How banks are using social media

Gone are the days of waiting in a queue in a branch or on the phone to talk to your bank.

Today, customers are able to quickly raise their issues through social media, and it has become an important method for banks to build relationships with their customers and to reach a younger audience.

As is true for success in any business, it is important to be where your customers are, and future banking customers are online.

So how are the UK's biggest banks using social media?

Barclays Bank

Twitter

Barclays has a number of different branded Twitter accounts for each of its areas of business, sponsorships and services (we counted nearly 20!), including Careers, Cycle Hire and Barclays Stockbrokers.

Its biggest following comes from its official title sponsor's feed for Barclays Premier League football supporters @BarclaysFooty, which has 106,348 followers and regularly posts content relating to the football Premier League teams and matches, as well as running competitions to win tickets to games, and promoting its #YouAreFootball campaign.

Meanwhile, @Barclayswealth, its Twitter page for Barclays wealth and investment management, has 17,231 followers, and pushes out regular content generally about financial services and economy.

While Barclays' Twitter account dedicated to 'news' (@Barclays) has 6,048 followers, it is the customer service account @BarclaysOnline (16,616 followers) that has the most interaction with followers.

Barclays promotes its Twitter customer service through a link from its website 'Contact Us' page, actively encouraging its customers to contact Barclays via Twitter.

@BarclaysOnline responds to queries/complaints via Twitter Monday-Friday between 8am and 8pm, meaning that potentially complaints and criticisms could be unanswered but visible to the wide Twitter audience for almost 12 hours overnight and even longer at weekends. 

However, during the working hours, Barclays is relatively quick to reply to Tweets, although having a 140 character limit means that it often spends quite a while trying to resolve the issue publicly via Twitter before eventually asking customers to email.

Facebook

Barclays regularly updates its Facebook page and has received over 328,000 'likes'. Similar to its Twitter account, Barclays delivers customer service through Facebook, responding to comments and wall posts and engaging with customers between 8am and 8pm, Monday-Friday.

It also uses its Facebook page as a promotional tool, advertising competitions it is running, promoting its services and products such as its Lifeskills programme and personalised debit cards, and pushing other campaigns, like #YouAreFootball.

To promote Barclays' launch of Your Bank – Barclays' new website for its customers to share their ideas on how Barclays can improve everyday banking - Barclays ran live discussions on Facebook every day for a week. This coincided with a promoted #YourBank trend on Twitter in the middle of the week.

This was a great way to launch the new customer feedback website, as it engaged with customers and enabled people to join in a live discussion with senior Barclays personnel around topics of interest to them, such as 'Mobile Banking' and 'Local Branches'.

LinkedIn

Barclays does have a LinkedIn presence, but the main profile page is used mainly for recruitment and posting job vacancies.

There are some areas on the profile that are still incomplete, and Barclays could make better use of its profile page to highlight their products and services.

However, Barclays is a lot more active on LinkedIn Groups.

Google+

While Barclays does have a Google+ page, with 808 followers, it is not actively posting on the page.

HSBC

Twitter

HSBC also has a number of different Twitter accounts for different areas of its business, such as the Press Office and Careers, and also for the different countries it has branches in, e.g. HSBC Brazil, HSBC Mexico.

In the UK, HSBC promotes its official customer service Twitter feed on its website as a means for customers to contact the bank.

Compared to @BarclaysOnline, @HSBC_UK_Help has a much smaller Twitter following, with only 5,769 followers. This is despite the fact that it is managed seven days a week, 7am-11pm, and is quick to respond to customer queries and complaints.

Facebook

HSBC has a Facebook page set up dedicated to students, which has over 134,000 'likes' and actively engages with its student audience on a daily basis.

HSBC also runs its annual student bursary competition via its Facebook page – creating brand ambassadors by giving something back to its Facebook fans.

However, it seems that students are the only customers able to interact with HSBC via Facebook, as the main HSBC Bank Facebook page is inactive and appears to be unmanned with no replies from HSBC Bank on the questions and complaints posted on the page.

