures are used in other browsers to great effect, so for example, you hold the right button and move the mouse up or down, left or right, or draw some kind of pattern to activate a corresponding action.
Analysis: Welcome to the world of power browsing
This is pretty nifty stuff for those who like to use shortcuts, and power users in particular. It can put a whole lot of actions easily within convenient reach, so you can accomplish common tasks like refreshing a web page, for example, or closing a tab, with just a swish of your mouse.
What’s a bit odd here is that Microsoft has previously said this feature wouldn’t be coming to Edge. In fact, mouse gestures have been a popular request when it comes to feedback for what Microsoft can do to make Edge better, but in the past, the software giant hasn’t paid much heed to those cries.
Indeed, as Neowin points out, in a recent feedback summary on possible Edge additions for November 2022, just a few months ago, support for mouse gestures was marked as “not planned”.
It seems something has changed since then, and Microsoft has started listening – hopefully. We’ll find out soon enough, as Edge 112 is only a couple of versions away (the beta is currently v110).
Another change that could be incoming for Edge is that rounded corners might be debuting in the browser – in a big (and rather divisive) way.
Microsoft’s Edge browser could be going big on rounded corners with a fresh potential change spotted in (limited) testing right now.
Neowin (opens in new tab) reports that XenoPanther highlighted the possible change on Twitter, with a screenshot showing Edge Canary (the earliest testing version) featuring rounded corners for the actual area of the browser showing the web page.
I’ve just noticed that rounded corners now exist for the area around the visible website pic.twitter.com/B0U3RCkb7eJanuary 13, 2023
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Even the sidebar to scroll down the web page is rounded at the top and bottom, and this is very definitely a look that isn’t to everyone’s taste (we’ll come back to that in a moment).
Note that as XenoPanther observes, there are other Edge testers out there – some of whom chime in on the above Twitter thread – saying that they don’t see this change.
So it would appear to be a tweak that’s only been rolled out to a small amount of testers (so-called A/B testing), and depending on how things go, it may then be pushed out to more folks (still in testing, mind – to gauge further reaction from a larger userbase).
Analysis: Consistency first – but is this going too far?
There are some people who really aren’t keen on the new rounded look for the central area where the web page is displayed in Edge. And the additional catch here is that the rounding isn’t just present when the browser is displayed in a window, but also when it’s made full-screen.
The latter does look rather odd, we must agree, and off-putting when engaging in displaying full-screen video for example – also losing you a little bit of screen real-estate for showing the video clip.
As one user put it to Microsoft on Twitter (expletive has been removed): “Stop giving everything round corners!”
We get it, though – having adopted the round rather than sharp edge as an overall look for Windows 11, Microsoft is just keeping consistent. However, this feels like a step too far, maybe, particularly the full-screen aspect of the rounding; but this is still early testing, and doubtless the idea will be refined yet (or indeed ditched based on feedback, perhaps).
Blockchainis a concept that cannot be easily explained, so it remains shrouded in that ever-so-attractive cloak of misinformation.
What is blockchain?
It is a public digital ledger designed to be impenetrable to hackers. Although it is primarily used as a way to track and verify currency transactions, it can also detect and control almost any type of data, making it an incredibly secure platform that has the potential to change the entire internet.
Each chronological change in the ledger is referred to as a block, while a larger series of changes is called a chain, Blockchain.
What makes blockchain so secure is its decentralizednature. It does not exist on any server, Master Ledger, instead it exists on everyone’s computer at the same time! This means that every time it is updated with new information, every computer using the platform must agree that the change is valid.
This means that if someone wanted to falsify the records on the block chain, they would need to hack into each of these computers at the same time, as opposed to a single centralized database.
Blockchain Technology
Anyone can access the book at any time, but without identifying features. Blockchain technology can securely control transactions between two parties while effectively reducing the need for middlemen.
For example, let’s say you want to transfer money. Traditionally, this transfer would have been made through the bank. Your bank talks to the recipient’s bank and the money moves.
Blockchain will verify the same transaction simply based on how it works. Because it must be “approved” by all participants in that particular blockchain, no bank needs to intervene (unless you want to convert Bitcoin to another currency).
Because the concept can be applied to any type of data transfer, Tim Berners-Lee, the man who created the real internet, agrees that blockchain has the potential to disrupt the entire online world, serving as the basis for a truly more private and decentralized Internet.
With more and more venues accepting Bitcoin, along with massive corporate interest in blockchain technology, it’s only a matter of time before it appears in our lives.
The new generation of networks and the reduction of energy consumed. Technology is constantly evolving and networks worldwide are being modernized according to people’s needs. The same do blockchain and cryptocurrencies!
The Musk drama keeps on coming. After taking part in a Twitter Spaces where he tried to justify banning a bunch of journalists on December 15, which is where a user can create an area to talk to people, it was then disabled for everyone, with Musk claiming it was due to an ‘old bug’.
Convenient timing some would say.
Twitter’s own newsletter system is going down
A week or so ago, Elon Musk said on Twitter (opens in new tab) that he was open to the idea of buying Substack, the self-publishing/newsletter platform that has attracted some of the top journalists in the world. Some, including this reporter, noted that Musk seemed to forget that he already owned a newsletter platform, Revue.
Or maybe he didn’t forget. Revue informed content creators on Wednesday (Dec. 14) that it would be shutting down on January 18, 2023. From the email:
“We’ll cut to the chase: from January 18, 2023, it will no longer be possible to access your Revue account. On that date, Revue will shut down and all data will be deleted. This has been a hard decision because we know Revue has a passionate user base, made up of people like you.”
No reason for the shutdown is given, though we can assume that its struggling parent company was looking for more people and expense cuts. We’ve also contacted Musk on Twitter to see if he can explain his reasoning, and will update this post if he responds.
Twitter purchased Revue, which was founded in 2015 by a small group of Netherlands developers, in 2021 and then quickly integrated it, including newsletter signups, into Twitter profiles.
Revue was scrappy and buggy in the early days, but grew quite robust and useful, especially under Twitter. It even launched paid subscriptions. Still, it was never as buzzy as Substack and it could be argued that many people never heard of it.
The good news for Revue creators is that Revue provided instructions for how they can download past issues and subscriber lists. You might want to act fast, though. All data is set to be deleted on January 18.
The clock is ticking
A few months, that’s all the time you have to decide if you want to pay to hold onto the little blue verified mark on Twitter.
That little symbol of identity and, for some, social media validity will no longer be free or permanent.
Elon Musk tweeted Monday afternoon that, “In a few months, we will remove all legacy blue checks. The way in which they were given out was corrupt and nonsensical.”
This means we now know exactly what Twitter plans to do about the millions of Twitter verifications that were handed out to companies, officials, celebrities, social media managers journalists, and other notables over the last 16 years. If Twitter users do not pay $8 a month ($11 on iOS) the checks disappear.
Musk’s insistence that the system was nonsensical is not without merit. Twitter’s verification process got so bad that no one understood how to get verified or why Twitter chose one person’s account for verification over another. The company sought to clean it up but not before pausing all verifications for months.
Musk’s belief that the system was corrupt seems more in keeping with his belief that there was widespread bias and corruption within Twitter. In recent days, he’s assisted in the release of troves of internal Twitter documents and communications that he believes show bias against some Twitter users.
The merits of those accusations are debatable.
The good news, though, is that we now know what will happen to people, like this author, who has been verified for a decade, when they do not pay the Twitter Blue fee. They will lose the blue check. Will someone else be able to verify in their name? Not clear, though the new Twitter Blue Check system apparently now asks for phone-based two-factor authentication.
Going for the gold
If you see something different around Twitter, you’re not imagining things. The beleaguered social media platform, which continues to see an engagement drain over CEO Elon Musk’s antics (see Elton John’s exit) relaunched the Twitter Blue subscription program on Monday (Dec. 12). Simultaneously, it launched the promised multi-colored check program.
Official business accounts, like those for ABCNews and the New York Times, are now verified with new gold checks. Official accounts, like those for government entities such as The White House, are still blue.
Even though the Blue Check is tied to Musk’s new subscription system – one that will charge $3 more a month if you sign up through iOS – it’s now unclear if Twitter will strip accounts of legacy verifications if they do not sign up.
Language on the Twitter Verification requirements page leaves that open to interpretation. From the page:
“A blue checkmark may mean two different things:
-the account has an active subscription to the new Twitter Blue subscription service and has met our eligibility criteria or
That would indicate that if you had a blue check and fit those criteria, you might keep it. But it could also mean that you can lose it but reacquire it more easily by paying.
For now, though, the re-launch of Twitter Blue is proceeding quietly and without incident. We’ll see if that continues.
All my life I’ve tried to use music to bring people together. Yet it saddens me to see how misinformation is now being used to divide our world. I’ve decided to no longer use Twitter, given their recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked.December 9, 2022
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Goodbye yellow brick road – singer and performer Elton John announced earlier that he’s quitting Twitter due to the ‘change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked.’
John is the latest in a long line of celebrities leaving the platform since Musk took over, but the new owner hasn’t commented as to what he’s going to try to do to keep any other celebrities from staying on the service to ally any fears.
Elon Musk has long contended that Twitter is full of bots and that they account for a significant portion of the activity on the platform. Now, however, he’s targeting a different class of Twitter accounts: dormant ones. In a pair of Tweets, Musk announced that Twitter will be purging the accounts to free up space.
While this action isn’t surprising, the number of accounts is. Twitter has roughly 450 million monthly active users. It’s unclear how Musk can clear out 1.5 billion old accounts without impacting that number (Musk has claimed current usage is at an all-time high).
Musk added, though, that these accounts haven’t logged in or tweeted in years.
We’re already seeing some people hurridly logging on to Twitter and making sure their accounts are active to ensure they don’t get swept up in this purge.
Will those account names be listed as available or will people simply have to discover that their long-sought-after Twitter handle is finally available? We’ll see. In the meantime, you might want to finally check back into Twitter.
Twitter will soon start freeing the name space of 1.5 billion accountsDecember 9, 2022
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Let’s take a walk
Head Tweeter Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook apparently took a casual but important walk around a pond at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, to work out some brewing differences.
Apple has yet to comment (we’ve contacted them and will report back if they do), but Musk sent a pair of tweets memorializing the meet-up.
In the first one on Wednesday, Musk thanked Cook for “taking me around Apple’s beautiful HQ.” He included a brief video of a reflecting pond that they apparently strolled past.
Having been to Apple Park a few times, we can concur that it is, in fact, lovely. The problem with the tweeted video, though, was that no one was sure of it was real. We did spot the Apple Park building in the background (opens in new tab), but this video could’ve been from any visit and taken by anyone.
However, hours later, Musk tweeted some context:
“Good conversation. Among other things, we resolved the misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store. Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so.”
Musk had recently tweeted this concern, which promoted him to go to Twitter war with Apple, which, he noted, had apparently pulled much of its advertising from the social media platform.
So, for the time being, and according to Musk, Twitter is not about to be removed from the App Store. Still, if Musk wants to move forward with his Twitter Blue plans and manage payments through the App Store, he’ll still have to pay that 30% commission. If Twitter doesn’t, it could run afoul of Apple’s store policies and, yes, get kicked off Twitter.
We haven’t heard the last of Twitter vs. Apple quite yet.
Good conversation. Among other things, we resolved the misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store. Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so.November 30, 2022
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Elon Musk will soon be Twitter’s most-followed user
Elon Musk is on track to become the most followed person on Twitter by January 17, 2023. He currently sits at around 120 million followers – almost double the amount he had this time last year according to Social Blade (opens in new tab) – and it looks like his trend upwards won’t be slowing down anytime soon.
