Twibbon Blog - start something!

January 20, 2010

Wow! More than 1 million have supported with a Twibbon!

It’s official; since launching in July, over one million supporters have now worn Twibbons on social networks to represent the causes, movements and brands that they connect with.

Born out of the simple notion of helping users make more enduring and visual statements online using their profile pictures, campaigns such as the IE6 Must Die initiative, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, World AIDS Day and, most recently, the ongoing Haitian disaster have resulted in tens of thousands of social networking enthusiasts donning flags, ribbons and symbols for important causes.

More than 26,000 causes have also been created, the most popular seeing a staggering 90,000 supporters wearing pink breast cancer ribbons on Twitter and Facebook in October alone.

It’s amazing to break the one million mark. We’re going to continue with this incredible momentum over the coming year and introduce some big new features that will enhance Twibbon’s position as a hub for causes and campaigns online. We’d like to thank all the passionate people who have got us this far and hope you’ll join us on the next part of this extraordinary journey. There’s still so much to do.

Some of our first users will recall the stripped down initial version of the service, with no ‘Trends’, ‘Leagues’ or even categories to break causes into. Since then we’ve come on leaps and bounds, won some prestigious awards, and developed a customisation service to brands who want a fuller Twibbon experience.

UPDATE: Mashable have already picked up on this milestone, and have written a very nice article on the subject: http://mashable.com/2010/01/20/twibbon-one-million/

Thanks,

The Twibbon Team

Posted by email

Comments [2]

January 14, 2010

Social networking users show mass support in the wake of the Haitian earthquakes

Download a Twibute wallpaper or Twitter background from all the profile pictures sporting Haitian Twibbons.

On the twelfth of January, a huge earthquake devastated the Caribbean island of Haiti, with the capital city of Port-Au-Prince particularly affected. With sparse communication and an infrastructure that has struggled to deal with a catastrophe of this proportion, the immediate aftermath of the situation has so far been grim for Haitians.

Social networking websites have played a huge and effective part in raising necessary global awareness and, of course donations, needed to address this problem.

World renowned musical artist and indigenous Haitian, Wyclef Jean, has been particularly prolific in raising awareness of the situation on Twitter, and with his Yele organisation has managed to raise significant donations through SMS text messages. At the same time, the American Red Cross has raised more than $3,000,000 through a text message campaign.

In addition to donations (details to help with donations yourself at the bottom of this blog), users have been wearing and promoting a few different Twibbons on Facebook and Twitter to show solidarity in the face of a great national and global tragedy. The most popular Twibbon is a simple representation of the Haitian flag, and has been worn by the likes of Russell Simmons (@uncleRUSH) and Sean Kingston (@seankingston), while there are two variations of Twibbon asking social networking users to “Pray for Haiti”.

More than 15,000 users have worn the popular Haiti Twibbon.

Estimates vary, but the American Red Cross report that more than 40,000 people may have died so far from this disaster and that a staggering 3 million more may be injured or homeless.

To help, please consider these two donation options through Google or Oxfam.

Thanks,

The Twibbon Team

Click here to download:

Social_networking_users_show_m.zip (4 KB)

Posted by email

Comments [3]

January 8, 2010

Show your support for the Dancing on Ice skaters

ITV’s latest project Dancing on Ice is resoundingly topical considering the arctic blast that’s hit Britain over the last few days! Fortunately, while all the contestants involved are freezing their tootsies off to impress the judges, you can bathe in the warm glow of your TV and computer in the build up to tonight’s first episode.

And, of course, they all have Twibbons.

The Dancing on Ice homepage is bursting with info on all this year’s contestants, so if you don’t know your Sinitta from your Bobby Davro, don’t worry – there’s plenty of time to work out who to lend your social networking support to. You can also show your Twitter and Facebook followers how much you’re enjoying the show by wearing the official Dancing on Ice Twibbon. Oh, and when you’re talking about it on Twitter and Facebook make sure you use the #DOI hashtag (so we all know we’re talking about the same thing!)

There’s plenty of Twitter accounts keeping everyone informed on the Dancing on Ice goings-on, not least the official @dancingonice and world famous skaters @torvillanddean, so get involved in the discussion. The big launch is just 11 hours away!

The Twibbon Team.

Posted by email

Comments [0]

December 28, 2009

A few neat Twibbon functions explained!

Hello Happy Twibboners!

Today we thought we'd do a joint blog post on a couple of the features Twibbon.com offers that you may not have heard of.

