It didn’t took long for Twitter, the microblogging service to win hearts of half a billion people around the world. The ‘140 character limited’ social network has even shown its power by fuelling revolutions in some countries.   According to the statistics, the users tweet more than 500million messages a day, whose characteristics define the ‘happenings’ around the world.


But these are just official statistics. Recently, a social media firm Beevolve released the detailed report on “An Exhaustive Study of Twitter Users Across the World,” which shed light to some never known, surprising factors about the site.


Here are 8 of them, compiled by Huffington Post.


#8 Twitterers love "love"

The most frequently used word in the bios of users’ bios is “love.” “Like” and “Life,” the similar words follow the most used word in numbers.


#7 A full 25 Percent of Users Have Never Tweeted

According to Twitter, the best thing is "You don’t have to build a web page to surf the web, and you don’t have to tweet to enjoy Twitter.” It seems most of the users are following these words as out of the total members, a quarter never tweeted. They use Twitter to get news and enjoy the conversations, without taking part in them.


#6 Twitter Users Want You To Know What They Think, Not Where They Are

Even though Twitter allows you to enable geo-location for your tweets, only 10.3 percent of users have activated it. This essentially signifies one thing- they want the world to know what they think, unlike other social networking users who keeps themselves tagged to locations, every time they log in.


#5 There Are More Women Than Men On Twitter

The notion about Twitter being a boy’s club is no more true. Women slightly outnumber men in the microblogging site as a whole, except in some countries. In India, more than 80 percent of Twitter users are males.


#4 You Can Still Get A Ton Of Followers With A Protected Account

According to the statistics, 11.8 percent of users have private accounts- which means you need the approval from persons to follow them. But according to Beevolve, this doesn’t affect your fan base. The report shows example of an Indonesian tweeter @WIDIKIDIW whose account is set to private, yet had amassed 515,290 followers at one time.


#3 Purple Is The Most Popular Background Color Among Female Users While Blackish Grey Among Men


The gender itself shows the choices.



#2 The Most Prolific Tweeter On Twitter is @InternetRadio, With More Than 2 Million Tweets


The InternetRadio tweets to followers about what the radio stations are playing, as they play them. Lot of tweets go out in an hour, no wonder why these internet radios are a big hit!



#1 It's Shocking: The Average Number Of Tweets Someone Sends Is Directly Related To The Average Number Of Followers They Have

After examining 36 million Twitter profiles and 28 billion tweets, Beevolve got an interesting find- the number of tweets are directly relate to the number of followers. And the reason behind this phenomenon is, unknown!


Bonus: The Least Popular Tweeter With A Verified Account Is @SevenFootWave, Who Earned Just Four Followers In Three Years

The surprise is @SevenFootWave is the official twitter account of the same titled rock band.

Tags: Twitter, Social network, Beevolve, India, Huffington Post, Social media, Microblogging, tweeted

There comes in a time the life of many startups when it starts to become clear that everything is not going according to plan. But how do entrepreneurs tell if they need to keep going all in on the original plan, or pivot to something new?

To find out how real-world companies deal with that decision, we asked eight successful young entrepreneurs from the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) when they realized they had to let go of the products, plans and strategies that they worked so hard to develop. The most common indicator? Customers made it clear they wanted something different.

1. As Soon As You Can

Smart companies almost always pivot, usually multiple times. You might change the product because it doesn't meet the needs of the market you identified. You might change the market you're targeting because another market finds the product more useful, will pay more money, or has a larger pool of prospects. You might change the revenue model to one more attractive to customers. One of your primary goals early on should be to find out which elements of your business model are flawed as quickly as possible, so you can correct the course with minimal wasted time and effort. The key to doing this is having data. Analytics, surveys, face-to-face interviews and more will help you make informed decisions and ensure any pivots you make get you closer to your goal. - Sean Johnson, Digital Intent