Based on current predictions Musk will soon eclipse the current Twitter follower champion Barak Obama (opens in new tab), the 44th US President, who currently has 133.2 million followers. Twitter apparently has 450 million monthly active users (opens in new tab) meaning that when Musk takes the top spot his followers would account for 30% of all Twitter users which is absolutely wild.
Having a CEO that regularly uses and is interested in their company’s product certainly has its benefits, however, there are potential issues that might come from Musk being both the Chief Twit and Chief Tweeter.
For one it makes the platform and its CEO become even more like one single entity. If you buy into Musk’s cult of personality that probably seems like no bad thing, but for people who want a more neutral – less Muskian – Twitter then the chances of that happening look a lot less likely.
Additionally, Musk’s Twitter experience will be very different from most other people’s. According to an anonymous former Twitter manager who spoke with the BBC, Twitter limits ads to its top 1,000 or so users; which may be why Musk reportedly had no idea what they looked like on the platform – suggesting they should “look like Tweets” when they already did. He also only follows 130 other accounts (most of which relate to science and tech) which means the content he is exposed to comes from a fairly limited pool of thoughts and ideas.
As soon as Musk passes the milestone of being Twitter’s biggest user we expect he’ll make a big song and dance of it, but we’ll have to wait and see what impact it has on the platform he’s now in charge of.
Musk versus Apple
In the battle to save Twitter, Elon Musk’s latest target is Apple.
Musk started on Monday afternoon by claiming that Apple “has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter,” adding, “Do they hate free speech in America?” Many advertisers have reportedly pulled back on advertising after some of Musk’s early moves, including verifying numerous accounts without ID verification and then inviting back, among others, Former President Donald J. Trump.
Later, Musk tweeted, “Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why.”
For Musk, he sees Apple’s potential action as an act of censorship. Before long, he was claiming that Apple had taken multiple “censorship actions that affect its customers (opens in new tab).” Musk offered no proof, but soon it became clear that the real concern here might be what happens to Twitter if it really does successfully ramp up its Twitter Blue Verification program. Under it, every verified user would be paying $8 a month for the courtesy of having a blue (or some other color) check mark.
The way Apple’s App Store works, Apple takes a commission cut of up to 30%. That could be a lot of money. Musk tried to characterize this well-known and often-debated App Store feature (opens in new tab) as a “secret 30% tax.” Of course, it’s not even remotely secret and it’s also not 30% for everyone. Smaller devs with much lower revenue pay less.
Musk then posted an image of a driver deciding at the last minute to take a highway exit. Above the main road were the words, “Pay 30%.” The turn-off, which a car labeled “Elon” was clearly taking, had the words “Go to war” on top of it.
If Musk does refuse to pay, Twitter could very well be removed from the App store. That would have nothing to do with free speech and everything to do with how much Musk is willing to pay Apple.
Apple, for its part, has yet to comment.
Calling Elon
Twitter has long been one of Apple’s App Store’s top free apps. It’s even been among its recommended selections but there’s a small (maybe growing) chance that Twitter could get booted from the App Store and maybe even Android-friendly Google Play. Why? Some of the content and account moderation changes Musk is making or proposing might cause the app to run afoul of Apple and Google’s app store policies.
That could prove disastrous for Twitter and would leave Musk without a platform for the app that he, willingly or not, owns. Maybe.
Turns out Musk has thought at least a little bit about this and when pressed on Twitter – where all major company decisions occur – Musk had a ready answer for what he’d do if they got kicked out.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t exactly a plan. Someone asked if he would build a phone if Apple and Google booted Twitter and Musk answered, “certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone.”
Will Twitter get booted? Would Musk really build a phone? It’s not that hard to build a phone (the hardware) but Musk is in no position to build a new platform. Most likely he’d have to go with an Android variant and then, like Huawei build his own off-brand app store.
I’m sure that will all go well.
I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phoneNovember 25, 2022
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Sorry for the delay, we’re tentatively launching Verified on Friday next week. Gold check for companies, grey check for government, blue for individuals (celebrity or not) and all verified accounts will be manually authenticated before check activates. Painful, but necessary.November 25, 2022
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Looks like verification is coming back in a big (and useful) way on December 2. In a reply to another tweet, Musk confirmed that there will be different-colored checkmarks for verified ticks, so you’ll be able to tell which account is a government, a celebrity, or a company.
While this is a useful addition, this is something that should have appeared weeks ago when users were subscribing to Twitter Blue just for the blue tick.
The Poll says, ‘Ugh’
Twitter chief Elon Musk’s newest way of making decisions is via a poll. He did it with Former President Donald Trump’s account, asking if he should reinstate the banned President on Twitter (Musk eventually did) and now Musk has a new question for his 118M followers.
On Wednesday afternoon, just hours before Thanksgiving in the US, Musk served up this turkey of a poll:
“Should Twitter offer a general amnesty to suspended accounts, provided that they have not broken the law or engaged in egregious spam?”
Okay, the caveat of lawbreakers and spammers being excluded helps, some. But making these decisions was, we thought, supposed to be the job of the Content Moderation Council. “What’s that?” you ask. It’s a council that Musk promised but has yet to form. It should be an independent body that decides what Tweets and accounts get removed. We’d assume it might also weigh in here.
The problem with mass reinstatement is that it could bring back tens of thousands of accounts. After the January 6th riots, Twitter suspended 70,000 accounts. Yes, some were spammers, but not all. The number of bad actors that could flood back onto the platform is hard to assess, but it could be very high and the impact on the platform could be very bad.
This amnesty will not encourage better behavior, but it will make Twitter’s Monthly Active Users (MAUs) look better. On the other hand, advertisers, which may still be fleeing the beleaguered platform, might leave if Musk follows the votes. As of this writing, 73% of Musk’s followers like the idea. Musk’s latest poll closes tomorrow around noon ET.
The fun never ends, unless, of course, Twitter collapses.
Should Twitter offer a general amnesty to suspended accounts, provided that they have not broken the law or engaged in egregious spam?November 23, 2022
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Pressing a Blue pause button
Amidst of flurry of tweets covering topics as wide-ranging as saving the world (yes, he responded (opens in new tab) to one of our tweets), hall monitors (opens in new tab) and other social platforms, fanaticism (opens in new tab), admitting he gets little sleep (opens in new tab), and whether his tweeting counts as work (opens in new tab), Twitter head Elon Musk made some news.
Musk has decided to pause his much-criticized Blue Verified system until “there is high confidence of stopping impersonation.” He’s also looking to give organizations and people different colored checks.
This is big news because Musk is finally addressing the biggest problem with the pay-for Blue Check system he introduced this month. All it asked was that you pay $8 a month for a Blue Verification check. Previously, the check was given out for free, but not before Twitter verified the identity of the person, organization, or company it was verifying.
As soon as Musk launched his own plan, Twitter was flooded with blue-checked accounts impersonating other individuals. It was a disaster.
Musk previously said he would relaunch the Blue Verified program on November 29, but that clearly wasn’t enough time to come up with a viable verification system. Plus, Twitter might be a little low on the requisite engineers after Musk laid off half the staff and then hundreds more walked out after Musk insisted on a more aggressive work culture.
Could this be the moment where Musk stops listening to his echo chamber and starts addressing some of Twitter’s structural and fundamental issues?
We’ll see.
-Lance Ulanoff
Holding off relaunch of Blue Verified until there is high confidence of stopping impersonation. Will probably use different color check for organizations than individuals.November 22, 2022
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I’ve been trying out Hive (opens in new tab) today after a bunch of friends and my wife decided to join it over the past 24 hours.
After using the app, it struck me how Mastodon needs to quickly find its footing as an alternative to Twitter, fast.
Welcome back?
Over the weekend, Twitter owner Elon Musk ran a poll (opens in new tab) of his followers asking if he should reinstate former President Donald Trump whose account was suspended following the Jan 6th riots.
A day later, Musk reinstate the account with all of its tweets intact. Thus far, Trump has said he’s not coming back. He does have his own platform, Truth Social, after all.
While Trump took a wait-and-see approach, rapper Kayne West officially rejoined the platform on Sunday. His account was suspended after anti-Semitic tweets, and reinstated shortly before Musk took over, but this was the first time he’d tweeted. Naturally, Musk welcomed him back (opens in new tab) to the platform.
At the same time that Musk was inviting back Ye and the former president (and posting memes (opens in new tab) about whether or not Trump would return), he was busy promoting The World Cup, promising better coverage (opens in new tab) of the Qatar-based, global football event than anywhere else.
From the look of things, Musk is all but living at Twitter HQ as he assesses the impact of his own changes and pulls in engineers (those that remain) for all-nighters. Musk shared images on Saturday (opens in new tab) from a late-night code review with his engineers. While we were fascinated by the whiteboard, some took note of the complete lack of female representation, at least in the photos.
Looks like we’re in for another interesting week in Twitterville.
Reversals and big decisions
Like virtually every other bit of strategy Twitter owner Elon Musk has introduced to the beleaguered social media platform, they all – even the biggest ones – play out on Twitter.
After booting comedian Kathy Griffin and other parody and humor accounts, Musk said he was reinstating (opens in new tab) Griffin, Jorden Peterson, and the satirical online newspaper, The Babylon Bee.
Musk also made it clear that he is considering bringing Former President Donald Trump back, though the “decision has not yet been made.
Perhaps the even bigger news is the unveiling of a new Twitter policy, which Musk initially teased with a tweet that said “Freedom Fridays…” (opens in new tab)
The new policy quickly followed in another tweet.
“New Twitter policy is freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach. Negative/hate tweets will be max deboosted & demonetized, so no ads or other revenue to Twitter. You won’t find the tweet unless you specifically seek it out, which is no different from rest of Internet.”
Part of this appears to be allowing “hate” speech on the platform but hiding it. That still means people could see it (though maybe only if they conduct a Twitter or Google search). While this move will surely concern some and freak out advertisers, Musk’s plan is to not monetize any of these tweets.
A larger question remains. How will Musk and his team identify “Negative/hate tweets”? Those details weren’t included. Nor did Musk explain how and when a tweet might be so incendiary that it would be, say, too hateful and be removed from the platform, or get its author banned.
The flurry of tweets came shortly after reports that Musk had reversed his decision (opens in new tab) to lock Twitter’s doors on Friday and, apparently, ordered some people back to work. -Lance Ulanoff
New Twitter policy is freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach.Negative/hate tweets will be max deboosted & demonetized, so no ads or other revenue to Twitter. You won’t find the tweet unless you specifically seek it out, which is no different from rest of Internet.November 18, 2022
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Memes aside, however, Elon Musk isn’t as seemingly blasé about the situation in private. There are reports that Twitter has once again suspended staff’s badge access and that its offices are temporarily closed. Twitter’s staff have been told that offices will reopen on Monday, November 21, though they haven’t been told why access is currently restricted.
NEW: Twitter just alerted employees that effective immediately, all office buildings are temporarily closed and badge access is suspended. No details given as to why.November 17, 2022
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The current theory is that Elon Musk and senior staff at Twitter are worried that employees who have not committed to Twitter 2.0 will sabotage the platform on their way out. On top of that, it sounds like they’re also trying to work out who is leaving (and needs their office access revoked) and who is staying.
According to a Twitter post (opens in new tab) made at 9:42pm ET on November 17 (02:43am GMT / 12:43pm AEST on November 18) by Zoë Schiffer (opens in new tab) – the managing editor of Platformer – because only the names of people who said “Yes” to Twitter 2.0 have been collected it’s not immediately clear who has actually left.
We imagine Elon Musk and his cronies will also be trying to convince staff leaving critical teams to stay – especially the teams that would then have zero members without them. If discussions are ongoing this would likely add even more confusion to the situation as Musk wouldn’t want to revoke access for Twitter staff who end up staying with the company.
