My Favorite Twitter Moments Since 2006

Since 2006 the microblogging site Twitter has risen in popularity and Tweets are now a well established form of self-expression among people from all walks of life. Pew research shows that the future is bright for Twitter as the younger connected generation continues to grow in size and influence. Twitter filed for its IPO with the SEC back in July, and revealed its plans in September. Along with basic metrics, the S-1 reveals some interesting details.

Here are my favorite Twitter moments and Tweets:

Cofounder Jack Dorsey sends his first-ever tweet to the world:

Twitter as a breaking news source

Captain Chelsea “Sully” Sullenberger wasn’t the only person who made headlines when he successfully landed a plane full of passengers on the Hudson River after a double-bird strike. Twitter user Janis Krums snapped a photo of the plane moments after landing that was shared and used by media organizations all over the world, sealing Twitter’s reputation as a breaking news source.

The Retweet button 

Retweet is a button that makes forwarding a particularly interesting tweet to all your followers very easy. Biz Stone talked about it in a 2009 blog post. “We’ve just activated a feature called retweet on a very small percentage of accounts in order to see how it works in the wild. Retweet is a button that makes forwarding a particularly interesting tweet to all your followers very easy.”

The beginnings of a business model

In 2010 Biz Stone wrote a blog post introducing Promoted Tweets. “Over the years, we’ve resisted introducing a traditional Web advertising model because we wanted to optimize for value before profit. The open exchange of information creates opportunities for individuals, organizations, and businesses alike. We recognized value in this exchange and planned to amplify it in a meaningful and relevant manner.” This was the first sign that Twitter could generate it’s own revenue.

The Library of Congress 

In 2010 The Library of Congress started to archive every single tweet ever sent.

The IPO

I believe that everything listed above contributed to the moment below…