It’s no secret: You make Twitter what it is. And if you tweet, you may have found yourself wanting to go back in time and explore your past Tweets. Maybe you wanted to recall your reaction to the 2008 election, reminisce on what you said to your partner on your 10th anniversary, or just see your first few Tweets. We know lots of you would like to explore your Twitter past.

Today, we’re introducing the ability to download your Twitter archive, so you’ll get all your Tweets (including Retweets) going back to the beginning. Once you have your Twitter archive, you can view your Tweets by month, or search your archive to find Tweets with certain words, phrases, hashtags or @usernames. You can even engage with your old Tweets just as you would with current ones.

Go to Settings and scroll down to the bottom to check for the option to request your Twitter archive. If you do see it, go ahead and click the button. You’ll receive an email with instructions on how to access your archive when it’s ready for you to download.


If you don’t see that option in Settings today, know that it’s on the way! We’re rolling out this feature slowly, starting today with a small percentage of users whose language is set to English. Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll make it available to all users around the world, for all the languages we offer. We’re really excited to bring this feature to everyone, and we appreciate your patience as we work to do so.

This project was first built during one of our quarterly Hack Weeks. Since then, we’ve done the engineering work necessary to make it available to Twitter users. We look forward to seeing the old Tweets you uncover. As you go through all of your Tweets, share your favorites using #TwitterArchive.

Posted by Mollie Vandor (@mollie)
User Services Engineering Team

From @Deadmau5 collaborating with one of his Twitter followers to @theRealXtina (Christina Aguilera) taking questions in advance of her single release for #YourBody, some of the most exciting moments in music on Twitter happen when our favorite musicians talk directly to their fans. It turns out that artists have their own musical icons, too — and now you have a chance to listen in on conversations between some of the most exciting women in music, brought to you by the GRAMMYs.

Every year, the GRAMMYs telecast is given an official name that captures the theme for the evening. Last year, it was “We Are Music”, and included a live-tweeting cast of all-star talent from myriad genres and @TwitterMusic. For the 2013 GRAMMYs, the link between Twitter and music’s biggest night is stronger than ever: the official title of the show will be #TheWorldIsListening.

To kick off this collaboration, the GRAMMYs are bringing music fans their first #TheWorldIsListening campaign, a series of intimate Q&As between ten pairs of artists. Fans can drop in on conversations between incredible women in the recording industry, ranging from GRAMMY-award-winning music icons (many times over) like Reba McEntire to indie artists like Sharin Foo of the Raveonettes.

The GRAMMYs will host this series of artist-to-artist Q&As exclusively on Twitter with support from our own @TwitterMusic. You can follow the conversations via each artist’s account (full schedule and list of @ handles is below), or by following @TheGrammys.

The conversations kick off today (Dec. 18) and run throughout the week:

12/18 11AM PST @nervomusic > @bonniemckee 
12/18 12PM PST @Halestorm > @OfficialITM
12/18 4PM PST @speak_true (Melissa Etheridge) > @serenaryder
12/19 TBD @lucyhale > @bridgitmendler
12/19 11 AM PST @theraveonettes > @matesofstate
12/19 11 AM PST @saraevansmusic > @raelynnofficial 
12/19 1PM PST @kelly_clarkson > @reba
12/20 TBD @sofiofficial > @kerlimusic
12/20 11 AM PST Alison Sudol aka @afinefrenzy > @joywilliams of The Civil Wars
12/20 5PM PST @mirandalambert > @sherylcrow

Posted by Tatiana Simonian (@tatiana)
Head of Music

Now BlackBerry will have Connect capabilities on Twitter. New tabs, streamlined design, and simplified navigation makes this the most enjoyable Twitter for BlackBerry app yet.

Connect shows you who retweeted, favorited and followed you, and gathers all your mentions in one place. And now it’s simple to filter mentions and replies to see only certain interactions.

We’ve improved access to existing and new functionality. For example, the new Discover tab encompasses Trends, “Who to follow” suggestions, and an easier way to browse categories. You will now find messages, lists, and your favorited Tweets in the Me tab.

Download the update and enjoy.

Posted by Martin Essl (@messl)
Senior Mobile Partnership Program Manager

On most Mondays, we post “This week on Twitter” to alert you to key things happening in the coming week. Whether it’s a live chat with the cast of your favorite TV show, a Q&A with a political candidate or a pro sports team Tweepstakes, keep current about can’t-miss moments on Twitter in the week ahead. - Ed. 

Black List Q&A - Dec. 18 
Movie buffs should flock to Twitter this week for an exclusive Twitter Q&A with Black List founder Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) and screenwriters from this year’s Black List.

The Black List (@theblcklst) is Hollywood’s primary arbiter of taste in unproduced scripts, and once included the scripts for Academy Award winners like “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The King's Speech”. As the list includes the “most liked” unproduced screenplays for 2012, movie fans on Twitter can gain access to some of tinseltown's most talented writers behind-the-scenes.

