Is Facebook dying?

In its first report as a public company last week, Facebook announced that it has lost $157m from April to June. Shares have now fallen to a new low of $23.71 compared to the initial price of $38 when Facebook first became listed on the Nasdaq in May.

On top of this, it has been estimated that Facebook has over 83 million illegitimate accounts, adding to the growing concern about the effectiveness of Facebook as a marketing and advertising platform. With mobile device users logging into Facebook continuing to increase year-on-year (now reaching 543 million), the company has yet to disclose how it will continue to generate profit as users continue to move away from the desktop version which relies heavily on advertising revenue.

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Twitter rolls out “CashTags”

On the back of the declining Facebook stocks, Twitter has rolled out the ability for users to click on stock symbols with a $ sign in front of them – a replacement to the traditional # symbol. Clicking on $, users are able to see all Twitter conversation surrounding a particular company.

Image source: TNW

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NASA Mars Landing

@MarsCuriosity is the newest Twitter celebrity after successfully completing its Mars landing mission this week. Speaking first person it Tweeted “I’m safely on the surface of Mars. GALE CRATER I AM IN YOU!!! #MSL”.

@MarsCuriosity will be Tweeting its Mars mission progress over the next two years, along with transmitting images to share with followers. Quirky Tweets so far include:

Follow @MarsCuriosity here.

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Two-thirds of world leaders have Twitter account

A recent Twipolmacy study by communications consultancy Burson Marsteller has shown that two-thirds of world leaders have Twitter accounts to inform and engage with their people. Regionally, active Tweeters include His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; Queen Rania Al Abdullah; Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki; Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Lebanese President Michel Sleiman among others.

According to the study, one of the most active and controversial Tweeters is Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati who often personally engages and joins Twitter conversations with his 54,700+ followers.

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