LinkedIn

HSBC does have a LinkedIn page, with 320,765 followers, but it is not regularly posting any content other than job adverts. However, it does have more LinkedIn content than Barclays overall, highlighting its Products & Services and even sharing video content.

HSBC also has an open LinkedIn Group with over 11,500 members, but a lot of the discussions posted are unrelated to banking or finance.

Google+

HSBC has a few different Google+ pages, none of which are actively used. The main HSBC Google+ page has 878 followers, with 675 people having HSBC in their circles, yet the generic Google-issued cover image hasn't been updated to reflect the HSBC branding and there are no posts.

Natwest

Twitter

NatWest also has a variety of Twitter accounts, but it is its Customer Service team at @NatWest_Help and @Natwest_Help2 that has the biggest following (over 21,600 followers). @NatWest_Help is managed 7 days a week, 8am-8pm, and responds quickly to direct Tweets.

It also proactively searches for mentions of NatWest and replies to them, too. In the case of complaints about other banks with mentions of switching, @NatWest_Help helpfully Tweets with offers of assistance and the link to their Account Switching webpage, making potential new customers feel valued.

Facebook

Natwest has an active Facebook page with over 131,000 'likes'. It posts content regularly and delivers customer service via Facebook by replying to customer posts and comments.

It also promotes its latest campaigns and advertising, and engages with its customers through quizzes.

LinkedIn

NatWest has a couple of LinkedIn pages but is very inactive, having not even updated its profile picture from the default and doesn't appear to be utilising this platform at all.

Google+

Of the three banks we have discussed, NatWest is the most active on Google+ - although fresh content is not posted regularly. It has 2,588 followers and 281 people have NatWest in their Circles. 

But it has not updated its cover image to remain consistent with the branding on its Facebook and Twitter pages, suggesting that it isn't following a clear strategy for its Google+ management.

Pinterest

NatWest used Pinterest to showcase its 'Pigs by Kids' competition entries when it was looking for a new piggy bank mascot.

The competition was open to children aged 13 years and younger, so using social media was a great way to reach this younger audience. The bank has not used Pinterest since this competition ran in November 2012, however.

Summary

Overall, while each bank has a presence across the main social media platforms, they are primarily focusing on using Facebook and Twitter to deliver customer service.

None of the banks are shying away from complaints on social media, and are quickly acting to appease disgruntled customers.

This shows that they all place importance on these platforms for interaction with their customers, even if most of the issues cannot be solved over social media and require following up by telephone or email.

But, there is room for banks to use Google+ and LinkedIn to engage with current customers and potential customers, and to get more creative with their content across all platforms.

In Race With Twitter, Facebook, Like, Fluffs Its Social TV Numbers

On the same day that Twitter and Nielsen are debuting their first TV Ratings report emerging from the two companies' partnership, Facebook is slyly releasing official numbers designed to give its own TV efforts a boost.

Facebook claims that AMC's hot "Breaking Bad" finale was a hit across its social network, generating more than 5.5 million interactions from 3 million+ users. Twitter, meanwhile, saw 1.47 million tweets in comparison from 682,000+ uniques for the same show. What does this mean for Twitter, whose forthcoming IPO is heavily dependent on its TV partnerships and ad business? Is Facebook moving in for the kill?

Well, maybe. But Facebook's numbers feel a little fudged here.

For background, Facebook announced that it will begin sending out weekly TV reports to the U.S.'s top four networks this week – a move that was not coincidentally disclosed just ahead of the Nielsen Twitter TV Rating report's launch. Facebook says it will send data to ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS as well as a few other select partners, in order to demonstrate to what extent social conversations around TV programs are now taking place on its own network.

For example, Facebook found that ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" generated over a million interactions across 750,000 users on its network. Previously, reports had stated that Facebook sees five times as much TV-related activity on its network than on Twitter. But as TechCrunch's Josh Constine said before, that's not a fair comparison.