The first is the ‘Leagues‘ function. This is where teams from the NFL to the Premiership, from Formula One racing to the MLB and many more compete for your affection! Check them out by following the links at the bottom of this blog! And for a full explanation of the feature check out our video walkthrough here:

This second video will walk you through ‘Twibutes'. A Twibute is a mosaic-like reward for gaining twibbon fame! Twibbon.com will make a collage of all of your supporters at certain landmark points (50, 100, 250, 500 etc.) Check out the video:

Here are the two links to each page. Firstly, the 'Leagues'

http://twibbon.com/leagues

And the Twibutes:

http://twibbon.com/twibute

A lot of the great features on Twibbon.com have come from user suggestions. If you've got an idea of a function you'd like to see on Twibbon.com then just click the "Feedback" button on the left hand side of the screen or email us at support@twibbon.com

Here at Twibbon Towers we hope you had a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!

Thanks

The Twibbon Team

Filed under // Functions Leagues Twibbon Twibute

Posted by Twibbon

Comments [6]

December 16, 2009

2009 In Twibbons: What Were You Wearing?

Twitter have announced the definitive list of trends over 2009, so we thought it would be appropriate to look back on the year that’s come and gone here at Twibbon Towers and reveal the 10 most popular Twibbons of the year. Looking down, you’ll see what a mixed bunch they are. Chances are if you’re reading this, you’ll have come across at least some of these on Twitter or Facebook, or maybe you’ve worn one yourself! Let us know in the comments section below!

1) Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October was officially Breast Cancer Awareness month, and a record breaking month it was, with more than 90,000 users globally wearing a variety of pink ribbons to show their solidarity for this hugely important cause. It was a star-studded online event with the likes of Kim Kardashian, Denise Richards and Jordin Sparks getting involved with the Twibbons.

2) Santa Hat

Is it that time of year already?! You guys can’t wait for Christmas – at least that’s what we’re seeing from the uptake of festive hats. There are a few variations doing the rounds in December, but this original by @BrianLimond is the classic that’s done so well.

3) #IndonesiaUnite

This was the first national Twibbon cause to take off with mass appeal. In response to the tragic Jakarta Bombings on July 17^th, the Indonesian people and wider international community found an outlet for their grief, outrage and steadfastness online in this small simple depiction of the Indonesian flag.

4) Yellow Ribbon For President Cory

Cory Aquino did a huge amount for the Philippines during her time as President. Her passing was a blow to a nation for whom she was a symbol of freedom and political justice. The small yellow ribbon could be seen in thousands of profile pictures, on the logos of Asian news networks, and even made it onto this dedicated bulletin.

5) Support Royal British Legion

The poppy is a symbol of remembrance worn over the time leading up to Armistice Day by the British people. Proceeds that go to the Royal British Legion contribute towards military families, veterans and those still serving in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces abroad. This Twibbon was synonymous with a hashtag #2minutesilence aiming to keep Twitter tweet-free out of respect for two minutes.

6) IE6 Must Die

Started by @LynchJames, this protest Twibbon was picked up by every tech-site around, including this one on Mashable. Users were objecting to the outdated browser client Internet Explorer 6 by Microsoft, and hoped to prompt users to surf the net using other browsers.

7) Alex’s Lemonade Stand

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation needs a huge amount of support to help fight childhood cancer, and is depicted by its iconic lemons. Twilight star Peter Facinelli helped this Twibbon go off the charts, and soon there were lemons all over Twitter and Facebook.

8) #WeLovetheNHS

At the height of the ‘ObamaCare’ debate, when comparisons between the United States and British Healthcare systems were being made, there was a movement in Britain to defend the values of the NHS with the #welovetheNHS hashtag against American rebuke. Politicians, celebrities and the like were heavily involved in this transatlantic trend.

9) World AIDS Day

On November 1^st, @joinred and Twitter joined forces to turn the ‘Pulse of the Planet’ red with uniquely coloured tweets. This was all to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic, and was supported by NikeFootball’s Lace Up Save Lives imperative.

10) CENSURANUNCAMAIS

This Brazilian cause was created to protest against the governmental censorship of the newspaper Estado de S. Paul. It was noticeable throughout Twitter for its imposing black and white design, and more information can be found at http://censuranuncamais.com

Posted by email

Comments [10]

December 9, 2009

How to preview and position your twibbon

We’ve listened to all your brilliant suggestions from our feedback page and one of the most popular ideas was to introduce a function that would allow users to move Twibbons around your profile picture.