2. Find New Goals You're Aligned With

It's quite the blow to the ego when you wake up one day and realize, "Wow... this isn't working, and it hasn't been working for a while." But the good news is, when you know something isn't working, deep down, you usually also know what would work better. It's just a matter of allowing yourself to "go there" and tune in to what feels out of alignment with who you are and your mission. The way I do this is by thinking back to a moment when I was working on something using one of my "old" models and feeling really frustrated and irritable. I think of the words that were forming in my head at that time (usually, it's something like, "If only I could ____ instead"). That's the clue that tells me what I should change. And voila: you've found your pivot point. - Amanda Aitken, The Girl's Guide to Web Design

3. The Feedback-Induced Pivot

It is time to pivot when your customers are consistently giving you the same feedback that things would need to be different for them to purchase. It often takes six months to a year to determine whether or not you are on the right path. Too often, we see entrepreneurs pivot too early before they have talked to enough customers to constitute an adequate data sample. - Eric Corl, Fundable LLC

4. Don't Throw Out Your Code!

Pivots are an evolution of your business, but it doesn't mean that you need to entirely let go. It can make your transition easier if you view the pivot as setting aside your previous hard work to pursue a strategy that will be stronger. Especially for technology entrepreneurs, I caution against scrapping and forgetting the code you and your team have worked hard to develop, because it's likely that, even post-pivot, you can adopt or adapt something from the early version of your product for the pivoted deliverables. Shelve your products and plans to pursue your pivot full-force, but don't let go of them completely. - Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc.

5. Your Customers Tell You What They Want

We started as a free-screenwriting-software company back in 2008. Our goal was to give away screenwriting software and convince producers they should buy screenplays from us. It wasn't until 2010, when Levi's came to us and said "Hey, you have a ton of writers on your screenwriting software platform (50,000 at the time), can they work on non-entertainment industry projects?" After we finished the project, we realized we were onto something, and more and more folks starting coming to us asking for help with blog posts, tweets and other written content - so we pivoted to Scripted. Our pivot was driven entirely by customer demand for our product. - Sunil Rajaraman, Scripted.com

6. You Need To Grow To Survive 

Pivoting is a big decision. The only time to consider pivoting your business is when a huge opportunity is in front of you. If you are going to make a major change to your organization, it's important to realize that this will affect everything else that goes on. Pivoting is not the way to fix smaller problems. The times when we've pivoted a business required looking at our entire operation and refocusing or even replacing sections. When we first launched Yodle, we intended the company to address all the Web services needs of small businesses. As we discovered what it would take to scale that business, we realized we should pivot and focus on just advertising and marketing. - Ben Rubenstein, Yodle

7. You Aren't In Love With The Future 

You're inevitably going to hit setbacks, so it's important to be motivated about reaching your destination. For that reason, you should pivot when you're not excited about the long-term direction you're heading in. Here's an example from my own business. I own a marketing company. And in the early days, we used to work only one-on-one with clients. When I looked into the future, I realized I would only be able to serve, at most, a couple dozen clients. I saw how this business model was limiting our growth and our overall impact, so we changed course. We pivoted to start offering self-service training in addition to one-on-one services. And we've been happier and more successful ever since. - Pete Kennedy, Main Street ROI

8. Your Product Isn't Connecting

First and foremost, it's always smart to listen to your customers. Their feedback is priceless, and a majority of businesses pivot because either their product/service is not connecting, or they can't monetize it. When a majority of customers keep saying your product is overpriced, it's probably true. If you are a service-based company that founded its business model on retainers, switch to a pay-for-performance model. These little things end up making a big difference. - Blake Beshore, Tatroux 

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the world's most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

Tags: Entrepreneur, Sean Johnson, Business model, Customer, Business, Small Business, Start Up, Steve Blank

As an avid fan of WordPress and blogging, I love seeing a well-crafted blog post. I once posted on Twitter the following tweet…

“Writing is a skill, blogging is a craft.”