I can't believe Walt was a woman the whole time. Awesome ending. #BreakingBad

— Zach Braff (@zachbraff) September 30, 2013

 

A Like Is Not Equal To A Tweet 

To state the obvious, Facebook is much bigger than Twitter: 1.15 billion monthly actives versus Twitter's 200+ million. One could argue its numbers for almost anything will be bigger. But really, it's Facebook's looser definition of active engagement that makes comparing its figures to Twitter's a problem. Facebook, you see, counts nearly any engagement with its content among its "interactions" – it includes not only those posting status updates themselves, but also others who then like, comment or re-share that post to their own networks of friends.

Facebook counting a "like" as an "interaction" is like Twitter counting a "favorite." It's not an ideal metric to lump in with Facebook posts or re-shares, but, rather, should be treated as a separate category of interaction.

After all, there are a number of reasons why you may like someone's Facebook status, and it's not always directly related to the TV content they've shared. You might like a post because your friend also cracked a funny joke of some sort along with their note about the show they're watching, but that doesn't mean you're also a viewer or a fan. Or the post might contain more information beyond the TV show identified through basic keyword matching, and it's the other part of the post that you're actually "liking."

Many social networks like to fluff their numbers when it serves a purpose. Google reports steady increases in Google+ growth, for example, making it sound like Google+ (the destination website) is a bigger player in social than it really is. In reality, Google+ numbers are growing because Google+ is being baked in as the social layer across Google products ranging from Gmail to, most recently, YouTube comments.

Facebook's Social TV Data Could Become Better In Time 

At launch, Facebook's TV reports are not on par with Twitter's. It will not include other data like how many people saw activity where a TV show is being discussed – something Twitter and Nielsen's TV Rating report is already doing. And tracking this metric will be more difficult on Facebook, because its filtered News Feed doesn't show users every post from friends.

There are also hints that Facebook has had to work quickly to overcome potentially bad data here, indicating that its move to court TV networks is more reactive than proactive in this situation. In The WSJ's relaying of Facebook's news, it noted that before fine-tuning its system, which relies on keywords, Facebook had problems where it reported CBS's "NCIS" too highly because "NCIS" is a string of letters found in the more often mentioned term "San Francisco." (To address this issue, Facebook had to create a database of characters and other keywords related to each show in order to not end up with false positives.)

That said, as Facebook ramps up its efforts in this space, its data could become more valuable in the long run because there's more of it, and it includes profile demographics. The company has already unleashed anonymized data to select news outlets and marketers for other purposes, so there's no reason why it couldn't do the same for TV networks now.

Twitter Winning The Second Screen For Now 

Meanwhile, as Facebook gets up to speed with social TV data, Twitter is building out a business based on being the preferred "second screen" app. To serve up TV ratings and analysis, Twitter partnered with Nielsen, which owns SocialGuide, for TV ratings. It acquired companies like Bluefin Labs and Trendrr to further beef up its social TV efforts. With Twitter Amplify, it's allowing broadcasters to embed short video clips in their tweets in near real-time. And it partnered with CBS on Amplify just this month. It's also privately experimenting with a DVR-like functionality that would allow you to replay TV-related tweets as you watch a show after its original airing.

In addition, Twitter rolled out TV Ad Targeting programs this summer, which let U.S. advertisers target those who just saw their TV commercials while watching a given show. Twitter has a semantic understanding of what people are talking about here, too. Most importantly, being pushed the ad twice seems to work well, according to early reports. Nielsen found that the combination of TV ad and follow-up tweet delivered 95 percent stronger message association and 58 percent higher purchase intent than TV ads alone.

With all these initiatives underway, Twitter, though smaller and less diverse (the site sees a disproportionate number of young female users CBS's chief researcher officer told The WSJ), is for now ahead of Facebook in terms of making a business out of the social TV data it has on hand.

