Today I awoke to the realization that something was amiss. I really couldn’t put my finger to it until I checked HTC Peep on my Nexus One…there were no Twitter updates. Not only that, I couldn’t post to Twitter either. I had noticed problems here on the website with the Twitter module at the bottom of the Techtronica homepage, but I thought the module code had been corrupted. No matter what settings I changed, the results were the same. Then I received this email from Twitter which made things a little clearer:

 

 

 

Over the coming weeks, we will be making two important updates that will impact how you interact with Twitter applications. We are sending this notice to all Twitter users to make sure you are aware of these changes.

What are applications?

There are over 250,000 applications built using the Twitter API. To use most applications, you first authorize the application to access your Twitter account, after which you can use it to read and post Tweets, discover new users and more. Applications come in many varieties, including desktop applications likeTweetDeck, Seesmic, or EchoFon, websites such as TweetMeme, fflick, orTopsy, or mobile applications such as Twitter for iPhone, Twitter for Blackberry, or Foursquare.

Update 1: New authorization rules for applications

Starting August 31, all applications will be required to use “OAuth” to access your Twitter account.

What’s OAuth?

  • OAuth is a technology that enables applications to access Twitter on your behalf with your approval without asking you directly for your password.
  • Desktop and mobile applications may still ask for your password once, but after that request, they are required to use OAuth in order to access your timeline or allow you to tweet.

 

What does this mean for me?

  • Applications are no longer allowed to store your password.
  • If you change your password, the applications will continue to work.
  • Some applications you have been using may require you to reauthorize them or may stop functioning at the time of this change.
  • All applications you have authorized will be listed athttp://twitter.com/settings/connections.
  • You can revoke access to any application at any time from the list.

 

Update 2: t.co URL wrapping

In the coming weeks, we will be expanding the roll-out of our link wrapping service t.co, which wraps links in Tweets with a new, simplified link. Wrapped links are displayed in a way that is easier to read, with the actual domain and part of the URL showing, so that you know what you are clicking on. When you click on a wrapped link, your request will pass through the Twitter service to check if the destination site is known to contain malware, and we then will forward you on to the destination URL. All of that should happen in an instant.

You will start seeing these links on certain accounts that have opted-in to the service; we expect to roll this out to all users by the end of the year. When this happens, all links shared on Twitter.com or third-party apps will be wrapped with a t.co URL.

What does this mean for me?

  • A really long link such as http://www.amazon.com/Delivering-Happiness-Profits-Passion-Purpose/dp/0446563048 might be wrapped as http://t.co/DRo0trj for display on SMS, but it could be displayed to web or application users as amazon.com/Delivering- or as the whole URL or page title.
  • You will start seeing links in a way that removes the obscurity of shortened links and lets you know where each link will take you.
  • When you click on these links from Twitter.com or a Twitter application, Twitter will log that click. We hope to use this data to provide better and more relevant content to you over time.

 

Thanks for reading this important update. Come and check what’s new athttp://twitter.com.

Thanks,
The Twitter Team

 

UPDATE:

From OneMan’sBlog

What Does This REALLY Mean?

So, what Twitter is telling us is that EVERY URL sent will be shortened to use THEIR service. Not only does this screw other shortners like Bit.ly, it completely screws individual users – like YOU and ME!

http://bit.ly/9lyOts

 

Do things make sense now? Twitter had been threatening devs that they were going to make these changes since late ’09. Now millions of people are scrambling to find replacement apps until all the devs get their apps updated. I believe Twitter should have made another announcement just before they made their changes to wake the devs up. But, Twitter alone is not to blame. The davs should have already been at working meeting Twitter’s demands. Now we just have to play the waiting game. I am missing HTC Peep and Tweetdeck for my phone right now.

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