But why do I think blogging is a craft?

At an early age we are taught the skill to simply write. We write in the classroom when learning to spell and then move onto constructing sentences and paragraphs. Some people progress to being able to create great literature with all these new words and that is where we start moving into learning a craft.

I love this notion that anyone can share their thoughts, feelings and ideas on a media platform that they control. Not everyone has it in them to write a book but, with the following seven eight (more on that later) basic rules, I believe many people can learn to write great blog posts that will wow their readers.

1. Create an attention seeking headline

Some people will think of a headline first and then create their blog content afterwards, or vice-versa, and I’m sure there are some bloggers who take a photo or create an image, then craft everything around that. Whichever way you do it, you are going to need a headline. For some writers, they will spend agonising hours perfecting the headline because it plays a very important role in getting the reader to click through to find out more.

I have previously blogged about what makes a good headline. To delve into this subject matter more, have a read of that post and think about how you can attract attention with your headlines. No, not now – later! We have another seven rules to cover.

2. Use an image

Images are the bane of my life but I know that they are highly relevant to break up the streams of text and, just like the headline, they are one of the key elements to attracting attention – particularly when shared on social networks such Facebook and Google+.

The image needs to be relevant to your post. If you are blogging about cats, then don’t use an image of a dog. If you write with humour, then why not source a humorous image that fits your character.

Choosing an image will come down to personal preference a lot of the time and also what you can afford, unless you look at sourcing images under a Creative Commons licence.

3. The prelude (but not to a song)

The prelude is the introduction before you get into the meat of your blog post – think of it as a free taster session in a supermarket. It is a good idea to explain what you are writing about, why and what the reader will gain. To me this means taking the following action and the effects are:

1. Entice the reader so that they engage enough to read the rest of the post.

2. Wrap the ‘prelude’ text around an image that is placed to the right – this makes those first few sentences easier to read as their eyes don’t have to move from left to right as much.

In this particular post, the prelude was a story based on a tweet. It was a dangerous decision because there was every chance that you, the reader, would either; dislike Twitter and/or disagree with my tweet. If you are still reading, I hazard a guess that it paid off.

4. Sub-headings

Sub-headings are pretty self-explanatory but one that many bloggers forget to implement which I think comes from reading stories. Writers of stories don’t break up the story as much, apart from chapters which have much longer periods. Think of your sub-headings as a beginning to each new chapter and you should do fine.

Very often new bloggers have this notion that they need to dump all their thoughts down and then hit publish! What we end up with is loads of words on the page. It may all make sense but there is no room to breathe and to let your reader’s eyes rest before they lose track of where they were.

Sub-headings are also a great way of guiding your reader through the story that you are telling or the information you are providing – that really depends on what you are blogging about of course.

5. Conclusion

Do you need to wrap-up what the post has provided to your reader? This is the point of winding it down. It has been tiring writing all that content, making sure all the sub-headings complement each other and working out the headline, but you’re spent.

What do you mean “What about the content?” The content under the sub-headings was the content! All the hard work is done now, or is it?

6. Engagement

Invite the reader to add their thoughts/opinion. Is there a way of nudging your reader to share their experiences? The hardest bit about blogging is blogging to an empty space.

Yes you have readers, you can see that you have visitors to the page, but they just won’t leave a comment, a thank you, not even a “Stu, your blog post sucks!” It’s like being ignored in the playground, all those other blogs have hundreds of comments and mine has zilch, nada, tumble weed…

If you don’t leave them room to add to your post, or if you don’t even ask for them to comment, psychologically they have no reason to add anything. ‘Don’t ask, don’t get’ is never truer in the blogging world.

7. Edit before hitting publish!

I started this blog post with seven rules and then there were eight!

As usual I forgot to think about editing. I was in such a rush to write the post that I didn’t think about editing. When I had finished, I hit publish because I was in such a rush for everyone to see my badly written work, with the spelling and grammar mistakes because, hey, who’s reading anyway? No one leaves a comment so no one must be reading right?