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Created in 2006, Twitter is a global real-time communications platform with 400 million monthly visitors to twitter.com, more than 200 million monthly active users around the world. We see a billion tweets every 2.5 days on every conceivable topic. World leaders, major athletes, star performers, news organizations and entertainment outlets are among the millions of active Twitter accounts through which users can truly get the pulse of the planet.

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Watch This Wall of Dead Batteries Charge 140 Smartphones

A Thai soymilk company has figured out what to do with your old, dead batteries.

Vitamilk has teamed up with BBDO Proximity Thailand, an organization that focuses on brand and consumer relationships, to create "Dead Batteries for Dead Batteries."

Using the leftover power of 1,500 used batteries donated by the public, the team created a wall of batteries with the ability to charge 140 smartphones. A video shows the batteries being placed in a large wall in sections of threes, before users approach the structure and plug in their phones.

See also: 6 Creative Hacks for Your Smartphone

Vitamilk estimates that over the course of two months, the wall has provided smartphones with an additional 3,328 hours of talk time.

Maybe it's time to start saving more of those old batteries.

Image: Flickr, I for Detail.

1. 

   1. SmartPurse

   These completely customizable purses have a plastic pocket through which you can use your phone. This allows you to access all of your phone's features without ever having to remove it from the pouch, as well as providing protection.

   Price: $43 - $63 + shipping

   Image: Nicole Kelner

2. 

   2. Cup of Tea Earphone Plug

   Fancy a cup of tea? This cute plug will protect your headphone port from dust and rain while keeping your look adorably posh.

   Price: $6 + shipping

   Image: Etsy, Liz Brown

3. 

   3. Faux Tail

   Turn your phone into a furry friend with these quirky tails! As of now, they're only available for Apple iOS devices.

   Price: $11.49

   Image: PerpetualKid

4. 

   4. Safety Whistle Charm

   It doesn't hurt to have the option of using your phone to make loud, persistent sounds in emergencies, even when your phone is out of batteries. Bonus points if you use this to annoy the hell out of your friends.

   Price: $2.90 + shipping

   Image: Strapya World

5. 

   5. Smartphone Wallet Case

   Here's another cute option for keeping all of your valuables and petty cash in one place. The soft inner lining cushions your smartphone, and a variety of styles are available.

   Price: $25 - $29 + shipping

   Image: ThylacinePouches

6. 

   6. Kitty Charms

   Proudly display your love of cats with this little kitty dangling from your phone. The charm is attached to an earphone plug. The kitten chases a ball of yarn -- how cute is that?

   Price: $7.40 + shipping

   Image: Strapya World

7. 

   7. Chevron Phone Sleeve

   Channel the trendy Chevron style with this cute sleeve, which will keep your smartphone safe in your purse or pocket.

   Price: $19.50 + shipping

   Image: Etsy, Eva Valpecz

8. 

   8. Nano Block

   In case your phone's smooth, rounded edges don't allow you to attach little twee charms that dangle from your device, Nano Blocks have you covered. These Lego-like blocks stick to the back of your phone and allow you to attach dangling charms to your heart's content.

   Price: $3.90 + shipping

   Image: Strapya World

9. 

   9. iPhone Coin Purse

   This coin purse is another cute option for keeping your phone safe and stylish in your purse or pocket.

   Price: $24 + shipping

   Image: Etsy, Maja Yogev

10. 

    10. Mini Stylus

    This mini stylus is both decorative and functional, since it plugs into your jack outlet and protects it from dust. The stylus is always easily accessible for times when you can't use your fingertips on the screen, such as when you're wearing gloves.

    Price: $14 + shipping

    Image: Etsy, Alissa Gillooley

NASA Won't Leave Astronauts Stranded in Space if Shutdown Occurs

In the midst of a possible government shutdown Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a speech on Monday filled with warnings about the possible consequences — one of which would be the furlough of most of NASA's 18,000 employees.

