Spam and phishing have been ongoing problems at Twitter for some time, and tonight the company announced that it is stepping up its efforts to stop them with some new features, described as being able to “detect, intercept, and prevent the spread of bad links.”

In a blog post, Twitter writes that the protection works by “routing all links submitted to Twitter through this new service … even if a bad link is already sent out in an email notification and somebody clicks on it, we’ll be able keep that user safe.”

How exactly they do that, we’re not sure, but Twitter notes that you’ll start seeing short links using its own “twt.tl” URL shortener in direct messages and email notifications. As users who have been victimized by phishing scams (and those annoyed by the constant barrage of dodgy DMs) can likely attest, it’s a feature whose time has most certainly come.

It seems hundreds of Twitter accounts have started to Tweet out “weight loss” product spam today.

Specifically, users who have had their accounts hijacked are Tweeting the message “I lost 20 lbs in 2 weeks!” and links to diet sites. Our source counts over 200 rogue tweets so far tonight.

It’s not just new users getting caught out: famous tech pundit John C. Dvorak (@therealdvorak) got caught up in the attack, and was none too pleased.

At this point we’re unsure of the cause: Access could have been gained through previous phishing schemes. However, one factor points to a likely suspect: all the Tweets are posted via “API”, meaning the spammers do not have direct access to the accounts. Rather, there’s likely some third party application that’s been compromised (or a rogue one permitted by the users) that’s pushing spam Tweets.

Suffice to say: If your friends start tweeting links to diet sites tonight, don’t click the links!

Twitter has just announced that it has opened up its full data feed of all public tweets — a.k.a. the “Firehose” — to seven new startups, and is looking to partner with more to give them access to the data.

Currently, only a few partners have access to one ofTwitter’s most valuable assets: its stream of tweets. They include search giants Google,Microsoft and Yahoo. It’s believed that these deals have already made Twitter profitable.

But now Twitter is looking to foster innovation from some of its third party developers, starting with several real-time search and discovery startups.

Starting today, seven new partners will have access to Twitter’s full firehose: Twazzup,Collecta, CrowdEye, Scoopler, Kosmix, Chainn Search and Ellerdale. This means that these companies will have the full feed of tweets to augment their search results. Collecta searches, for example, could now display all recent posts mentioning Mashable, rather than be rate limited as most Twitter apps currently are.

Look for a lot more startups to have access to the Firehose as well: >Twitter says that it is looking for new partners involving its data. One thing we wonder about, though: Did these startups have to pay for access, as Google did when it struck its deal? And if not, does that devalue from the data that Google now uses in its real-time search engine?

The Yahoo-Twitter partnership would be comprehensive and more encompassing than Twitter’s search partnerships with Google and Bing, but now Yahoo tells us that the integration will focus on three primary areas:

- Access to your Twitter feed on Yahoo: On Yahoo Mail, Sports, the homepage, and other Yahoo properties, you will be able to check the most recent tweets of your friends.

- Ability to update status from Yahoo: Yahoo will become a Twitter client, allowing you to update your status from multiple locations on Yahoo. We’re not sure if this is going to be through widgets or another method.

- Yahoo Search and media integration: Public Twitter updates will be integrated throughout Yahoo Search, News, Finance, and Entertainment, among other properties.

Yahoo will have full access to the Twitter data firehose, so you can expect real-time updates in Yahoo Search, among other integrations. They will use tweets to improve relevancy, freshness, and search results, as well as “drive deeper user engagement.”

The first integration will be available “immediately,” and that is the real-time search integration. This brings Yahoo Search in line with its competitors in terms of real-time data. You can probably expect this to launch fully later tonight or early tomorrow.

As for the other integrations, they will launch later this year.

Fans of the popular Seesmic Twitter client’s web-based interface have some good news today. A major update to the web interface brings in a brand new contact manager, drag-and-drop full Twitter list management, photo uploads with geotagging, Tweetmeme support and a conversational threading feature that lets you call up back-and-forth exchanges you’ve had on Twitter into a collated conversation pop-up view.

We had a chance to check out the new features and are especially excited about the conversational threads feature. Pictured below, the new option aggregates Twitter conversations into a pop-up chronological view of @replies that transpired during the Twitter exchange between you and user user(s). It’s a great way to pull in a cohesive view of a Twitter conversation, available wherever you see the “in reply to” link beneath an individual tweet. It doesn’t even have to be your own conversation thread; you can enable it to get a clearer picture of conversations among those you follow as well.