Well, it turns out many people at Twitter weren’t enthusiastic about the prospect of working even harder than they are now on Musk’s “Twitter 2.0”. Reportedly hundreds of staff have been posting farewell messages on Twitter’s internal Slack channels after the 5pm ET deadline passed.
According to anonymous sources who spoke to The Verge (opens in new tab) this new batch of resignations means that several “critical” teams at Twitter have lost all or nearly all of their members. This apparently includes Twitter’s traffic and frontend teams that ensure engineering requests are sent to the correct backend services, as well as the entirety of Twitter’s core system libraries team – with one employee admitting about the latter that “you cannot run Twitter without [them].”
But based on his Twitter timeline, Elon Musk is apparently pretty relaxed about the whole situation. In a tweet following this new employee exodus (opens in new tab), he said that “The best people are staying, so I’m not super worried.”
He later followed up with several memes, including one showing Twitter posing in front of its own grave.
Morning folks, we’re back with the latest Twitter news, and boy have quite a few things happened.
Following the mass layoffs that occurred at Twitter two weeks ago – when Elon Musk fired an estimated half of the platform’s workforce – he issued a demand to those that remained on Wednesday (November 16): commit to the new “extremely hardcore” work culture or leave.
Scoop: Elon Musk just sent an email to all staff outlining “Twitter 2.0″, writing it will”need to be extremely hardcore”. Long hours, high intensity. People need to click “yes” to confirm being part of this by 5pm ET tomorrow, else they get 3 months severance. More details:November 16, 2022
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Twitter staff were asked to confirm they’re committed to working longer hours and accept that “only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade” by 5pm ET on November 17 (10pm GMT, November 17 / 8am AEST, November 18), or get three months severance and leave the company.
Is that light at the end of the tunnel or will the tunnel collapse before we get there? https://t.co/CEIL9mcE1ENovember 16, 2022
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An interesting aside to Musk’s appearance at a trial earlier today, where he’s discussing (opens in new tab) a $56 billion pay package involving Tesla.
Musk has revealed that once the ‘restructuring’ is complete at Twitter, he’ll be handing it off to a new CEO.
As our Managing Editor for Entertainment, Matt Bolton quipped earlier: “He’s going to salt the earth, then ask why the next person didn’t grow anything.”
Free speech = Agree with Musk speech
Elon Musk is a “champion” of free speech and often tweets about how he wants Twitter to be a virtual public square where people can openly express their views.
However, Musk has shown little patience for comedy and, it seems almost zero tolerance for Twitter employees who disagree with him on the platform and even inside Twitter, where Twitter has its own company chat board.
According to a new report in The New York Times (opens in new tab), Musk fired a Twitter developer, Eric Frohnhoefer, who disagreed with him on Twitter (opens in new tab) about Android app performance. Musk also, the report claims, asked his team to scan the team chat board for “insubordinate staff” and then fired them, some of whom were commiserating about Frohnhoefer’s firing.
Instead of denying the report, Musk sarcastically tweeted, “I would like to apologize for firing these geniuses. Their immense talent will no doubt be of great use elsewhere.”
We’re pretty sure no one would believe any of this if it weren’t all happening before our eyes and on one of the most popular social media platforms on the planet.
–Lance Ulanoff
Punting relaunch of Blue Verified to November 29th to make sure that it is rock solidNovember 15, 2022
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If you missed out on Twitter Blue and its verification ‘feature’, Musk confirmed earlier that it’s coming back on Tuesday, November 29, around the time when Black Friday weekend is winding down.
Elon Musk invited fake Twitter employees “Rahul Ligma” and “Daniel Johnson” to the company’s HQ and pretends that he rehired them. pic.twitter.com/gC97GvvmQ3November 15, 2022
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In a strange move by Musk, this was posted where two actors, previously making out that they had been fired last month, were pictured to be with them, showing that they had been ‘rehired’.
Where’s the funny here?
According to the Washington Post (opens in new tab), Musk has sent another email to all Twitter employees, asking them to commit to a ‘Twitter 2.0’ with a ‘hardcore’ work ethic.
The message also said that those who did not sign the pledge by 5PM Eastern time Thursday, or 10PM UK time, were told that they would receive three months of severance pay.
It’s yet another demand from its staff after a turbulent five weeks, and there’s still a chance that this could be reversed by the time we head into Christmas.
Bad news, not-necessarily bad news
It probably comes as no surprise to most of you who’ve been tracking the Elon Musk Twitter saga for some time that Musk isn’t much of a listener.
According to a new Casey Newton Platformer newsletter (opens in new tab), Musk was warned in a lengthy memo before the November 9 rollout of the paid verification plan that there would be trouble.
The document, which Platform obtained, reads more like a historical document than a “what if.” It spells out how the plan would lead to the “Impersonation of world leaders, advertisers, brand partners, election officials, and other high-profile individuals.”
That is exactly what happened before Musk hit the brakes and now appears to have no follow-up plan for Twitter Blue and paid Blue Check verifications.
They also warned how the new plan would drive away current verified users. Some have left because they’re no longer protected from impersonation.
However, we have some good news. According to Newton, Twitter currently has no easy way of removing verified checks from those who choose not to pay. In other words, if you have a verified account right now (the one you got before the payment system was implemented), you might have it for a while longer, especially because Musk laid off many of the people who might help program such a change.
Included among the Twitter departed is Sachee MacCaw, a Twitter Software engineer who ruthlessly trolled Musk on Twitter, especially after he criticized how the system works on Android until he fired her (opens in new tab). —Lance Ulanoff
i spent 2 hours curating a twitter blue screenshot storyline for my parents so here u go, for your own offline friends that want to have fun:DAY 1 – ARRIVAL pic.twitter.com/aQbbSPG9JBNovember 15, 2022
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Thanks to Twitter user @Christapeterso (opens in new tab), a timeline of Elon Musk owning Twitter up until the present day is here for all to see, and it’s only when you read through this thread, that you realize so much has happened in such a short space of time.
I *think* it might now be turned back on.Still, not exactly a glorious few hours for Twitter…November 14, 2022
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We’ve started to spot some tweets of two-factor authentication not working. If you’ve put an email or a mobile number in to help verify your account when you sign in, it looks like it’s not working correctly.
The code needed to help you sign in isn’t being sent, but it looks as though it works for email for some, and not a phone number.
In any case, it’s concerning that a feature to help secure your account is starting to show bugs and refuse to work for some users.
If you’re worried, it may be best to check that email verification is switched on for your account as soon as you can.
And we will finally stop adding what device a tweet was written on (waste of screen space & compute) below every tweet. Literally no one even knows why we did that …November 14, 2022
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After a mildly-quiet Friday, Musk has been replying to a bunch of users today, with confirmation that the ‘Sent from iPhone’ message is going away.
If you’re unaware, as you’d send a tweet from an iPhone or an Android device, the tweet would state this. It’s resulted in some embarrassing moments for brands, where it would send a tweet advertising an Android device, but it would be sent from an iPhone.
So this removal could be to do with advertisements yet again, not just because Musk and his team isn’t sure why that feature has been around for years.
This is a lie. I ran this program up until a week ago when I resigned because I didn’t want to work for @elonmusk For breakfast & lunch we spent $20-$25 a day per person. This enabled employees to work thru lunchtime & mtgs. Attendance was anything from 20-50% in the offices. https://t.co/0OjbeComkaNovember 13, 2022
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Ex-Twitter employees are subtweeting Musk with corrections to his tweets, but this time, Musk replied to Tracy Hawkins here, arguing that this tweet is allegedly false.
Expect to see more of these tweets in the near future – we’re in a period where employees are feeling unsure about the company’s roadmap, and their own future at Twitter.
Scoop: Twitter went into a stricter-than-ever-before change freeze starting a few hours ago. Not only are deploys not allowed, but Git is now readonly by default (!)The mandate is coming from the infra team, “until further notice.” Here’s why this is an odd one:November 14, 2022
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If you’ve been experiencing some issues when using Twitter as some on the TechRadar team have, you’re not alone.
It also looks as though you’ll be suffering with these issues for a bit longer, as a ‘change freeze’ has been put into effect. This essentially means that any changes to the code of Twitter, from how it works to any features in development, have been paused.
SpaceX just bought a big ad campaign on Twitter for Starlink – my latest for @cnbc https://t.co/UqQpLgmwAL It’s a “takeover,” media planners. Those things usually cost in the ballpark of $250k per day.November 14, 2022
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As every day passes there seems to be something that causes an eyebrow to be raised. Elon Musk’s other company, SpaceX, has seemingly bought an ad campaign to run on Twitter for the foreseeable.
As Lora Kolodny tweets above, these usually cost in the region of $250,000 a day, but it wouldn’t be a far cry to suspect that SpaceX has received a bit of a discount compared to other companies’ ad takeovers in the past.
As the former Head of News for Twitter in India/SEAsia can say with some authority that has never been the case. And it is not even Twitter’s USP. Twitter serves as the heartbeat of the news cycle & gives news orgs valuable access to public conversations around these cycles. https://t.co/ivDy86Nk8XNovember 13, 2022
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Elon Musk tweeted his thoughts about Twitter engagement late last night, and it’s been a debatable post to say the least.
A subtweet from Raheel Khursheed caught our eye, as he explains how the social platform barely made a footprint when it came to linking to other sites.
Twitter Blues
While Twitter Blue signups are currently on pause, we might finally have some insight into how well (or not) the new program is proceeding.
According to a report in Mashable (opens in new tab), which got some Twitter Blue signup numbers from app-tracking firm Sensor Tower (opens in new tab), Twitter Blue signups generated $488,000, which is, at $8 a pop, 61,000 subscribers.
Let’s just say that’s not quite a blue wave. It’s not terrible, but Twitter has hundreds of millions of daily active users and only a fraction of them are legacy verified. We should have seen millions of people signing up for Twitter Blue, right?
If 91% of Twitter’s revenue is generated from ads (roughly $5 billion in 2021), Twitter Blue has an incredibly long way to go before it can support 50% of Twitter’s overall revenue.
As of this moment, though, there is no Twitter Blue signup, and there probably won’t be until Musk and Twitter can figure out how to get people to sign up without causing significant verification and identity issues.
This system is a joke
Over at The Washington Post, tech journalist Geoffrey Fowler (opens in new tab), with the permission of a sitting Senator and a comedian, created two fake “verified” Blue Check Twitter accounts in minutes.
Massachusetts Senator Edward J. Markey and comedian Blaire Erskine both agree to let Fowler create the fake accounts in their names.
As Fowler writes:
“Twitter has said accounts that impersonate people are not allowed and face suspension when they’re discovered. It booted comedian Kathy Griffin after she changed her Twitter screen name to Elon Musk. But there’s very little about Twitter’s new paid service that stops you from verifying a fake account. As of the time I published this column, its systems hadn’t detected these were not authentic accounts and they remained online.”
What does this prove? That there is no verification in this “verification.” Elon Musk has created a broken system (one since hidden) and that has already been gamed by others to more devastating effect.
Someone created a fake Ely Lilly And Co “verified” Twitter account and then tweeted that insulin was now free (opens in new tab). While it may have been coincidental. the real drug company’s stock did take a dive.
Yeah, it’s not great when @geoffreyfowler can set up a fake Twitter account for a U.S. Senator in minutes. (Geoff had permission from Sen. Markey.) https://t.co/YMBA9cEsUI pic.twitter.com/PE7bS6BJSqNovember 11, 2022
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Unchecking
Despite the controversy surrounding the new Blue Check process and the ability to become a Twitter Blue member suddenly disappearing from the platform, many people have already opted to pay $8 for their own Blue Check.