Fuelled by a budget stuck in limbo over disagreements related to the new healthcare law, the governmental impasse could cripple a number of federal institutions, including the Department of Justice, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the National Park Service.

SEE ALSO: What's Next for NASA: Planned Missions Through 2030

But for those focused on the future of science and technology, the potential interruption of NASA's operations is just the latest in a series of budget woes that continue to stifle its development.

There's also the issue of NASA's work in space, namely the International Space Station. Currently, there are two NASA astronauts aboard the ISS: Mike Hopkins and Karen Nyberg.

If a government shutdown does occur, however, the two American astronauts won't be left literally hanging in the space station with no support. Speaking to reporters from the White House, Obama said, "NASA will shut down almost entirely, but mission control will remain open to support the astronauts serving on the space station."

NASA has been preparing for the possibility of a shutdown for weeks, and has already put contingency plans in place.

In a memo drafted by the Office of Management and Budget, an official laid out the specifics of how NASA will handle the potential shutdown, writing, "To protect the life of the crew as well as the assets themselves, we would continue to support planned operations of the ISS during any funding hiatus.

"Moreover, NASA will be closely monitoring the impact of an extended shutdown to determine if crew transportation or cargo resupply services are required to mitigate imminent threats to life and property on the ISS or other areas."

What makes the impending shutdown even more unsettling is the fact that Oct. 1 also marks NASA's 55th anniversary. The space agency celebrates the milestone on its website, but the historic day will be overshadowed by NASA's ongoing budget limitations — regardless of the outcome of Tuesday's looming government shutdown.

1. 

   NASA Goddard Photo and Video 1

   Here's one of the rockets taking off from NASA's facility on Wallops Island, VA.

   Taken using a Canon EOS 7D.

2. 

   NASA Goddard Photo and Video 2

   Taken using a Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

3. 

   NASA Goddard Photo and Video 3

   Taken using a Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

4. 

   brownpau

   Taken using a Canon PowerShot SD770 IS.

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 

   alicia bruce 1

   Taken using a Canon EOS 7D.

10. 

    alicia bruce 2

    Taken using a Canon EOS 7D.

11. 

    alicia bruce 3

    Taken using a Canon EOS 7D.

12. 

    alicia bruce 4

    Taken using a Canon EOS 7D.

13. 

    kaitlyn tikkun

    Taken using a Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

14. 

    Bosta 1

    Taken using a Nikon D7000.

15. 

    Bosta 2

    Taken using a Nikon D7000.

16. 

    davidmurr

    Taken using a Canon EOS REBEL T2i.

17. 

18. 

    threewiremedia

    Taken using a Sony SLT-A77V.

Image: NASA

Coach Answers Reporter's iPhone After Awkward Interruption

The iPhone has been a boon to journalists worldwide — so much so that universities now teach courses on how to use the Apple gadget as a reporting and storytelling tool.

But all the iPhone's journalism benefits come with a downside, as evidenced in hilarious fashion during a Monday press conference held by Northwestern University football coach Pat Fitzgerald.

See also: Usain Bolt Crashes Paris Wedding With Amazing Instagram Pic

One unlucky reporter had set his iPhone on the table in front of Fitzgerald to record the coach's remarks, leading into the nationally ranked Wildcats' Saturday showdown against powerhouse Ohio State. But the coach was interrupted mid-sentence by a caller named "Graham."

Fitzgerald doesn't miss a beat, however, picking up the call to tell Graham, "We're in a press conference, buddy. You're going to have to call him back, alright?" He even bids Graham goodbye with a classic coach's send-off: "Go Cats."

Watch the funny YouTube clip, above; then let us know what you think in the comments.

1. 1. Golf Cart Fail

   This runaway vehicle wreaked minor on-field havoc following a high school football championship in Texas last December. But a heroic bystander hopped aboard and put on the brakes.

   No casualties occurred, and the clip immediately became Internet legend.