So here you will find a step-by-step guide on how to do it! Before we start we’ve just outlined the four stages to adding a Twibbon to your profile picture (avatar):

1) Log in to Twibbon through Twitter

2) Find a Cause you want to Support and click on it

3) Position the Twibbon where you want (outlined below)

4) Click the big blue “Show my Support Now!” button

So, onto to the guide to becoming a pro Twibbon positioner.

1. Navigate to the Twibbon homepage.

2. Sign in using Twitter by clicking the link at the top of the page.

3. Take a look around the Twibbon homepage to find a twibbon that takes your fancy. After you have clicked on it you will be shown that causes join page. This is where you can start to move the Twibbon around your avatar. (Remember you must be signed in BEFORE you try to add a twibbon in order to be allowed to preview and position)

The box highlighted in green shows where the Positioning tool is. All you have to do is to click and drag the Twibbon to it’s desired location and then let go! It couldn’t be simpler! Do be careful not to put it too close to the edges of your avatar – or even off it altogether – as Twibbon.com will then realign it at its default location or occasionally it can distort your profile picture!

4. Once you’ve got it in the perfect position, click the big blue “Show my Support Now!” button (highlighted in red above).

And for those of you who like learning in video you can check out our Youtube clip on how to preview and position here:

One thing to be careful of is that you will only be able to position each Twibbon once. Once you have completed the adding of the Twibbon you won’t be able to re-position it…so think carefully!

Happy twibboning!

The Twibbon Team

Posted by Twibbon

Comments [1]

December 7, 2009

Top 20 Twibbon Users... What Are the Twillionaires Wearing?

Loads of Twibbon users first learn about social networking causes by seeing their Twibbons worn by global celebrities. Because we’ve got that Monday feeling, we thought it’d be a bit of fun to compile the definitive list of our top 20 followed users on Twitter and detail the Twibbons they’ve supported. You can see that the Twibbons range from charitable causes to their own product releases. How do you get your favourite celeb on this list? Well... get them to wear a Twibbon of course!

1) @KimKardashian - Kim Kardashian: TV personality, model and businesswoman,

Supports? Breast Cancer Awareness

2) @ashleytisdale - Ashley Tisdale: Star of High School Musical

Supports? Her new album, Masquerade

3) @MariahCarey -Mariah Carey: Singing Superstar

Supports? Her own Mariah Carey Twibbon

4) @drdrew - Dr Drew: Certified TV and radio doctor

Supports? Breast Cancer Awareness

5) @GuilianaRancic - Giuliana Rancic: Host on the E! News Channel

Supports? Breast Cancer Awareness

6) @davos - Davos: The World Economic Forum, annually held in Davos, Switzerland

Supports? #WEF Twibbon for the World Economic Forum

7) @DENISE_RICHARDS - Denise Richards: Actress and wild thing

Supports? Breast Cancer Research

8) @peterfacinelli Peter Facinelli: The latest Twilight sensation

Supports? Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation

9) @manomenezes - Mano Menezes: Coach of Brazilian soccer club, Corinthians

Supports? Lace Up Save Lives for World AIDS day

10) @charitywater – Charity Water: International NPO, bringing clean water to developing countries

Supports? Charity: water Twibbon

11) @wyclef - Wyclef Jean: Prolific musician and entrepreneur

Supports? His own Wyclef Warriors Twibbon

12) @ParisHilton - Paris Hilton: Socialite, businesswoman and TV personality

Supports? World AIDS Day

13) @stephenfry - Stephen Fry: The UK’s favourite comedian and television host

Supports? World AIDS Day; Norwich City FC, football club

14) @SarahBrown10 - Sarah Brown: Wife of UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown

Supports? Royal British Legion; World AIDS Day

15) @CineVegas - Roger Erik Tinch: Renowned Cinematographer

Supports? Kanye West Interrupts

16) @rww - Richard McManus: Creator of tech trends site ReadWriteWeb

Supports? Diabetes

17) @Orlando_Magic - Orlando Magic: Legendary basketball team,

Supports? The team’s ‘Be Magic’ Twibbon

18) @garyvee - Gary Vaynerchuk: Wine aficionado and businessman

Supports? Twibbon promoting his book, ‘Crush It’

19) @KevinRuddPM - Kevin Rudd: Australian Prime Minister

Supports? White Ribbon Day (changing attitudes to violence against women)

20) @KhloeKardashian - Khloe Kardashian: Kim’s sister; TV personality

Supports? Breast Cancer Research

Posted by email

Comments [2]

December 1, 2009

Turn Twitter, Facebook and your Profile Pic #RED on #WorldAIDSDay!