Editing is probably the most important rule because it means you can cross off all the other rules:

• Nifty attention grabbing headline? – Check!
• An image that says “WOW!”? – Check!
• A prelude that engages your reader? – Check!
• Sub-headings that help guide your content? – Check!
• A conclusion that wraps it up? – Check!
• Lastly, you have not forgotten to edit before publishing? – Check!

8. Share

Now we are onto the exciting bit! You have created a blog post that you would swear blind needs to be shared with the world. Email it out in your newsletter, tweet it, add it to Facebook, do it all again later!

Do a happy dance when your readers start sharing it, and finally, finally you get a blog comment. Oh, it’s spam…never mind, there’s always next time.

To End…

Do you have a checklist you like to complete when writing a blog post?
Do you think there is anything I missed?

If so, please leave a comment below and then share with your audience if you think these 8 rules, plus now your own, will be of benefit to others.

Tags: Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, Blog, Google, Headline, Search engine optimization, Social media

Tablet computers are in high demand -- from Apple's popular iPad and much-rumored iPad mini, to Google's smaller but powerful Nexus 7 and Microsoft's forthcoming Surface.

But as the popularity of the Kindle Fire proves, tablets are not one-size-fits-all. For business users, your choice can depend on how you plan to use a tablet -- making presentations, processing transactions or reading documents. You should also take into account your preferred mobile operating system, available apps and the kind of connectivity you'll need.

Here's our guide to eight of the best existing and soon-to-arrive tablets:

Apple iPad: 3rd generation

In March, Apple launched the third-generation iPad, notable mainly for itshigh-resolution Retina display, more powerful five-megapixel camera and optional 4G wireless network connectivity.

Pros: Several iOS business apps have versions designed specifically for the iPad, including task-management toolOmniFocus and Microsoft Office.

Cons: But many iOS apps for services popular with small-business users, such as Freshbooks and GoToMeeting, are still designed only with the iPhone in mind. This means using such apps on an iPad is like having a giant iPhone, and many iPad users find them unwieldy.

Price: From $499 (16 GB, Wi-Fi only) to $830 (64GB and 4G with AT&T or Verizon service). As with any tablet, you either have to pay for a new tablet data plan or add the device to an existing plan. Price vary depending on the carrier.

Related: With a Dazzling Display, the New iPad Will Be Attractive for Many Business Owners

Nexus 7

Manufactured for Google (Android) by Asus, the Nexus 7 tablet, was introduced in the U.S. this summer. It has a display measuring only 7 inches diagonally, compared to the 9.7-inch iPad display.

Pros: Smaller tablets fit more comfortably into pockets or purses and tend to be more convenient to hold with one hand. So far, the Nexus 7 is the only tablet sporting the latest version of the Android operating system, called "Jellybean." It will be among the first to receive Android system updates pushed directly from Google and not from wireless carriers or device manufacturers.

Cons: So far, the Nexus 7 is Wi-Fi only, and the maximum available storage is 16 GB. There isn't a sizable selection of Android apps optimized for this device yet. But because it's a relatively small tablet, using apps designed for Android smartphones may be acceptable.

Price: $199 (8GB) or $249 (16GB).

Related: Google's Nexus 7: The Latest Entry in the Tablet Wars

Samsung Galaxy Tab models

One of the first Android tablets to hit the market, the Galaxy Tab was released in the U.S. in late 2010. Currently, there are three main products in the Galaxy Tab family.

Pros: On the large side, Samsung's full-size Galaxy Note tablet features a 10.1-inch display and comes with an "S-Pen" stylus option, which can be useful if you sometimes prefer writing or drawing on your tablet in a paper-like fashion.

If you prefer a smaller tablet or 4G wireless connectivity, Samsung offers the seven-inch Galaxy Tab 7.0 and it's counterpart, the 7.0 Plus. In between, size-wise, is the Galaxy Tab 7.7.