2. 2. Penalty Kick Fail

   Watch out for the ricochet, goalie! This kid gets it in the right in the chops.

3. 3. Mascot on Rollerblades Fail

   What happens when you put an inflatable dinosaur on rollerblades and ask it to skate down a flight of stairs? Amazingness, that's what.

4. 4. Flopping Fail

   In sports, to "flop" is to exaggerate the force of contact in hopes of drawing a favorable call from officials. But you've got to time it much, much better than this guy does.

5. 5. Hockey Celebration Fail

   Apparently, if you hug a member of the opposite team after scoring a goal in hockey, you will get punched in the face.

6. 6. Innocent Bystander Fail

   This kid is just in the wrong place at the wrong time...to the benefit of the rest of us.

7. 7. Representing Your School Fail

   College football mascots are supposed to represent their schools in a fun, positive light — which doesn't typically include picking fights. Here, the University of Oregon's duck slams the University of Houston's cougar.

   Bonus points for the sick elbow drop, though.

8. 8. Weightlifting Fail

   Not saying we could successfully lift 432 pounds above our heads, but dang, that looks painful.

   German weightlifter Matthias Steiner dropped this massive barbell on his neck during the London Olympics this summer, but escaped serious injury.

9. 9. Trampoline Dunk Fail

   Sometimes, when you fail, you actually win.

10. 10. Hurdling Fail

    Why jump over hurdles when you could just RUN STRAIGHT THROUGH THEM?

    File under: Never, Ever Gets Old.

11. 11. Paying Attention Fail

    After what could best be described as an "optimistic" shot attempt in a game last season, NBA center JaVale McGee showed some nice hustle getting back on defense. Only problem? His team still had the ball.

12. 12. Judgment Fail

    But that wasn't McGee's only legendary moment. Here, he shows why it's not a good idea to try dunking from the free throw line mid-game.

13. 13. Olympic Promo Fail

    For some reason, London's Olympic promotions this summer involved hanging Mayor Boris Johnson on a zipline while waving a pair of tiny flags.

    Then he got stuck halfway through and it was pretty much the best, funniest, awkwardest thing that could have happened.

14. 14. Grand Slam Celebration Fail

    Major Leaguer Kendry Morales broke his lower left leg while celebrating a game-winning grand slam in 2010. This edited video provides the before, during and after rundown.

15. 15. Slam Dunk Fail

    See? White guys can jump? It's just the landing that's the hard part.

16. 16. High Dive Fail

    The announcer here sums it up perfectly. She calls this attempt from the 1992 Olympics "an absolute failed dive."

17. 17. Piggyback Ride Fail

    What begins as an innocent enough piggyback ride atop a fuzzy mascot turns into a pretty epic collision — and YouTube gold.

18. 18. Long Jump Fail

    Dude! If you're gonna pump up the crowd like that, you can't just faceplant into the sand.

19. 19. Touchdown Celebration Fail

    When you think about it, is there any better way to celebrate a touchdown than by pegging an unsuspecting spectator in the face? Bonus points for originality, at least.

20. 20. Pro Golfer Fail

    You'd think a professional golfer could put the ball in the hole with less than 16 strokes. Kevin Na — and the rest of the world — found out otherwise on this par-four hole at the 2011 Valero Texas Open.

21. 21. Head-First Slide Fail

    Well, that's one way of doing it...right?

22. 22. Time Management Fail

    Tie game, clock winding down — it's always better to get one last attempt up than just let the game go into overtime. A full court desperation heave with a 11 seconds to go is never the way to do it, however.

    This classic gaffe by the University of Connecticut's Roscoe Smith came during a matchup of top teams in 2011.

23. 23. Boogie Boarding Fail

    Its veracity may be suspect, but this 2008 YouTube classic has more than 12.7 million views, despite a mind-numbing soundtrack.

24. 24. Sportsmanship Fail

    The summer of 2011 was a tough time for NBA star LeBron James. It was full of lingering ill-will for his decision to the leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and snarky schadenfreude over his initial failure to win a championship with the Miami Heat.