If, however, you’re not satisfied, you can, according to Twitter user @Dash, get a quick refund on your $8 subscription charge through Apple.
This isn’t surprising since it’s easy to unsubscribe to almost any service you’ve paid for through Apple’s App Store.
What @Dash claims, though, is that after your refund, you still get to keep the “tick” (Blue Check) for 30 days. That may or may not be so, though. While it might take some time for Apple to process the cancellation and hand it off to Twitter, it seems unlikely that the Blue Check would hang around for long.
If there’s anyone out there who did have Blue Check buyer’s remorse, canceled, and still has the tick, let us know.
So, fun fact! You can claim a refund for Twitter Blue through Apple, receive all of your money back in one day and then keep the tick for 30 days.Very cool, I’m sure that no potential bad actors will exploit this!!! pic.twitter.com/JGg6S4gnpLNovember 10, 2022
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What’s a journalist?
Lance Ulanoff hopping in here:
For Chief Twit Elon Musk, so much of the Blue Check verification mess boils down to Citizen Journalism.
Musk wants everyone on Twitter to deliver the news (nothing has stopped them up to now). However, the unlevel playing field of Blue Check haves and have-nots has created, as Musk sees it, an imbalance. With the meaning and value of Blue checks reduced to the price of an expensive cup of coffee (one per month), it means anyone can be verified and, if they report news on Twitter, have the same visibility.
Musk Tweeted Friday afternoon, “As Twitter pursues the goal of elevating citizen journalism, media elite will try everything to stop that from happening.”
In Musk’s eyes, professional journalists are the “media elite” and we’re blocking his everyone is a journalist dream.
As this tech reporter told Musk on Twitter, though, the issue is not citizen journalists, it’s that the entire Blue Check system is no longer tied to identity, quality, or any semblance of truth. Without that, no one, including his citizen journalists, can be trusted.
As Twitter pursues the goal of elevating citizen journalism, media elite will try everything to stop that from happeningNovember 11, 2022
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Here’s a reply from Musk an hour ago, where he’s enthusiastic of how Twitter Blue is going so far.
Which makes us wonder – has he gotten the memo?
People forget that pull-to-refresh was invented by Loren Brichter, and first deployed in his Tweetie app, which Twitter acquired long ago. Twitter owns a patent for it, but it’s now so commonly used that it’s impossible to imagine mobile UI without it. https://t.co/rqy5VUrnq1November 17, 2020
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I was thinking back to when I first used Twitter on my iPhone, and it was indeed Tweetie, which was bought by the company, and then turned into the app you use today.
The pull-to-refresh gesture is now a standard on many apps, such as Apple’s Safari and Mail apps.
Just to add to the chaos, Musk has now tweeted this from the Twitter HQ. While we don’t ever suggest reading too much into tweets, especially from someone as mercurial as Musk, it does perhaps give us a glimpse into the current mindset of the remaining Twitter employees…
Twitter HQ is great (this is a real pic) pic.twitter.com/qjfOQCr533November 11, 2022
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By tweeting and highlighting this, it seems that Musk is aware, though what he thinks of it is a mystery, as always.
If you’ve heard of Mastodon this week, you’re not alone. Luckily, I’ve been trying it out lately and it’s a great alternative. There are a couple of apps you can use right now on iOS and Android if you’ve already signed up to Mastodon as well.
Our US Editor-In-Chief Lance Ulanoff sent us this which reads as though he’s saying farewell to Twitter:
“I’ve met some of the coolest people on Twitter. I’ve interacted with my idols and icons and made true friends. Twitter has always worked the way my brain works – in bite-sized pieces. Honestly not sure how I’ll maintain certain friendships and connections or where I’ll post random thoughts that make me happy without it. Please, Microsoft, buy Twitter.”
NEW: Twitter has suspended the launch of Twitter Blue and is actively trying to stop people from subscribing “to help address impersonation issues,” per an internal note. 1/November 11, 2022
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Zoë Schiffer (opens in new tab), writer at Platformer, tweeted the above that a message was posted in the Twitter Slack, that confirmed the end of Twitter Blue and paid blue ticks in order to stop the impersonations, but any existing subscriptions to the service will carry on as usual.
First account is the verified official one. Second is a $8 fake thanks to the Musk subscription. Easy to tell when you look at the follower count, very, very hard to tell when shared into your feed. Impossible actually without clicking through. HT @meemalee for spotting. pic.twitter.com/uKumOYRTeINovember 10, 2022
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Another one that was sent to me from Muskaan, this tweet shows how broken the verification system under Twitter Blue was. One is the genuine Apple TV Plus account, another is a fake one.
Hopefully we’ll see a reversal of this, as it’s already confusing to tell which one is real or fake for many users.
being on Twitter right now is like playing the violin on the titanic except we are also making fun of the iceberg and the iceberg is getting genuinely madNovember 6, 2022
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Our (fantastic) Computing writer Muskaan Saxena sent me this tweet, and it’s a great analogy for how users are feeling on Twitter.
A mad iceberg in the shape of the Twitter bird is quite the image.
So where do we stand so far?
Musk has yet to react to any development to Twitter today, which is surprising. The above is, at the time of posting this, his latest tweet.
However, we’ve noticed a small change with the ticks, where it’s also blue when you’re in dark mode on the site.
An interesting read by Hamish Hector here – there’s a Chrome extension where it will tell you if a user has been verified with a blue tick, or if they’ve gained one by signing up to Twitter Blue when it was live.
Let’s be clear – there’s not going to be a replacement for Twitter. Nothing really can be, but there are potential alternatives.
With this in mind, we’ve got three for you to consider.
This was my first Tweet. I wonder what will be my last. https://t.co/pfruo5mqtUNovember 11, 2022
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Here’s our US Editor-in-Chief Lance Ulanoff showing his very first tweet back in 2007.
As it includes a bagel, it’s already a great tweet in my book. The next question for me is, could his final tweet include a bagel to round it off?
Let’s recap:
On October 30, Elon Musk, CEO and Founder of Space X, CEO of Tesla, finally took charge of Twitter after a long-winded buyout of the platform.
In under a month, we’ve seen the verification process become irrelevant and confusing due to the subscription service, Twitter Blue being able to grant any user a blue tick, and there’s also been a huge firing of staff.
On November 11, Twitter Blue was removed entirely, and there’s been silence from Musk since.
So, almost inevitably, it seems the Blue Tick verification process has been canned.
The chaos continues. Twitter pulls the plug on Twitter Blue, subscriptions and paid-for verification blue checkmark no longer available.November 11, 2022
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As the tweet above states, the chaos continues – hence why we’ve started this live blog. What is going on?
Here’s an example of how hard some of these fake accounts are to spot:
First account is the verified official one. Second is a $8 fake thanks to the Musk subscription. Easy to tell when you look at the follower count, very, very hard to tell when shared into your feed. Impossible actually without clicking through. HT @meemalee for spotting. pic.twitter.com/uKumOYRTeINovember 10, 2022
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Musk himself fell victim to this, with countless fake accounts popping up claiming to be him – and with a Blue Tick to prove it. This seemed to be the final straw, as Musk then backtracked on some of the more lax elements of the new verification process.
Going forward, accounts engaged in parody must include “parody” in their name, not just in bioNovember 11, 2022
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However, as people predicted, verified accounts started popping up on Twitter, and while many of them were obviously parodies, because they had the ‘Blue Tick’, it became difficult to tell, especially with the more subtle accounts.
Unsurprisingly, the individuals and companies that were being parodied weren’t too happy about this.
A brand new parody Twitter account that paid for verification and chose the display name of ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Josh McDaniels was fired. The credible-looking tweet received nearly 10,000 engagements. Twitter suspended the account after two hours. https://t.co/diegQfkpA1November 9, 2022
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Worryingly for Twitter, many brands started to announce that they would no longer advertise on the platform.
Despite the concerns and complaints, Musk was initially dismissive.
To all complainers, please continue complaining, but it will cost $8November 2, 2022
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By posting memes about people’s complaints, it left many people feeling that he wasn’t exactly taking the issue seriously.
Perhaps the most controversial thing to come from Musk’s Twitter takeover has been the changes to how accounts are verified.
Previously, if the verified account of a media outlet (such as TechRadar (opens in new tab)) or other organization published something, you would at least know that it came from an official source. The Blue Check also enabled Twitter users to tell the difference between the many celebrities on Twitter and users who were imitating them.
However, Musk implemented a change that would allow anyone to get verified for $8 a month.
Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.November 1, 2022
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This led to some people worrying that users could pretend to be official accounts and get easily verified, making it hard for people to tell which accounts were real – and which weren’t. And that’s exactly what happened.
Is that light at the end of the tunnel or will the tunnel collapse before we get there? https://t.co/CEIL9mcE1ENovember 16, 2022
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An interesting aside to Musk’s appearance at a trial earlier today, where he’s discussing (opens in new tab) a $56 billion pay package involving Tesla.
Musk has revealed that once the ‘restructuring’ is complete at Twitter, he’ll be handing it off to a new CEO.
As our Managing Editor for Entertainment, Matt Bolton quipped earlier: “He’s going to salt the earth, then ask why the next person didn’t grow anything.”
Free speech = Agree with Musk speech
Elon Musk is a “champion” of free speech and often tweets about how he wants Twitter to be a virtual public square where people can openly express their views.
However, Musk has shown little patience for comedy and, it seems almost zero tolerance for Twitter employees who disagree with him on the platform and even inside Twitter, where Twitter has its own company chat board.
According to a new report in The New York Times (opens in new tab), Musk fired a Twitter developer, Eric Frohnhoefer, who disagreed with him on Twitter (opens in new tab) about Android app performance. Musk also, the report claims, asked his team to scan the team chat board for “insubordinate staff” and then fired them, some of whom were commiserating about Frohnhoefer’s firing.
Instead of denying the report, Musk sarcastically tweeted, “I would like to apologize for firing these geniuses. Their immense talent will no doubt be of great use elsewhere.”
We’re pretty sure no one would believe any of this if it weren’t all happening before our eyes and on one of the most popular social media platforms on the planet.
–Lance Ulanoff
Punting relaunch of Blue Verified to November 29th to make sure that it is rock solidNovember 15, 2022
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If you missed out on Twitter Blue and its verification ‘feature’, Musk confirmed earlier that it’s coming back on Tuesday, November 29, around the time when Black Friday weekend is winding down.
Elon Musk invited fake Twitter employees “Rahul Ligma” and “Daniel Johnson” to the company’s HQ and pretends that he rehired them. pic.twitter.com/gC97GvvmQ3November 15, 2022
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In a strange move by Musk, this was posted where two actors, previously making out that they had been fired last month, were pictured to be with them, showing that they had been ‘rehired’.
Where’s the funny here?
According to the Washington Post (opens in new tab), Musk has sent another email to all Twitter employees, asking them to commit to a ‘Twitter 2.0’ with a ‘hardcore’ work ethic.
The message also said that those who did not sign the pledge by 5PM Eastern time Thursday, or 10PM UK time, were told that they would receive three months of severance pay.
It’s yet another demand from its staff after a turbulent five weeks, and there’s still a chance that this could be reversed by the time we head into Christmas.
Bad news, not-necessarily bad news
It probably comes as no surprise to most of you who’ve been tracking the Elon Musk Twitter saga for some time that Musk isn’t much of a listener.
According to a new Casey Newton Platformer newsletter (opens in new tab), Musk was warned in a lengthy memo before the November 9 rollout of the paid verification plan that there would be trouble.