Fans can watch as the list is announced via Twitter this Monday at 9 a.m ET and can participate in the special Q&A on Tuesday at 8 a.m. ET by using the hashtag #BlackList2012.

Starting at 9 am on Monday morning, this year's Black List will be announced on Twitter. bit.ly/SsrEFl
— The Black List (@theblcklst) December 16, 2012

Posted by Rachael Horwitz (@RachaelRad)
Communications

Today Nielsen announced an agreement with Twitter to create the “Nielsen Twitter TV Rating,” an industry-standard metric that is based entirely on Twitter data.

 As the experience of TV viewing continues to evolve, our TV partners have consistently asked for one common benchmark from which to measure the engagement of their programming. This new metric is intended to answer that request, and to act as a complement and companion to the Nielsen TV rating. 

You can read more about the news on Nielsen’s site here. Ultimately, we have one goal for this new metric: to make watching TV with Twitter even better for you, the TV fan. I look forward to sharing more about this effort in the months to come.

Posted by Chloe Sladden (@ChloeS)
Head of Media

Nine days ago, the Vatican launched the first personal Twitter accounts for the Pope, giving Pope Benedict XVI the opportunity to tweet in English (via @Pontifex) and in seven other major languages.

The day these accounts were launched, Pope Benedict also invited the world to send him questions about faith via #AskPontifex. He promised to respond to some of these questions nine days later. And now, with tens of thousands of questions in hand, @pontifex has answered: Today, the Pope sent his first Tweet during a live event at the Vatican attended by thousands.

Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart.
— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012

This Tweet was immediately retweeted thousands of times, and shortly afterwards @pontifex and its seven related language accounts began responding to several questions tweeted in the past week. The first question, asked by Spanish journalist @jcalderero in Madrid, asked:

How can we celebrate the Year of Faith better in our daily lives?
— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012

The Pope responded:

By speaking with Jesus in prayer, listening to what he tells you in the Gospel and looking for him in those in need
— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012

The second question, originally in Portuguese, asked how people can remain hopeful in troubled times. His response:

We can be certain that a believer is never alone. God is the solid rock upon which we build our lives and his love is always faithful
— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012

Third, from an American mother:

Any suggestions on how to be more prayerful when we are so busy with the demands of work, families and the world?
— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012

The Pope answered:

Offer everything you do to the Lord, ask his help in all the circumstances of daily life and remember that he is always beside you
— Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) December 12, 2012

The Pope will be tweeting regularly from here on. Follow him on any of these accounts:

• English: @pontifex
• Spanish: @pontifex_es
• Italian: @pontifex_it
• Portuguese: @pontifex_pt
• German: @pontifex_de
• Polish: @pontifex_pl
• Arabic: @pontifex_ar
• French: @pontifex_fr 

Posted by Claire Díaz-Ortiz (@claire)
Social Innovation team

2012.twitter.com

Update: We've added two screenshots below for those of you who want the front page artwork for web and mobile versions.

Every day, we’re amazed and humbled by the many ways in which people use Twitter, which range from simply retweeting to igniting conversations with hashtags (even around lesser-known topics) to sharing spectacular and far-flung views. In 2012, everyone on Twitter brought us closer to moments and places that used to be far away or inaccessible: A Tweet from the bottom of the ocean. Tweets from Mars. An extraordinary view from space of Superstorm Sandy. A quiet backstage moment with a presidential candidate. All of these and millions of other such moments were ours to experience directly wherever we were, in the midst of work or play or travel.

During big sporting events, fans were the roar of the crowd, tweeting their team passions. Commentators and armchair pundits alike took to Twitter to share their opinions, arguments and reactions throughout the campaigns, conventions, debates and on Election Day. Millions of music fans flocked to Twitter during the MTV Video Music Awards to tweet about the performances and react to winners and losers that night.

You can explore and discover all of these moments and people who made this year on Twitter unique at 2012.twitter.com, and you’ll have the same immersive experience on your mobile device. We’ve taken a look back at the Tweets of 2012 and use both data and editorial signals to showcase some of these moments and conversations around several themes:

• Golden Tweets: The top two Tweets that generated the most Retweets for the year, plus honorable mentions for a few others that caught attention around the world. 
• The pulse of the planet: Some of the biggest conversations of the year that generated large numbers of Tweets and Retweets. 
• Only on Twitter: Moments of serendipity and just plain awesomeness (if there is such a thing) are what we call #onlyontwitter. We list examples of Tweets that came to life organically on Twitter, and can be appreciated in an instant. 
• Top trends: Lists of the significant Trends of the year in the U.S., UK and Japan. These phrases reveal what captured our attention based on sudden spike of interest, rather than what was consistently popular. 
• New voices: From the Pope to Pelé, this year Twitter welcomed new voices from every corner of the world. 