Wow, what a morning so far! Twitter and Facebook @Twibbon users have been showing their support for #WorldAIDSDay in their droves. The online campaign on Twitter is being coordinated by @joinRED and Twitter themselves, and they have created an online event that is capturing the imagination of social networking communities like no other. Already celebrity fashionista @ParisHilton has inspired her followers to take up the #red ribbon and spread the word.

Central to the concept of the online campaign is the premise that we can all be united under one colour by using the hashtag #red in our tweets and status updates. The hashtag is already at the top of the Twitter trending topics, and hopefully if we keep using it throughout the day we can keep it there! The same goes for #WorldAIDSDay. It’s going to be a long and really exciting day no doubt full of your favourite celebs donating their status and profile pic to the cause, but that’s not to say people aren’t putting hands in their pockets for this too. @Starbucks are generously giving 5p/5c of every coffee sold in North America and the UK. Nike are also getting involved, with their red laces “designed to fight AIDS in Africa. Lace Up. Save Lives.”

Meanwhile, users are keeping their profile pictures #red in a more festive way. Why not combine your #WorldAIDSday Twibbon with a Santa Hat Twibbon and get Twitterers and Facebook enthusiasts excited about the build up to Christmas?!

We’ll keep you updated on the progress on this amazing day, please make sure you support in any of the ways you can, whether it’s hashtagging till your fingers are sore, grabbing a Twibbon or buying from the JoinRED shop.

Thank you,

The Twibbon Team.

Posted by email

Comments [7]

November 23, 2009

Great Twibbon Tutorial Videos

Someone once said a picture is worth a thousand words. If that’s the case, surely a video is worth a fair number of tweets? We think so anyway.

In addition to offering you that 140-character support we love to give, we’ve dug around to locate a couple of classic Twibbon tutorial videos. One clearly runs you through how to remove your Twibbon, while another is in Brazilian (to be honest, we're not sure of what she’s saying – we just like her accent!):

Here, you can get the lowdown on reverting and removing your Twibbon:

Prolific Twitter user @rosana tells us about the Twibbon service and, more importantly, Hello Kitty, in Brazilian:

So, whether your friends are seasoned social media gurus or don’t know their avatar from their retweet, everyone can learn a bit more from this helpful info.

Hope you enjoy, let us know of any more videos you upload about Twibbon at team@twibbon.com.

Thanks!

The Twibbon Team

Posted by email

Comments [0]

November 19, 2009

Amazing backing for BBC Bullyproof campaign!

Bullyproof is all about being confident, and being safe online.

Those lovely people@bbcbullyproof have done a fantastic job working up support for the #bullyproof campaign across social media networks including Facebook, Twitter, Bebo, Habbo, MSN Messenger, Myspace and Youtube. Absolutely loads of you have done a cracking job raising awareness of this important cause by adding a #bullyproof Twibbon on Twitter and Facebook.

Not only have 3,000 of you Twibboned up, but some of your very favourite celebs have been offering inspirational messages. You can still get involved by getting your bullyproof Twibbon, following @bbcbullyproof and MOST IMPORTANTLY, by joining the #bullyproof moment at 5.20pm GMT and letting your mates know. Something very very cool is going to happen at http://bit.ly/bullyproof and you aren’t going to want to miss it!

The likes of – deep breath – Scott Mills, Edith Bowman, Greg James, Comedy Dave, Ms Dynamite, Aled Jones, Philip Schofied, Mistajam, Lauren Pope, Annie Mac and Matt Fincham have all lent their considerable cumulative weight to a movement that has captured and moved so many of you online:

Just check out some of those amazing Tweets these celebs have contributed:

@alesha_dixon - believe in yourself, if you don't believe in yourself it's very difficult for other people to #bullyproof

Cheryl Cole - there's nothing more beautiful than somebody who is confident and comfortable in themselves #bullyproof

Alexandra Burke- Always be genuine, that'll always show people how true you are #bullyproof http://tinyurl.com/yh57536

DJ MistaJam- Listen to music, find yourself a distraction. That's what I did #bullyproof http://tinyurl.com/y9cpazy

Make sure you use the #bullyproof hashtag, and RT this around (and update your Facebook status as well of course!)

Join the #bullyproof moment, 5.20pm today- http://bit.ly/bullyproof (Please RT)

Only 2 hours to go! Excited? We are. Happy Twibboning and stay #bullyproof!

Posted by email

Comments [1]

Contributors

Tags