The document, which Platform obtained, reads more like a historical document than a “what if.” It spells out how the plan would lead to the “Impersonation of world leaders, advertisers, brand partners, election officials, and other high-profile individuals.”
That is exactly what happened before Musk hit the brakes and now appears to have no follow-up plan for Twitter Blue and paid Blue Check verifications.
They also warned how the new plan would drive away current verified users. Some have left because they’re no longer protected from impersonation.
However, we have some good news. According to Newton, Twitter currently has no easy way of removing verified checks from those who choose not to pay. In other words, if you have a verified account right now (the one you got before the payment system was implemented), you might have it for a while longer, especially because Musk laid off many of the people who might help program such a change.
Included among the Twitter departed is Sachee MacCaw, a Twitter Software engineer who ruthlessly trolled Musk on Twitter, especially after he criticized how the system works on Android until he fired her (opens in new tab). —Lance Ulanoff
i spent 2 hours curating a twitter blue screenshot storyline for my parents so here u go, for your own offline friends that want to have fun:DAY 1 – ARRIVAL pic.twitter.com/aQbbSPG9JBNovember 15, 2022
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Thanks to Twitter user @Christapeterso (opens in new tab), a timeline of Elon Musk owning Twitter up until the present day is here for all to see, and it’s only when you read through this thread, that you realize so much has happened in such a short space of time.
I *think* it might now be turned back on.Still, not exactly a glorious few hours for Twitter…November 14, 2022
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We’ve started to spot some tweets of two-factor authentication not working. If you’ve put an email or a mobile number in to help verify your account when you sign in, it looks like it’s not working correctly.
The code needed to help you sign in isn’t being sent, but it looks as though it works for email for some, and not a phone number.
In any case, it’s concerning that a feature to help secure your account is starting to show bugs and refuse to work for some users.
If you’re worried, it may be best to check that email verification is switched on for your account as soon as you can.
And we will finally stop adding what device a tweet was written on (waste of screen space & compute) below every tweet. Literally no one even knows why we did that …November 14, 2022
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After a mildly-quiet Friday, Musk has been replying to a bunch of users today, with confirmation that the ‘Sent from iPhone’ message is going away.
If you’re unaware, as you’d send a tweet from an iPhone or an Android device, the tweet would state this. It’s resulted in some embarrassing moments for brands, where it would send a tweet advertising an Android device, but it would be sent from an iPhone.
So this removal could be to do with advertisements yet again, not just because Musk and his team isn’t sure why that feature has been around for years.
This is a lie. I ran this program up until a week ago when I resigned because I didn’t want to work for @elonmusk For breakfast & lunch we spent $20-$25 a day per person. This enabled employees to work thru lunchtime & mtgs. Attendance was anything from 20-50% in the offices. https://t.co/0OjbeComkaNovember 13, 2022
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Ex-Twitter employees are subtweeting Musk with corrections to his tweets, but this time, Musk replied to Tracy Hawkins here, arguing that this tweet is allegedly false.
Expect to see more of these tweets in the near future – we’re in a period where employees are feeling unsure about the company’s roadmap, and their own future at Twitter.
Scoop: Twitter went into a stricter-than-ever-before change freeze starting a few hours ago. Not only are deploys not allowed, but Git is now readonly by default (!)The mandate is coming from the infra team, “until further notice.” Here’s why this is an odd one:November 14, 2022
See more
If you’ve been experiencing some issues when using Twitter as some on the TechRadar team have, you’re not alone.
It also looks as though you’ll be suffering with these issues for a bit longer, as a ‘change freeze’ has been put into effect. This essentially means that any changes to the code of Twitter, from how it works to any features in development, have been paused.
SpaceX just bought a big ad campaign on Twitter for Starlink – my latest for @cnbc https://t.co/UqQpLgmwAL It’s a “takeover,” media planners. Those things usually cost in the ballpark of $250k per day.November 14, 2022
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As every day passes there seems to be something that causes an eyebrow to be raised. Elon Musk’s other company, SpaceX, has seemingly bought an ad campaign to run on Twitter for the foreseeable.
As Lora Kolodny tweets above, these usually cost in the region of $250,000 a day, but it wouldn’t be a far cry to suspect that SpaceX has received a bit of a discount compared to other companies’ ad takeovers in the past.
As the former Head of News for Twitter in India/SEAsia can say with some authority that has never been the case. And it is not even Twitter’s USP. Twitter serves as the heartbeat of the news cycle & gives news orgs valuable access to public conversations around these cycles. https://t.co/ivDy86Nk8XNovember 13, 2022
See more
Elon Musk tweeted his thoughts about Twitter engagement late last night, and it’s been a debatable post to say the least.
A subtweet from Raheel Khursheed caught our eye, as he explains how the social platform barely made a footprint when it came to linking to other sites.
Twitter Blues
While Twitter Blue signups are currently on pause, we might finally have some insight into how well (or not) the new program is proceeding.
According to a report in Mashable (opens in new tab), which got some Twitter Blue signup numbers from app-tracking firm Sensor Tower (opens in new tab), Twitter Blue signups generated $488,000, which is, at $8 a pop, 61,000 subscribers.
Let’s just say that’s not quite a blue wave. It’s not terrible, but Twitter has hundreds of millions of daily active users and only a fraction of them are legacy verified. We should have seen millions of people signing up for Twitter Blue, right?
If 91% of Twitter’s revenue is generated from ads (roughly $5 billion in 2021), Twitter Blue has an incredibly long way to go before it can support 50% of Twitter’s overall revenue.
As of this moment, though, there is no Twitter Blue signup, and there probably won’t be until Musk and Twitter can figure out how to get people to sign up without causing significant verification and identity issues.
This system is a joke
Over at The Washington Post, tech journalist Geoffrey Fowler (opens in new tab), with the permission of a sitting Senator and a comedian, created two fake “verified” Blue Check Twitter accounts in minutes.
Massachusetts Senator Edward J. Markey and comedian Blaire Erskine both agree to let Fowler create the fake accounts in their names.
As Fowler writes:
“Twitter has said accounts that impersonate people are not allowed and face suspension when they’re discovered. It booted comedian Kathy Griffin after she changed her Twitter screen name to Elon Musk. But there’s very little about Twitter’s new paid service that stops you from verifying a fake account. As of the time I published this column, its systems hadn’t detected these were not authentic accounts and they remained online.”
What does this prove? That there is no verification in this “verification.” Elon Musk has created a broken system (one since hidden) and that has already been gamed by others to more devastating effect.
Someone created a fake Ely Lilly And Co “verified” Twitter account and then tweeted that insulin was now free (opens in new tab). While it may have been coincidental. the real drug company’s stock did take a dive.
Yeah, it’s not great when @geoffreyfowler can set up a fake Twitter account for a U.S. Senator in minutes. (Geoff had permission from Sen. Markey.) https://t.co/YMBA9cEsUI pic.twitter.com/PE7bS6BJSqNovember 11, 2022
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Unchecking
Despite the controversy surrounding the new Blue Check process and the ability to become a Twitter Blue member suddenly disappearing from the platform, many people have already opted to pay $8 for their own Blue Check.
If, however, you’re not satisfied, you can, according to Twitter user @Dash, get a quick refund on your $8 subscription charge through Apple.
This isn’t surprising since it’s easy to unsubscribe to almost any service you’ve paid for through Apple’s App Store.
What @Dash claims, though, is that after your refund, you still get to keep the “tick” (Blue Check) for 30 days. That may or may not be so, though. While it might take some time for Apple to process the cancellation and hand it off to Twitter, it seems unlikely that the Blue Check would hang around for long.
If there’s anyone out there who did have Blue Check buyer’s remorse, canceled, and still has the tick, let us know.
So, fun fact! You can claim a refund for Twitter Blue through Apple, receive all of your money back in one day and then keep the tick for 30 days.Very cool, I’m sure that no potential bad actors will exploit this!!! pic.twitter.com/JGg6S4gnpLNovember 10, 2022
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What’s a journalist?
Lance Ulanoff hopping in here:
For Chief Twit Elon Musk, so much of the Blue Check verification mess boils down to Citizen Journalism.
Musk wants everyone on Twitter to deliver the news (nothing has stopped them up to now). However, the unlevel playing field of Blue Check haves and have-nots has created, as Musk sees it, an imbalance. With the meaning and value of Blue checks reduced to the price of an expensive cup of coffee (one per month), it means anyone can be verified and, if they report news on Twitter, have the same visibility.
Musk Tweeted Friday afternoon, “As Twitter pursues the goal of elevating citizen journalism, media elite will try everything to stop that from happening.”
In Musk’s eyes, professional journalists are the “media elite” and we’re blocking his everyone is a journalist dream.
As this tech reporter told Musk on Twitter, though, the issue is not citizen journalists, it’s that the entire Blue Check system is no longer tied to identity, quality, or any semblance of truth. Without that, no one, including his citizen journalists, can be trusted.
As Twitter pursues the goal of elevating citizen journalism, media elite will try everything to stop that from happeningNovember 11, 2022
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Here’s a reply from Musk an hour ago, where he’s enthusiastic of how Twitter Blue is going so far.
Which makes us wonder – has he gotten the memo?
People forget that pull-to-refresh was invented by Loren Brichter, and first deployed in his Tweetie app, which Twitter acquired long ago. Twitter owns a patent for it, but it’s now so commonly used that it’s impossible to imagine mobile UI without it. https://t.co/rqy5VUrnq1November 17, 2020
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I was thinking back to when I first used Twitter on my iPhone, and it was indeed Tweetie, which was bought by the company, and then turned into the app you use today.
The pull-to-refresh gesture is now a standard on many apps, such as Apple’s Safari and Mail apps.
Just to add to the chaos, Musk has now tweeted this from the Twitter HQ. While we don’t ever suggest reading too much into tweets, especially from someone as mercurial as Musk, it does perhaps give us a glimpse into the current mindset of the remaining Twitter employees…
Twitter HQ is great (this is a real pic) pic.twitter.com/qjfOQCr533November 11, 2022
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By tweeting and highlighting this, it seems that Musk is aware, though what he thinks of it is a mystery, as always.
If you’ve heard of Mastodon this week, you’re not alone. Luckily, I’ve been trying it out lately and it’s a great alternative. There are a couple of apps you can use right now on iOS and Android if you’ve already signed up to Mastodon as well.
Our US Editor-In-Chief Lance Ulanoff sent us this which reads as though he’s saying farewell to Twitter:
“I’ve met some of the coolest people on Twitter. I’ve interacted with my idols and icons and made true friends. Twitter has always worked the way my brain works – in bite-sized pieces. Honestly not sure how I’ll maintain certain friendships and connections or where I’ll post random thoughts that make me happy without it. Please, Microsoft, buy Twitter.”
NEW: Twitter has suspended the launch of Twitter Blue and is actively trying to stop people from subscribing “to help address impersonation issues,” per an internal note. 1/November 11, 2022
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Zoë Schiffer (opens in new tab), writer at Platformer, tweeted the above that a message was posted in the Twitter Slack, that confirmed the end of Twitter Blue and paid blue ticks in order to stop the impersonations, but any existing subscriptions to the service will carry on as usual.
First account is the verified official one. Second is a $8 fake thanks to the Musk subscription. Easy to tell when you look at the follower count, very, very hard to tell when shared into your feed. Impossible actually without clicking through. HT @meemalee for spotting. pic.twitter.com/uKumOYRTeINovember 10, 2022
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Another one that was sent to me from Muskaan, this tweet shows how broken the verification system under Twitter Blue was. One is the genuine Apple TV Plus account, another is a fake one.