We’ve also partnered with Vizify so you can find out about your year on Twitter. Try it here.

Finally, our heartfelt thanks go to each and every one of you for making Twitter as compelling as it is. It’s all about you.




Posted by Karen Wickre (@kvox)
Editorial Director

Every day, millions of people come to Twitter to connect with the things they care about and find out what’s happening around the world. As one of the most compelling forms of self-expression, photos have long been an important part of these experiences.

Starting today, you’ll be able to edit and refine your photos, right from Twitter. The latest versions of Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Android introduce a few new ways to enhance the images you tweet. We’re grateful to our partner, Aviary, for powering our filters and effects.


Filters. Apply one of eight filters, ranging from black & white to vintage, to add a new look and feel to your photos.

Take a bird’s-eye view. See how each filter would affect your photo in a single grid view, or swipe through looks to compare your options.

Frame the action. Crop and pinch to zoom in order to focus attention.

Auto-enhance. Make your photos pop with balanced light and colors by tapping the wand.

In June, 2011, we introduced the ability to attach a photo to your Tweet, a first step toward improving the entire photo experience on Twitter. Since then we’ve been making it easier and faster to share and discover and enjoy great photos on Twitter every day:

• You can expand Tweets to view photos from various photo services right on Twitter;
• You can preview photos directly in Discover and search;
• You can quickly swipe through images on Twitter with photo streams in profiles and search results.

We've released this update in Google Play and the App Store. Watch this video to learn more about our photo filters.



Posted by Coleen Baik (@colbay)
Senior Designer

A few months ago, we introduced new Twitter profiles so that you could make your profile beautiful and display your style on your profile page. By uploading a header photo on twitter.com or our mobile apps on iPhone, iPad or Android, you can make your profile more uniquely yours. We’ve seen a lot of cool takes on these new profiles –– including shots from Mars, silly themes, and brands and celebrities expressing themselves in clever ways.

On December 12, we’re rolling this out to all users: you’ll automatically get this new version of the profile on twitter.com. If you don’t upload a header photo by then, you (and everyone else) will only see a default grey image on your page. That’s not fun! To get inspired about what you can do, check out this video to see how to make your profile a little more “you”, less generic. Have fun out there.

Here's our new cartoon video on how to dress up your profile with photos and images: youtube.com/watch?v=uCE3w0… Give it a go!

— Twitter (@twitter) November 9, 2012

Posted by Sachin Agarwal (@agarwal)
Product Manager

On most Mondays, we post “This week on Twitter” to alert you to key things happening in the coming week. Whether it’s a live chat with the cast of your favorite TV show, a Q&A with a political candidate or a pro sports team Tweepstakes, keep current about can’t-miss moments on Twitter in the week ahead. - Ed.

Dec. 10: Richard Hammond’s Crash Course at Twitter HQ 
“Crash Course” (@BBCAmerica) fans can tune in to this week’s episode as Richard Hammond (@thehamsterscage) attempts to work as a bike messenger in San Francisco. His first stop is Twitter HQ, where he finds irony in working at a very old means of information transfer while Tweeting. The season finale airs tonight, Dec. 10, at 10 p.m. ET.

I'm tweeting from inside #Twitter HQ in San Fran. I'm there right now. Probably cause massive intergalactic feedback and create a black hole
— Richard Hammond (@thehamsterscage) August 28, 2012

 
Dec. 10: Dexter’s Yvonne Strahovski Twitter Q&A 
Today, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. ET, “Dexter” (@SHO_Dexter) actress Yvonne Strahovski (@Y_Strahovski) is doing a special Twitter Q&A along with moderator and Vanity Fair editor Krista Smith (@KristaSmith). You can ask questions using #AskYvonne; then, check Twitter to see if your questions are answered.

Can't wait for my Twitterview with @kristasmith! Join with ur q's using #AskYvonneStrahovski & follow LIVE tmrw, 11amPST...spread the word!
— Yvonne Strahovski (@Y_Strahovski) December 9, 2012

 
Dec. 13: @bravotopchef’s “Saves a Chef” 
Each week on Bravo’s “Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen,” fans vote to save a chef who was eliminated from a previous episode. The ultimate winner will return to compete in the #LCK finale for a chance to re-enter the #TopChef competition on air. This week, Cheftestants Jeffrey Jew (@chefjeffdc) and Kuniko Yagi (@ChefKuniko) are eligible to be saved. You can vote using hashtags #savechefjeffrey and #savechefkuniko for a chance to send them back into the competition. The voting period ends this Thursday, Dec. 13 at 9 a.m. ET.

It's time to #SaveAChef! Vote #savechefjeffrey or #savechefkuniko! More deets here: bravo.ly/Rlqo66
— BravoTopChef (@BravoTopChef) December 6, 2012

Posted by Rachael Horwitz (@RachaelRad)
Communications