    So it makes perfect sense that he'd let off some steam by viciously dunking on a tiny kid at summer camp, right? That's what happens at the 0:43 mark of this video.

25. 25. Standing on a Basketball Hoop Fail

    We're not quite sure why this mascot thought standing on top of a basketball rim was a good idea.

Homepage image: YouTube, Northwestern Athletics

YouTube Announces the 'YouTube Music Awards' Show

Lady Gaga, Eminem and Arcade Fire are among the artists who will perform at the first YouTube Music Awards, a new global event that will air live on YouTube on Nov. 3.

Google's 8-year-old video sharing service announced the 90-minute awards show Monday night, saying YouTube will reveal six award categories in mid-October. Data from YouTube users will drive the nominations, and users will vote for the winners.

SEE ALSO: 13 Must-Follow Musicians on Instagram

Leading up to the live show in November, YouTube will showcase hours of pre-recorded performances taped across the world, including Seoul, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro and London. Those will lead to the live event at Pier 36 in New York City.

"Music is a huge part of what YouTube is and what YouTube has become to music fans around the world," Chelsea Maughan, a YouTube spokeswoman told Mashable. "The YouTube Music Awards represent the next step in terms of celebrating how big music is on YouTube."

The main broadcast will feature mainstream stars as well as musicians who have built significant followings on YouTube, such as violin dub-step artist Lindsey Stirling and the "musical experiment" group CDZA, who have 3.2 million and 215,000 YouTube subscribers, respectively.  Music mashups during the show will blend YouTube stars with more high-profile celebrities. Filmmaker Spike Jonze will serve as creative director, while VICE and Sunset Lane Entertainment will take on executive producing duties.

"We're setting out to create a night that's all about making things and creativity in the spirit of everyone that uses YouTube," Jonze said in a statement. "As well as giving out awards, we'll be making live music videos. The whole night should feel like a YouTube video itself."

Maughan said YouTube hopes to show that — without YouTube — people like Psy may never have gotten a record deal.

Danielle Tiedt, YouTube's vice president of marketing, added in a statement: "From catalyzing careers and pop culture phenomena to propelling a song's rise to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, our global community's influence is felt across the music industry."

1. 

   1. Amanda Bynes vs. Rihanna

   Looking for a way to amp up the drama, Amanda Bynes took her Twitter sass to a whole new level in May with a seemingly unwarranted attack on pop star Rihanna and Chrissy Teigen of Sports Illustrated fame, calling both stars ugly. In one particularly notable moment, the former child star suggested Chris Brown's 2009 abuse of Rihanna was a result of her being "not pretty enough." Ms. Bynes, that is a new low.

2. 

   2. Alec Baldwin vs. George Stark

   Alec Baldwin quit Twitter again this summer following an article by journalist George Stark of the Daily Mail. The piece falsely accused Baldwin's pregnant wife, Hilaria Thomas, of tweeting during the funeral of James Gandolfini. The rant is still causing a stir for the 30 Rock star, as conservative activists demand that Capital One drop him as a spokesperson due to the homophobic nature of his tweets. Baldwin has since apologized for his language but not for defending his wife.

3. 

   3. Directioners vs. British GQ

   Hell hath no fury like a fandom scorned. British GQ got a taste of that hell when the magazine released its One Direction covers in July. The tagline under Harry Styles' cover, "He's up all night to get lucky," evoked such rage from Directioners that GQ's servers couldn't handle the influx of hate tweets.

4. 

   4. Perez Hilton vs. Amanda Bynes

   It was only a matter of time before these two butted heads. After Hilton posted a photo from an alleged eyewitness who spotted Bynes jumping on a trampoline, Bynes replied with her usual onslaught of "ugly" tweets. Eventually, Bynes insisted Hilton commit suicide. No stranger to death threats, Hilton expressed his concern for Bynes and his hope that she receive treatment.

