Twitter Headquarters, San Francisco, United States

As of August 31, 2010, third-party Twitter applications are required to use OAuth, an authentication method that allows users to use applications without having to give the applications their passwords. Previously, this authentication method was optional, but now third-party applications that try to use a username and password will fail. Twitter stated that the move to OAuth will mean "increased security and a better experience."
Demographics
Twitter is mainly used by older adults who might not have used other social sites before Twitter, says Jeremiah Owyang, an industry analyst studying social media. "Adults are just catching up to what teens have been doing for years," he said. According to comScore only 11% of Twitter's users are aged 12 to 17. comScore attributes this to Twitter's "early adopter period" when the social network first gained popularity in business settings and news outlets attracting primarily older users. However, comScore as of late, has stated that Twitter has begun to "filter more into the mainstream", and "along with it came a culture of celebrity as Shaq, Britney Spears and Ashton Kutcher joined the ranks of the Twitterati."