Cons: Galaxy Tab products come with the "Ice Cream Sandwich" version of Android, as modified by Samsung. This means that updates to Jellybean and future Android "flavors" will lag behind Nexus tablets, perhaps by many months. 

Also, all 10.1-inch Samsung Galaxy tablet models are Wi-Fi only.

Prices: The Galaxy Note tablet ranges from $499 (16GB) to $549 (32GB). The 10.1-inch version of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 starts at $399 (16GB). The Galaxy Tab 7.0 and 7.0 Plus cost about $250 (16GB, 4G) from carriers. The Wi-Fi only models cost up to $100 more. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is available only from Verizon, so it includes 4G access, and starts at $279 (16GB).

Related: What the Apple vs. Samsung Lawsuit Means for the Future of Smartphone Design

Samsung Galaxy Note hybrid phone/tablet

If you'd rather not carry two mobile devices, this hybrid phone/tablet may be right for your business. Samsung launched the Galaxy Note a year ago.

Pros: It's like two mobile devices consolidated into one. Also, it features Samsung's S-Pen stylus, which reviewers have praised for its precision and responsiveness. And it includes an eight-megapixel front-facing camera.

Cons: At 5.3 inches, the display is large for a phone, but small for a tablet. Some users find this awkward. The Galaxy Note may come with Android Ice Cream Sandwich installed but, depending on carrier or retailer inventory, some devices may be shipped running Gingerbread -- a much older version of Android.

Price: Available in the U.S. via AT&T starting at $199 (with a two-year service contract) or $599 (no contract), or from T-Mobile starting at $249 with a two-year contract or $699 (no contract).

Related: 5 Procrastination-Busting Smartphone Strategies

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity

The Asus Transformer Pad Infinityfeatures a high-resolution 10.1-inch display and up to 64 GB of memory, and it comes with Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

Pros: Reviewers generally praise this tablet's built-in keyboard dock. It effectively turns this tablet into an Android-powered laptop (with a full keyboard, track pad and USB port) and contains its own battery, providing up to seven additional hours of use.

Cons: This tablet is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth only.

Price: About $480 (32GB) and $580 (64 GB).

Related: 5 Things to Consider Before Buying a Smartphone or Tablet for Business
 

Microsoft Surface tablets

Reportedly going on sale Oct. 26, theSurface represents Microsoft's first serious foray into the tablet market.

Pros: According to Microsoft, these tablets will feature the new Windows 8 operating system designed to run on both computers and mobile devices.

The base Surface model will run a slightly modified version of this operating system (Windows RT) and will be available in 32 and 64 GB versions. The Surface Pro will run straight Windows 8 and come in 64 and 128 GB versions.

They also will feature a 10.6-inch HD display and a molded magnesium casing, which could make them look and feel sleeker than most Android tablets.

Cons: Windows 8 features a new tile-based user interface called "Metro." Users who are accustomed to previous versions of Windows may find it perplexing. Windows apps will need to be radically redesigned to accommodate this operating system, and will probably require further optimization for the Surface.

Price: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has hinted that prices could range from $300 to $800.

Related: For Windows Users, Microsoft's 'Surface' Might Be Your Next Tablet
 

HP ElitePad

Microsoft won't be the only company selling Windows 8 tablets. In January, HP expects to launch its ElitePad, a 10.1-inch tablet intended primarily for business users.

Pros: It will come running the Windows 8 operating system, but reportedly it also will be able to run Windows 7 or XP. Up to 64 GB of storage will be available.

This device is meant to be durable, with a more rugged casing than most tablets have. It also comes with security software installed. Accessories will include a jacket with extra battery, stylus and docking station.

Cons: It will face the same issues with the new Windows 8 user interface as the Microsoft tablet. Its security measures and some other features may be overkill for most small-business users.

Price: Not announced yet, but expect the ElitePad to be costlier than most comparable tablets.