   On May 31, Bynes eventually retracted her statements about the blogger, saying, "you're not ugly! I was lying because we haven't talked in person in a long time. Please stop being mean on twitter! Thx!"

   How nice.

5. 

   5. Perez Hilton vs. will.i.am

   In one of the most famous Twitter feuds of all time, Perez Hilton ended up with a black eye after calling will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas a "f***cking f*ggot." While it's unclear who exactly gave Hilton the shiner, will.i.am posted a vlog insisting it was not him. Regardless who actually threw the punch, Hilton took to Twitter to seek help from the police. You know, because 911 is too old school.

6. 

   6. Perez Hilton vs. Lady Gaga

   In a more recent Twitter feud, Hilton found himself on the wrong side of Lady Gaga's little monsters when he was seen in the lobby of Gaga's apartment building in New York. Gaga accused Hilton of stalking her, despite his insistence it was nothing more than innocent house-hunting. Gaga's fans also let their claws out, voicing death threats and derogatory comments about Hilton's six-month-old son.

   Hilton, who was once friends with the pop star, insisted that the "real" Lady Gaga was different than her public persona, calling her "cruel" and insisting he was "still healing, removing your knife from my heart" after the two's apparent fallout.

7. 

   7. Rob Kardashian vs. Rita Ora

   Plenty of celebs take to tweeting after a breakup, but it's hard to beat a Kardashian when it comes to drama. Rob K took to the Twittersphere to bash ex Rita Ora, saying she cheated on him with no less than 20 other men. While Ora remained mostly silent on the subject, one errant tweet did surface before it was quickly erased: "Rob's d--k was wack, I had to go get it somewhere else."

   Kardashian didn't take kindly to the insult, hinting he had gotten Ora pregnant. That exchanged remained on the site only briefly before it was taken down.

   One party who did remain positive throughout the feud? Rob's sister Khloe, who offered some advice: "Cheaters never prosper @RobKardashian ill be home today... Try and smile little brother."

8. 

   8. Chris Brown vs. Jenny Johnson

   While Chris Brown was no one's favorite person after the abuse scandal surrounding girlfriend Rihanna, one comedienne in particular, Texas-based writer Jenny Johnson, wanted to let the R&B singer know just how she felt about him. A little bit of harassment went a long way, and it didn't take too long for Brown to delete his account, but not before he tweeted: "Just ask Rihanna if she mad??????"

   Brown's account has since been reactivated.

9. 

   9. Rhianna vs. Chris Brown

   Now that Brown has returned to Twitter, fans can follow his breakup drama with on-again, off-again girlfriend Rihanna. The tumultuous trainwreck that is the Rihanna/Chris Brown relationship just won't go away, with the breakup feud continuing through August.

   RiRi tweeted an image bearing the words "If I drop all my hoes for you and we still don't work out you owe me some hoes." While the sentiment seems pretty clear, Brown's "She's not mine if she's everybody else's" tweet definitely left no room for doubt about the reason for the pair's latest breakup.

10. 

    10. Nick Cannon vs. Chelsea Handler

    After the acid-tongued Handler jabbed Cannon's comedy tour, saying: "I just heard nick cannon is starting a comedy tour. Who's going to do the comedy?" Cannon was clearly a little peeved at the tweet, but didn't really let loose until Handler posted a TwitPic of grape soda with the tweet "pls drink this before you tweet me again." It was at this point that Cannon wilded out (sorry not sorry for that one), letting loose the slew of angry tweets (plus a few more) that you see above.

11. 

    BONUS: Patton Oswalt vs. John Tesh

    Leave it to Internet favorite Patton Oswalt to create one of the punniest feuds on this list. When radio host John Tesh sent out a request for new hashtag ideas, Patton Oswalt gave a couple of suggestions, none of which seemed up to Tesh's high standards. Read the full conversation here.

Image: Don Arnold/WireImage