Hopefully we’ll see a reversal of this, as it’s already confusing to tell which one is real or fake for many users.
being on Twitter right now is like playing the violin on the titanic except we are also making fun of the iceberg and the iceberg is getting genuinely madNovember 6, 2022
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Our (fantastic) Computing writer Muskaan Saxena sent me this tweet, and it’s a great analogy for how users are feeling on Twitter.
A mad iceberg in the shape of the Twitter bird is quite the image.
So where do we stand so far?
Musk has yet to react to any development to Twitter today, which is surprising. The above is, at the time of posting this, his latest tweet.
However, we’ve noticed a small change with the ticks, where it’s also blue when you’re in dark mode on the site.
An interesting read by Hamish Hector here – there’s a Chrome extension where it will tell you if a user has been verified with a blue tick, or if they’ve gained one by signing up to Twitter Blue when it was live.
Let’s be clear – there’s not going to be a replacement for Twitter. Nothing really can be, but there are potential alternatives.
With this in mind, we’ve got three for you to consider.
This was my first Tweet. I wonder what will be my last. https://t.co/pfruo5mqtUNovember 11, 2022
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Here’s our US Editor-in-Chief Lance Ulanoff showing his very first tweet back in 2007.
As it includes a bagel, it’s already a great tweet in my book. The next question for me is, could his final tweet include a bagel to round it off?
Let’s recap:
On October 30, Elon Musk, CEO and Founder of Space X, CEO of Tesla, finally took charge of Twitter after a long-winded buyout of the platform.
In under a month, we’ve seen the verification process become irrelevant and confusing due to the subscription service, Twitter Blue being able to grant any user a blue tick, and there’s also been a huge firing of staff.
On November 11, Twitter Blue was removed entirely, and there’s been silence from Musk since.
So, almost inevitably, it seems the Blue Tick verification process has been canned.
The chaos continues. Twitter pulls the plug on Twitter Blue, subscriptions and paid-for verification blue checkmark no longer available.November 11, 2022
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As the tweet above states, the chaos continues – hence why we’ve started this live blog. What is going on?
Here’s an example of how hard some of these fake accounts are to spot:
First account is the verified official one. Second is a $8 fake thanks to the Musk subscription. Easy to tell when you look at the follower count, very, very hard to tell when shared into your feed. Impossible actually without clicking through. HT @meemalee for spotting. pic.twitter.com/uKumOYRTeINovember 10, 2022
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Musk himself fell victim to this, with countless fake accounts popping up claiming to be him – and with a Blue Tick to prove it. This seemed to be the final straw, as Musk then backtracked on some of the more lax elements of the new verification process.
Going forward, accounts engaged in parody must include “parody” in their name, not just in bioNovember 11, 2022
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However, as people predicted, verified accounts started popping up on Twitter, and while many of them were obviously parodies, because they had the ‘Blue Tick’, it became difficult to tell, especially with the more subtle accounts.
Unsurprisingly, the individuals and companies that were being parodied weren’t too happy about this.
A brand new parody Twitter account that paid for verification and chose the display name of ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Josh McDaniels was fired. The credible-looking tweet received nearly 10,000 engagements. Twitter suspended the account after two hours. https://t.co/diegQfkpA1November 9, 2022
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Worryingly for Twitter, many brands started to announce that they would no longer advertise on the platform.
Despite the concerns and complaints, Musk was initially dismissive.
To all complainers, please continue complaining, but it will cost $8November 2, 2022
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By posting memes about people’s complaints, it left many people feeling that he wasn’t exactly taking the issue seriously.
Perhaps the most controversial thing to come from Musk’s Twitter takeover has been the changes to how accounts are verified.
Previously, if the verified account of a media outlet (such as TechRadar (opens in new tab)) or other organization published something, you would at least know that it came from an official source. The Blue Check also enabled Twitter users to tell the difference between the many celebrities on Twitter and users who were imitating them.
However, Musk implemented a change that would allow anyone to get verified for $8 a month.
Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month.November 1, 2022
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This led to some people worrying that users could pretend to be official accounts and get easily verified, making it hard for people to tell which accounts were real – and which weren’t. And that’s exactly what happened.
Web hosting (opens in new tab) services are an essential part of any business’s infrastructure. No matter what industry you’re in, the right web host can help your site stand out from competitors and give customers confidence in the service you offer on your website. With so many options of hosting available these days, choosing the right host could become overwhelming.
Without the right web hosting service, your online business can’t survive in this new and fast-paced environment. There are two types of services you need to consider when making a decision; Managed vs Unmanaged Hosting Services. But which one will work best for you?
What is managed hosting?
Managed web hosting (opens in new tab) is a type of hosting where the provider manages all aspects of the server for the customer. This includes things like security, updates, and performance. The main benefit of managed hosting is that it takes away the hassle of managing a server for businesses or individuals who may not have the time or expertise to do so.
This can free up valuable resources that can be better spent on other areas of their business. For businesses that rely heavily on their website, managed hosting can be a lifesaver. It ensures that their site will always be running smoothly, without downtime.
Overall, managed hosting is a great solution for businesses or individuals who want to focus on their core business goals, without having to worry about the technical aspects of their website.
What is unmanaged hosting?
Unmanaged hosting is a type of web hosting in which the customer is responsible for the management and maintenance of their own server. This includes tasks such as installing and configuring software, monitoring system performance and keeping the server secure. Unmanaged hosting is often less expensive than managed hosting, but it requires more technical expertise to set up and maintain.
For businesses that don’t have the resources to manage their own servers, managed hosting can be a good option. Managed hosting providers will take care of all the technical details for you, so you can focus on running your business. However, managed hosting can be more expensive than unmanaged hosting.
When choosing a web host, it’s important to consider your needs and budget to find the best option for your business. If you’re not sure which type of hosting is right for you, contact a web hosting provider and they can help you decide.
Managed vs unmanaged web hosting: Pros and cons
When it comes to web hosting, you have two main options: managed and unmanaged. Both come with their own set of pros and cons that you should take into account before making a decision. Here’s a quick rundown of each option:
Managed web hosting is an excellent option for those who want a hassle-free experience. Your web host will take care of all the technical aspects of running your website, from security updates to server maintenance. This leaves you free to focus on other aspects of your business. However, managed hosting can be more expensive than unmanaged hosting.
Unmanaged web hosting gives you more control over your website. You’ll be responsible for maintaining your own server and keeping it up to date. This can be a lot of work, but it also gives you the flexibility to customize your server to your specific needs. Unmanaged hosting is usually cheaper than managed hosting, but it may not be the best option for those who are new to web hosting.
Figuring out which option is best for you depends on your needs and preferences. If you want a hassle-free experience, managed web hosting is a great option. However, if you’re looking for more control over your website, unmanaged web hosting may be a better choice. Whichever option you choose, make sure to do your research to ensure that you’re getting the best possible deal.
Managed vs unmanaged web hosting: Which is better for your business?
If you have a simple website that doesn’t require much in the way of special features or customization, then an unmanaged web hosting plan may be a better option for you. On the other hand, if you have a more complex website that requires a lot of control over its server environment, then a managed web hosting plan would likely be a better fit. Ultimately, it’s important to evaluate your specific needs in order to determine which type of web hosting plan is best for your business.
Another factor to consider when choosing between managed and unmanaged web hosting plans is the level of support that you need. Managed web hosting plans typically include 24/7 support from experienced technicians, while unmanaged plans typically do not. If you are comfortable managing your own server, then an unmanaged plan may be a better option for you. However, if you need assistance with server administration or other technical tasks, then a managed web hosting plan would likely be a better choice.
Regarding pricing, managed web hosting plans tend to be more expensive than unmanaged plans. This is due to the fact that managed plans include around-the-clock support from experienced technicians. If you are comfortable managing your own server and don’t need this level of support, then an unmanaged web hosting plan may be a more cost-effective option for you.
What benefits can Managed Hosting offer to my website?
Managed hosting offers a number of benefits compared to standard web hosting:
1. Backups
Backups are paramount – as if there is no back-up, there is a risk that you could lose your site completely. If anything should happen on your website or database that causes it to stop functioning, a good web hosting company should be able to restore the files or database from backups. You should check that your hosting company is making daily backups, and keeping them to at least seven days.
2. Support
Probably one of the most important differences between different hosting companies is the level of support you will receive. It is important that you are able to contact a team of people who are ready to respond to queries, and that there is always someone available to answer your questions. Why not contact a few providers by phone, live chat (opens in new tab) or email, to see how they respond? If the pre-sales team is able to respond to your queries efficiently and promptly then it’s a good bet they will be able to support you properly.
3. Fully Managed Service
A managed hosting service will enable you run your business without worrying about your website. Your provider should also be able to assist you with third party applications, and should be happy to talk to your website developers if there should be any technical issues.
They will manage all aspects of your site behind the scenes. For example, they will ensure that the operating system is fully up to date and secure. They will also be able to customize the server to your exact requirements, if needed. Their service should include monitoring to deal with any issues that might arise.
A good hosting company will provide a migration service to help you move away from your current provider, and will be able to offer advice and recommendations as to how you might improve the performance of your site.
4. Security
Security is a major part of any web hosting service. A hosting company should ensure that the server you are hosted on is fully managed from a security standpoint. There should be a local firewall installed as standard, and it is a good idea to ask the provider if they actively scan your website for malware and security risks. They may also have a way of blocking unauthorized attempts to gain access to the control panel.
5. Application Support
If your website has special requirements or uses older software components, a managed service should be able to cover these, and the company should be able to configure a server to accommodate your needs. Some of the popular applications offered by managed web hosts include:
Analytics to monitor, measure, and report on the performance of your website
Ad management with apps such as OSClass and Yclass, the two popular options for creating effective custom campaigns
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) apps to give all your business departments a unified view of your customers
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications to manage and automate business processes
eCommerce apps like AlegroCart, AbanteCart, X-Cart, and others to help you roll out your eCommerce website.
Development frameworks like Bootstrap, Symfony, and Laravel to help you develop web apps
It is a good idea to ask your chosen provider whether they will support third party companies, as some providers will not offer this. If you should have a problem and need a developer or a software vendor to assist with technical queries, you may need your hosting company to contact them directly to resolve a problem.
6. Migration
Another critical task that good web hosts will be able to assist you with is migration. If you change hosts, the process to export all your data and apps from the previous installation to the new one without any significant downtime, is a cumbersome process. However some of the popular web host providers can take the sting out of the process and help you bring over your data without much fuss.
Phishing attacks are on the rise, and they’re increasingly costly for businesses. PhishLabs reported that in 2021, attacks increased 28% over the previous year (opens in new tab). Today, a large number of cyberattacks begin with phishing emails.
That means malicious emails should be top of mind for businesses. However, many companies still don’t quite understand the breadth and scope of the phishing problem, the potential risks, or even what phishing truly is.
You might also want to check out Microsoft replaced as the most-phished company by a surprising entrant.
What counts as phishing?
Any attempt to obtain information or money using a fraudulent email counts as phishing. Phishing emails spoof the look and feel of an actual email message from a trusted source — a person or, more often, a company such as Amazon, Google, or PayPal. These emails create a sense of urgency for users to follow a link to a page where they will enter their passwords to prevent an adverse event — like their email account being shut down or a fraudulent charge being processed — or to double-check an account balance.
Once they log in, their information may be stolen, or their computer could be infected with malware or ransomware. In some cases, cybercriminals use the data to hack into accounts, pocket money, or make fraudulent purchases.
Phishing scams usually include link manipulation — using misspelled URLs similar to legitimate ones. Often, phishers use images embedded in emails instead of text to help evade filters. More sophisticated approaches may involve a covert redirect that uses a login popup on a legitimate website.
There are a few common approaches:
Spear phishing is an attack directed at a specific individual or company. These attacks usually involve gathering information about the target or targets ahead of time to better craft phishing emails to manipulate potential victims.