Related: 4 Tools for Turning an iPad into a Retail Workhorse

Apple iPad mini

Apple is expected to announce a smaller and less expensive iPad model as early as Oct. 23.

Pros: In September, leaked images of a purported iPad mini showed a 7.85-inch display, compared to the 9.7-inch display on the standard iPad. At this size, iPhone apps that are unwieldy to use on a full-size iPad may seem better.

The iPad mini would probably offer 3G or 4G network access, in addition to Wi-Fi.

Cons: Apple will need to keep the price range for this product competitively low, and that will entail tradeoffs. Unlike the standard iPad, an iPad mini would be unlikely to have a Retina display. And the base model may come with only 8GB of memory.

Price: If rumors prove true, the iPad mini will most likely be priced to be competitive with Amazon's Kindle Fire HD, which starts at $199.

Tags: Apple, iPad, iPhone, Microsoft, Google, Kindle Fire, OmniFocus, IOS

Google+

Google rolled out a new version of its Google+ app for iOS and Android this week. It brings support for Google+ pages, a new design for the “Find People” feature in the Android version, and support for the iPhone 5 in the iOS version.

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Crazy Taxi

Sega released a port of Crazy Taxi this week for iOS. Sporting the same look and feel as the company’s January 2000 hit, the game can be controlled on your device’s touchscreen or by using the gyroscope.

Crazy Taxi is currently only available for iOS, however, Sega has plans to bring the game to Android in the near future

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Recall -- Reminders for Recommendations

Do you get to the bookstore only to forget the name of that great novel your friend recommended? Get to the movie theater only to find out that movie you’ve been wanting to see left theaters weeks ago?

Recall is an app designed to help you remember things. Music, movies, TV shows, and apps your friend’s recommend can be stored for easy access later on. For things that have yet to be released, Recall can also remind you when they are, so you’ll never miss that movie, book, or album you’ve been waiting for.

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Lookout Mobile Security

Lookout Mobile Security updated its app this week, adding the ability to find your Android device even if your battery is dead. A new “Signal Flare” feature in the app helps locate the last location your phone was before the battery died, potentially helping you retrieve it.

Lookout’s app also protects Android phones against malware and spyware and backs up phone data

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Twitter for BlackBerry

Twitter for Blackberry was updated this week to version 3.2. The updated version of app lets you see a preview of links and photos in a tweet, allowing you to decide if you want to click on them for more detail. The app also added a new find friends button for locating your BlackBerry contacts on Twitter and a Quick Follow button for following those friends on the service.

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Monopoly Millionaire

Monopoly Millionaire made its way to iOS this week. A new take on the classic board game, Millionaire has players battle it out to be the first to earn $1 million in the game.

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The Darkness

The '80s hair band The Darkness released an augmented-reality app this week to go along with the band’s third album, “Hot Cakes.” The iOS and Android app uses image-recognition technology to unlock virtual band memorabilia. The app also provides ticketing information for shows, and offers the ability to upload personal photos into the app.

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Lotsa Blocks

Lotsa Blocks is a block-stacking game from the same team that created the game Ramps. The iOS game has you rotate and stack blocks on top of each other to reach new levels, offering 140 different levels of gameplay spread across seven worlds.

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It can be tough to keep up with all the new apps released every week. But you’re in luck — we take care of that for you, creating a roundup each weekend of our favorite new and updated apps.

This week we found an app that will help you find a lost phone even if your battery is dead, and another that will make sure you don’t forget the name of that book your friend recommended.

A popular Sega game made its way to iPhone, and a popular glam rock band released an augmented reality app you’ll have to see to believe.

Check out the gallery above for a look at this week’s app highlights.

Still looking for more? See last week’s Apps You Don’t Want To Miss for more highlights. Think we left a great new app off the list? Let us know about your own app highlights from this week in the comments below.

Photo courtesy iStockphoto, scanrail.