11.17.09 - 11:00AM
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Urlesque Staff

Biggest Twitter Trend -- 2009 Urlies

topic:
Tech
2009 Urlies

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2009 was the year of Twitter. Even though the company launched in 2006, the 140-character messaging service exploded this year, thanks to adoption from Twitter evangelists like A-list celebrities, news outlets and, well, pretty much any brand with some sense of relevancy. The exciting real-time service has gotten millions of users around the world very excited, and with the growth of new users, several new trends or ways to use the service have evolved.

And the nominees for Biggest Twitter Trend of 2009 are ...

Celebrities on Twitter

Hollywood Is Closer Than Ever

Even though there were several celeb early adopters to the microblogging service, it seems that as soon as Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah, natch) joined and devoted an entire coveted "Oprah" episode to the subject, every celebrity jumped on the bandwagon. Whether they tweet to deny vicious paparazzi rumors or to better connect with fans, celebrities seem to adore Twitter, and a few have even risen from the pack to share nuggets of brilliance every time they tweet.

Follower Battles

Who Was the First to Hit 1,000,000 Followers? Who Cares!

Out of all the news to break this year, would you ever think that Ashton Kutcher and CNN's race to 1,000,000 followers would be among the most discussed headlines? Seriously, after an Oprah appearance and (thank GOD!) lots of money being promised to charity, Ashton beat the major news network to a million Twitter followers and prompted your mother to ask you, "Honey, can you explain Twitter to me?" Even the morning network TV shows were releasing press releases about their battle. Seriously.

Green Twitter Icons for Iran

The World United

In the early summer of 2009, a site called HelpIranElection.com encouraged Twitterers to click a link that would give their own icon image a green overlay, meant to show support for democracy in Iran during their tumultuous elections. And while everyone's Twitter stream was soon a sea of unified green icons, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "won" the Iran election, surprising and upsetting supporters of democracy in the Middle East.

Hashtag Games

Witticisms in 140 Characters

As soon as the masses flocked to Twitter (yes, even your mother) tweeters soon found a new fun way not only to get topics trending, but to start a collective game using #hashtags and witty wordplay. Popular #hashtag games involved everything from films (#oneletteroffmovies) to embarrassments (#lameclaimtofame) -- happily breaking up the usual what-I'm-eating-for-lunch talk and "good night" monotony on Twitter with fun, interactive exercises in clever tweeting.

Getting in Trouble for Tweeting

Be Careful What You Tweet

Although Twitter does have a locked option, many normal folk and celebrities alike tend to think the platform is a bit more private than it actually is. The freedom of expression encourages plenty outpourings of honest emotion along with quite a few slip-ups -- landing many in TMI territory, which doesn't often go unnoticed. From NBA stars being fined for mid-game tweets to robberies occurring due to a simple "we're going on vacation" notification, small Twitter mis-tweets caused not only major embarrassment, but also losses of jobs, money and pride.

All 2009 Urlies Winners