Clone phishing uses a legitimate and previously delivered email with an attachment or link that has its content and address cloned. The link/attachment is replaced with a malicious site or dangerous attachment.
Whaling attacks are directed at senior executives or other high-profile targets. These scams usually take the form of important business or legal emails and have even included forged subpoenas.
SMS phishing, or smishing, uses cell phone text messages to skim personal information from recipients.
Low-tech security strategies
While email filters and other security technologies can help block phishing emails from getting to your customers’ inboxes, the criminals behind these scams are constantly updating their techniques to avoid detection. Phishing relies heavily on psychological manipulation, and end-users are the weakest link.
Even basic, low-tech strategies can help you protect your business and your customers from the costs and consequences of a phishing attack. Those include:
Training
Provide end-user awareness training to help staff recognize the tell-tale signs of phishing – misspelled website names, oddly named attachments, etc. In addition, employees should “hover” over sender names in emails and embedded links to make sure they match the origin account or a legitimate website.
Make sure they also know best practices, like never logging into a website they reached via an email link.
Designated Email Addresses
If the business regularly receives legitimate emails for financial transactions, it could set up specific email addresses just for those requests. Limit the exposure of these addresses on public sites, which can help reduce their target footprint when it comes to phishing.
Code Names/Code Words
Code names aren’t just for spies. For example, employees or clients could establish specific email formats or code words for correspondence to let the recipient know the email was legitimate.
Enforce Email Policies
Set up policies to minimize the number of sensitive transactions that occur via email. If employees know that financial authorizations should only be made in person or over the phone, it’s unlikely they’ll fall for a phishing attempt to get them to do so via email.
Phishing is a growing and constantly evolving threat, so it is vital to stay updated on the latest threats and what steps your organization can take to mitigate these attacks.
Jason Howells, vice-president, MSP international sales at Barracuda MSP (opens in new tab)
See also the best antivirus programs and best malware removal tool.
The relationship between web hosting services and SEO is one that must be explored in order to grow your online presence. There are many factors to consider when trying to determine how web hosting can impact your SEO efforts.
In this article, we will explore some of the ways that web hosting can affect SEO and offer some tips on how to ensure that your web hosting is not negatively impacting your SEO.
How does web hosting affect your website’s SEO?
Many factors affect website SEO, and web hosting is one of them. Website speed, uptime, and security are all important factors for SEO, and these are all things that can be affected by your web host. Choosing a good web host is an important part of optimizing your website for search engines.
Here are some ways that web hosting can affect website SEO:
Website speed: One of the most important ranking factors for SEO is website speed. Web hosting can affect website speed in several ways. If your web host has slow servers, your website will likely load slowly for visitors.
This can lead to a higher bounce rate, which will hurt your rankings. Additionally, if your website is down frequently due to server problems, this will also negatively impact your SEO.
Uptime: Another important factor for SEO is uptime. If your website is down often, search engines will take notice and this will hurt your rankings. A good web host will have reliable servers with minimal downtime.
Security: Website security is also an important factor for SEO. If your website is hacked or compromised, this can lead to a drop in your rankings. A good web host will offer features like malware scanning and DDoS protection to help keep your website safe.
Location: The location of your server can affect your website’s SEO. If you want to target a specific country or region, it’s best to choose a web host that has servers in that area. This way, your website will load faster for visitors in that area, and your site will be more likely to show up in search results for those regions.
Website SEO strategy tips
SEO is a long-term marketing strategy that helps you improve your visibility and organic traffic from search engines. It involves optimizing your website so that it ranks higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for certain queries related to your business.
To create an effective SEO strategy, you need to understand how search engines work and what factors they use to rank websites. You also need to be familiar with the latest trends and best practices in SEO.
Here are some tips to help you create an effective SEO strategy:
Understand how search engines work
The first step to creating an effective SEO strategy is to understand how search engines work. A search engine is a software program that searches the internet for websites based on certain keywords or phrases that users enter into the search bar.
The results of the search are displayed in a SERP, which stands for search engine results page. The websites that appear on the first page of the SERP are typically the most relevant and authoritative websites for a particular query.
Search engines use complex algorithms to determine which websites should appear on the first page of the SERP. These algorithms take into account a variety of factors, including the quality and relevance of the website’s content, as well as the number of other websites that link to it.
Do your keyword research
To ensure that your website appears in the SERP for relevant queries, you need to do keyword research. This involves finding out what keywords or phrases people are using to search for businesses like yours.
There are many tools that you can use to do keyword research, such as Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Moz Keyword Explorer. Once you’ve identified relevant keywords, you can include them in your website’s content, titles, and meta tags.
Optimize your website’s content
One of the most important factors that search engines use to rank websites is the quality of the content. This means that you need to make sure your website’s content is well-written, informative, and relevant to your business.
In addition to writing high-quality content, you also need to optimize it for search engines. This can be done by including relevant keywords throughout your content and using keyword-rich titles and meta tags.
Promote your website on social media
Another important factor that search engines take into account when ranking websites is social media engagement. This means that if your website is active on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, it is more likely to rank higher in the SERP.
How your website’s uptime affects SEO
Uptime is important for two reasons when it comes to SEO. The first is that if your site is down, people cannot access your content. This means that they cannot read what you have to say or find out about your products and services.
Secondly, Google and other search engines will not index your site if it is down, which means that your site will not show up in search results. This can have a negative effect on your traffic and your ranking.
There are a few things you can do to help ensure that your website stays up and running:
– Use a reliable web hosting service: A good web hosting service will keep your website up and running most of the time. Do some research to find a web host that has a good reputation for uptime.
– Monitor your website regularly: Use a service like Pingdom or Uptime Robot to monitor your website’s uptime. This way, you’ll be alerted if your website goes down, and you can take action to get it back up and running as quickly as possible.
– Use a caching plugin: A caching plugin will speed up your website and reduce the strain on your server. This can help to prevent your website from going down due to high traffic levels.
– Optimize your website for performance: Make sure that your website is optimized for performance. This includes using a fast WordPress theme and optimizing your images.
– Keep your WordPress version up to date: Always keep your WordPress version up to date. Outdated versions of WordPress are more susceptible to security vulnerabilities, which could lead to your website being hacked.
There are many different SEO tools available on the market, each offering its own set of features and benefits. However, not all SEO tools are created equal, and it’s important to choose the right tool for your specific needs.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing an SEO tool:
Ease of Use: One of the most important factors to consider when choosing an SEO tool is ease of use. The last thing you want is to spend hours trying to figure out how to use a complex tool when there are simpler ones available.
Functionality: Another important factor to consider is functionality. Make sure the SEO tool you choose offers the features and options you need to get the job done.
Cost: SEO tools can range in price from free to hundreds of dollars per month. It’s important to find a tool that fits your budget and offers the features you need.
Support: If you run into any problems while using an SEO tool, it’s important to have access to quality support. Otherwise, you may be left frustrated and unable to get the most out of the tool.
Why is hosting important for SEO? Why is hosting important for SEO? Why is hosting important for SEO? Search engine algorithms are constantly changing, so it’s important to choose an SEO tool that offers regular updates. This way, you can be sure you’re always using the most up-to-date version of the tool.
Why is hosting important for SEO?
Hosting is important for SEO because it can affect your website’s load speed, which is a ranking factor for search engines. A faster website means better search engine rankings and happier visitors.
Additionally, hosting can impact your website’s security, which is also important for both search engines and visitors. A secure website is more likely to rank higher in search results and is less likely to be visited by malicious bots or hackers.
Finally, good web hosting can improve your website’s uptime or the amount of time that it is accessible online. This is important because if your website is down, search engines will not be able to index it and visitors will not be able to access it. Good hosting ensures that your website is always up and running so that you never lose out on traffic or search engine rankings.
Get SEO right
Web hosting can impact SEO in several ways. Website speed, uptime, security, and location are all important factors that can be affected by your web host.
Choosing a good web host is an important part of optimizing your website for search engines. Make sure to consider all of the factors that can affect your SEO when selecting a web host for your website.
When it comes to choosing a web hosting company, there are many things you need to take into account. In this article, we will go over some of the most critical factors you need to consider when making your decision. We hope that after reading this, you can make an informed decision on which company is right for you.
How to choose the best web hosting provider for you
Choosing the best web hosting provider for your needs can be daunting, especially if you are not familiar with the different types of web hosting available. To help you, we have compiled a list of things to look for when choosing a web hosting provider.
Reliability and uptime: One of the most important considerations when choosing a web hosting provider. Research the company’s past uptime record to understand its reliability. In addition, find out what kind of guarantees they offer in terms of uptime.
Customer support: Another important consideration is customer support. Find out what kind of support the company offers and how easy it is to get in touch with them. In addition, find out what hours they are available and whether or not they offer 24/7 support.
Features: When choosing a web hosting provider, check what features they offer. You should look for unlimited storage and bandwidth, free domain name, email accounts, website builder, and ecommerce platform features.
Pricing: Of course, pricing is also essential when choosing a web hosting provider. Make sure to compare the different plans offered by the various providers to find one that fits your budget. In addition, don’t forget to factor in additional costs such as domain registrar and SSL certificates.
Types of web servers
Shared servers are the most common and affordable server type on the market. A shared server shares its resources with other websites, such as CPU, RAM, and disk space. Shared servers are a good option for small businesses and personal websites that do not receive a lot of traffic.
A dedicated server is a physical server reserved for your website only. Dedicated servers provide more power and flexibility than shared servers but are also more expensive.
A virtual private server (VPS) is a hybrid of a shared server and a dedicated server. Like a dedicated server, a VPS provides your resources, such as CPU, RAM, and disk space. However, these resources are divided between several different websites, so you don’t have complete control over the server.
A cloud server is a type of VPS that uses resources from a network of servers. This allows for more flexibility and scalability than a traditional VPS, as you can add or remove resources as needed.
Pros and cons of building your own website
Of course, the most prominent benefit to building your own website is the price. Sitting behind a laptop, choosing a service and taking to building the site yourself is without a doubt the cheapest option, although this does vary depending on what you want your site to do.
One of the most frustrating things about building your own website is the fact that it can be quite a complicated process. Where some providers may state you could be up and running in less than an hour, realistically, to get your website working well and effectively portraying your brand in a unique way, this will take time and patience.
Aside from the aforementioned points, there are other pros and cons to building your own website, which include:
Pros
– You have complete control over your website and its content – You can save money by building your own website – You can choose the design, layout, and overall look of your website – You can add or remove features and functionality as you see fit – You can track visitors and see how they interact with your site. This information can be used to improve the user experience on your site
Cons
– Building your website can be time-consuming and frustrating, especially if you’re unfamiliar with web design and development – You need technical skills and knowledge to build a website from scratch – If you make changes to your website, there’s a chance that something could go wrong and break the site. This is why it’s essential to have a site backup before making any changes – Depending on the type of website you want to build, buying the necessary hosting, domain name, and software can be expensive – You need to spend time and effort updating and maintaining your website regularly. Otherwise, it will start to look dated and neglected – There’s always a risk that your website could be hacked or attacked by malware. This is why it’s essential to keep your site secure and up-to-date
5 things to consider before picking a web hosting provider
Hosting your site with a web hosting provider is an essential step to ensuring your site is available to your audience. There are many things to consider when choosing a provider, but these five considerations are some of the most important:
Reliability
You want to choose a reliable web hosting provider that will keep your site up and running. You don’t want to choose a provider with frequent downtime or unreliable downtime.
Customer Support
Customer support is vital in case you have any issues with your hosting account or if you need help with something.
Pricing
Pricing is important to consider when choosing a web hosting provider. You want to find a provider that has a reasonable price for the features and services you need.
Features
Features are important to consider when choosing a web hosting provider. You want to ensure the provider has the features you need for your website. If you need specific features like unlimited storage or bandwidth, make sure the provider offers those features.
Ease of Use
Ease of use is important when choosing a web hosting provider. You want to choose a provider that is easy to use and has a good control panel.
These are just a few things to consider when choosing a web hosting provider. When you take the time to consider all your options, you can choose the best web hosting provider for your needs.
Choosing free web hosting
Many web hosting providers are vying for your attention, and it can be hard to decide which is suitable for you and your website. One option you may be considering is free website hosting. While there are some advantages to this hosting, there are also some potential drawbacks that you should be aware of before making your final decision.
Pros
Cost: This is the biggest advantage of free web hosting. If you are on a tight budget or just starting with your first website, free hosting can help you get started without breaking the bank.
No long-term commitment: Many free web hosting providers do not require a long-term contract like most paid providers. This means you can cancel at any time without penalty.
Easy to set up – Free web hosting providers typically offer easy-to-use control panels that make it simple to get your website up and running with just a few clicks.
Cons
Limited storage and bandwidth: One of the biggest downsides of free web hosting is the limited storage space and bandwidth you receive. This can be problematic if you have a lot of images, videos, or other large files on your website or get a lot of traffic to your site.
Ads – To subsidize the cost of free hosting, many providers will place ads on your website. This can be distracting and annoying for your visitors and make your site look unprofessional.
Limited features – Another downside of free web hosting is that you often have access to fewer features and tools than you would with a paid provider. This can limit what you can do with your website and make it more challenging to grow your business online.
Poor customer support: Since free web hosting providers are not making money from you, they may not offer the same level of customer support as a paid provider. This means you may have to rely on online forums or other users for help if you encounter any problems.
Large national web hosting providers
When it comes to choosing a web hosting company, there are a lot of things to consider. But one of the most important factors is finding a provider to offer you the best possible price for your specific needs. And that’s where large national web hosting providers come in.
These companies have the buying power to get discounts from Internet service providers (ISPs) and pass those savings on to you. They also have the resources to invest in infrastructure and support staff. That means you’re more likely to get reliable service and support when you need it.
Pros of choosing a national provider
Reliability: National companies have the resources to invest in reliable infrastructure.
Support: National companies usually have better support because they can afford to hire more support staff.
Scalability: National companies can afford to invest in infrastructure that can scale as their needs grow.
Cons of choosing a national provider
Cost: National companies tend to be more expensive than local providers.
Inflexibility: National companies may not be as flexible as local providers when customizing plans and services.
Lock-in – You may be locked into a long-term contract with a national provider, making it difficult to switch to another provider if you’re unhappy with the service.
Small local web hosting providers
Small local web hosting providers are an excellent option for businesses that want to keep their web presence local.
Pros of choosing a small local web hosting provider
You can get personal service and support.
Small local web hosts often offer lower prices than larger national or international companies.
They may offer additional services such as website design, development, and marketing.
Small local web hosting providers often have a good understanding of the needs of small businesses and can tailor their services to meet those needs.
Cons of choosing a small local web hosting provider
Limited features.
They may not have the same level of experience or expertise as larger companies.
Poor customer service or support.
They may not offer a money-back guarantee or another type of satisfaction guarantee.
An exception to the above
There are, however, exceptions to what has already been said. There are a few UK web design companies out there that fall into the ‘large national provider’ category; however, like to stand out from the rest thanks to being a web design franchise (opens in new tab) meaning they having a network of regional consultant which makes everything much easier and personal when it comes to getting your website built.
So, the key takeaways are to decide if you have the time and skillset to build you own website and then decide which company to use to get your online presence established.
Be sure to do your research and check out any reviews about the companies your considering working with.
Conclude on the right web hosting service
It is important to do your research when choosing a web hosting company. Make sure to read reviews and compare pricing. Be sure to ask about uptime guarantees and customer support options.
Also, find out what kind of security measures are in place. Choosing a reputable and reliable web hosting company is essential for ensuring that your website runs smoothly and reliably. Do your research before making a final decision.
The end of an era is upon us, as Internet Explorer is finally retired after more than 26 years of service, both good and bad.
Announced last year, the official retirement of Internet Explorer on June 15, 2022, comes 26 years and 10 months (9,801 days, to be exact) after its release on August 15, 1995, back when the public-facing Internet was in its infancy.
From almost the very beginning, it courted controversy. After the launch of Windows 95 (also in August 1995), Microsoft started bundling Internet Explorer with OEM versions of the operating system.
This meant that if you bought a new computer at a time when everyone was buying a new computer, you almost certainly booted it up with a copy of Microsoft’s web browser already installed and set as the default program for interacting with the Internet.
This, of course, is what got Microsoft into trouble with the US government, who lodged a successful antitrust action against the company (United States v. Microsoft) that ultimately forced Microsoft to allow OEMs to install the web browsers of their choice on the machines they shipped.
That strategy was nonetheless successful, and by the turn of the millennium, if you weren’t using some legacy intermediary like AOL, Internet Explorer was how almost everyone else entered the internet, and it was unfathomable that this could change.
Microsoft Internet Explorer loses its edge
Internet Explorer 6 was released in 2001 around the time of the final settlement of Microsoft’s antitrust case, and it didn’t receive a major feature updated for several critical years thereafter.
Internet Explorer was by then the dominant web browser the world over, so Microsoft probably thought it could rest on its laurels. This proved consequential for two reasons: ActiveX Controls and Mozilla Firefox.
ActiveX Controls were a feature of Internet Explorer since 1996 that allowed web pages to package executable code into HTML that would run on client-side machines (i.e., your computer) without any user intervention. While this arguably made the internet a richer experience than simple web pages could produce, it also became a security nightmare almost immediately — one that Internet Explorer could never shake off.
Then in 2004, Mozilla Firefox, one of the first major open-source projects on the internet, was released, offering tabbed web browsing, extension support and no ActiveX Control vulnerabilities. As users flocked to Firefox, and a few years later to Google Chrome, Internet Explorer offered little in the way of updates until 2007, with Internet Explorer 7, but by then it was pretty much over. Firefox, and then Chrome, would eventually come to overshadow Internet Explorer and drive down its once dominant market share to once unthinkable lows from which it never recovered.
Microsoft Internet Explorer slouches towards retirement
By 2015, when Microsoft released the new Microsoft Edge browser, it was all but begging Internet Explorer customers to switch, especially those still running Windows XP with Internet Explorer 6, which were mostly businesses and institutions, despite it being riddled with unpatchable vulnerabilities in the evolving, modern Internet.
Finally, after announcing it was axing Windows XP support to get hold-outs to switch, Microsoft announced last year that it was pulling the plug on Internet Explorer as well.
That time has finally come. As of now, Internet Explorer – that once all-powerful ruler of the internet – is no longer being supported on most operating systems, with very limited extended security updates for certain enterprise services with extended support agreements Microsoft is contractually obligated to honor. But even those will be done by the end of 2023.
It’s done. It’s over. You don’t have to go to Edge, but you stay with Internet Explorer at your own risk.
It’s wasn’t all bad times, though
Internet Explorer deserved the reputation it earned for security vulnerabilities. You could click on a URL in a Something Awful forum in the early 2000s and have your computer completely bricked, or worse, by someone who just delighted in watching the world’s computers burn.
Next to Adobe Flash, there is nothing on your computer that you should avoid more than Internet Explorer. It was unnecessarily careless with security, something that internet security professionals were screaming about into the Redmond Void before internet security professionals was even really a thing.
Microsoft had to have known better, but they pressed ahead with a web browser that literally let someone else install and run a program on your computer with just a careless click on a webpage and forced hundreds of millions of people to use it. There’s no getting around the fact that it was an atrocity of a program, and even Microsoft is glad to be rid of it.
But, for a time, Internet Explorer was all there really was, and coming from the original Walled Garden of the internet, America Online, using Internet Explorer was like moving out of my parent’s house for the first time when I went away for college.
There was an enormous amount of danger I could encounter and a whole lot of trouble that I narrowly avoided, and even fell into, because I was stupid. But it was also the best time of many of our lives, when life is full of possibilities and we thought ourselves immortal.
Internet Explorer was where many of us first found out that we could find anything, and I do mean anything, on the internet. From Ebaums World to CD-Key cracking sites to the entire wide world of emulators. Are game emulators illegal? We sure as hell didn’t care. The entirety of the Internet was open to me in all its full-but-often-disgusting glory.
There are things I did with Internet Explorer that I would blanche at if I saw someone doing it today with even a secure browser like Edge, Chrome or Safari. We were all innocents abroad on the internet back then and Internet Explorer was built for a time when the internet was truly a frontier.
That time has passed, and so too must Internet Explorer. It was the digital version of riding down I-35 in Texas with my friends in the bed of someone’s pickup truck to go to wherever underage college kids went to drink beer. I’m grateful I made it through both experiences safely. I would never do either again, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a hell of a time.
TechRadar sounds off on Internet Explorer
Everyone here at TechRadar has an opinion on Internet Explorer, whether it was their first browser in the 1990s or the browser that turned entire family computers into digital petri dishes for malware. I asked the team what they thought about Internet Explorer finally being retired, and for better or worse, it stirred up lot of feelings in just about everyone.
“I remember getting my internet crash course from my techie dad in the late ’90s/early 2000s and one of the earliest things I did outside of his guidance was to search for games,” said Josephine Watson, TechRadar’s deputy managing editor. “Bejewelled, Neopets, Miniclip and Runescape all became my best friends in the absence of real ones.”
As fond as that memory was though, it wasn’t all Neopets and sunshine. “SO. MANY. VIRUSES.” Watson added. “Every other site would somehow download a trojan onto my computer. Or I did. I can’t remember.”
“I can’t remember too many problems, but then again, they’d just invented the internet when I started and being able to download an image, or an MP3 at 4kb/s, was just a dream to me,” said TechRadar’s global editor in Chief, Gareth Beavis.
“I still have a fond nostalgia for the grey icons and blocky refresh button, although when I upgraded to Firefox, I felt like I was sneaking out of school and into a rebellious zone,” Beavis added.
Internet Explorer also has its defenders, like Désiré Athow, managing editor of TechRadar Pro.
“It was the rabbit hole that allowed me to explore a world that was hitherto unknown to me, learn more about the ‘information superhighway’ and hang out with friends at cybercafés where we rented out computers by the hour,” Athow said.
“Internet Explorer’s flaws shouldn’t hide the fact that it was a great springboard for newcomers to the web,” he added. “It’s a shame that Microsoft didn’t embrace it the way Google did with Chrome.”
“I was in college when the University of Illinois released NCSA Mosaic, an enormous pivot from the Archie and Veronica services available at the school library (look it up, kids!) and the Fetch app we had all been using to pirate software off the internet,” confesses Jeremy Kaplan, TechRadar’s content director. “Then my mom bought a new computer, and I convinced her she had to buy this new program called Netscape Navigator. A boxed version, for $49.99 … it was the only way to get such a large program at the time.”
“When Internet Explorer came out,” Kaplan said, “it seemed very much a me-too app. Microsoft steadily honed it, and improved it, and weirdly started coming up with ‘extensions to the Internet’ to ensure people used their browser.
“On the one hand, it made sense to just offer that app with a computer; after all, we had to buy apps before that,” Kaplan added. “But it felt weird, and really bifurcated the market. Lawsuits later, IE still felt a little tainted, a little corporate, a little me too. It had no Edge. I stayed with Netscape, picked up Chrome when Google released it, and never looked back.”