The other big new addition is a contact manager, a new feature exclusive to Seesmic (pictured below). At the top left you’ll see toggle buttons between Home, Messages and Contacts. Clicking the Contacts button takes you to the new address book-like tool that collates information about your followers, the people following you, and members of any of your Lists. You can send messages and follow or unfollow individual Twitter users from here, see their bios, and drag and drop them into existing lists (or create new lists).

List management is another new feature in this Seesmic Web update, and the drag and drop functionality is intuitive and easy to use. Inline photo uploading is also now supported, with the status update entry box containing a “Picture” button at the bottom allowing you to include a photo in your tweet from either your local machine or the web. The “Location” button next to the Picture button also allows you to enable the geolocation information to be sent with your update (requires Google Gears to be installed).

In addition to the new functionality, Seesmic Web also got a number of design tweaks and improvements for an easier-to-use interface. Are you a user of Seesmic Web? What do you think of the changes?

Between Twitter, Facebook, and Google’s new social networking tool, Buzz, it’s hard to turn a corner without running into another social network. But how do you know which networking tool fits you best? We’re here—with big charts and all—to help.

Last week Google Buzz made us ask ourselves what we wanted out of social networking. To answer that question, we charted what we liked and disliked about setup, privacy, usability, and other aspects of Buzz, Twitter, and Facebook. Here’s the result.

This chart doesn’t cover everything about every network out there. MySpace is (seemingly) on the decline or, at best, re-purposing itself. LinkedIn is really a business contact pool, FourSquare a geo-location game, and other networks generally too niche to be compared in the same aspects and categories.

For the simple read, here’s the full chart of our Buzz, Twitter, and Facebook comparison. We color-coded each answer to give a context of where it stood, in comparison to what we know is possible and what a smart user would like to see. Red means that you can’t rely on this network for this feature. Yellow indicates that the network offers it or makes due, but could definitely be better. Green means something works, and can be considered a selling point.

Google may have finally figured out social media, even if there have been some major slip-ups in the way. The implications of that realization could dramatically change social media as a tool and as an industry.

On Tuesday, February 9th, Google launched Buzz for Gmail, a service for sharing thoughts, multimedia, and your social media feeds with your friends utilizing Gmail as the conduit. The result: over 160,000 Google Buzz posts and comments per hour.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that Google didn’t launch a small addition to Gmail — no, it has dropped a nuclear bomb whose fallout will permanently alter the social media landscape.

Why? Why has it grown so rapidly? Why has it riled up such strong emotions on both sides? Are the privacy issues going to permanently damage Google? And most of all, what does Google Buzz mean for Twitter, Facebook, and the rest of the social media world?

Why Have Users Embraced Buzz?

It’s a question that has both simple and complex answers: why has Google Buzz taken off as a service (thus far) in ways that Orkut, Google Friend Connect, and Google’s other attempts at social media did not?

Let’s start with the most obvious one, and one I think was a brilliant move, despite the privacy issues: it’s wired directly into Gmail. With a flip of a switch, Buzz gained tens of millions of users. With the Buzz tab just directly under “Inbox,” the service creating its own unread count, and Buzz emails flooding inboxes, how could people not try it out? The main reason buzz is growing so quickly is because it is easily accessible to Gmail’s large and already established user base.

Summary: Easy to use, accessible, convenient, closer social circle, moves in real-time, engaging…

Google’s got a monster on its hands.

It’s official: Google has just announced Google Buzz, its newest push into the social media foray. This confirms earlier reports of Gmail integrating a social status feature.

On stage revealing the new product was Bradley Horowitz, Google’s vice president for product management. While introducing the product, Mr. Horowitz focused on the human penchant for sharing experiences and the social media phenomenon of wanting to share it in real time. These two key themes were core philosophies behind Google Buzz.

“It’s becoming harder and harder to find signal in the noise,” Bradley stated before introducing the product manager for Google Buzz, Todd Jackson.

Here are the details:

Google Buzz: The Details

Mr. Jackson introduced “a new way to communicate within Gmail.” It’s “an entire new world within Gmail.” Then he introduced the five key features that define Google Buzz

• Key feature #1: Auto-following
• Key feature #2: Rich, fast sharing experience
• Key feature #3: Public and private sharing
• Key feature #4: Inbox integration
• Key feature #5: Just the good stuff

• Google then began the demo. Once you log into Gmail, you’ll be greeted wiht a splash page introducing Google Buzz.
• There is a tab right under the inbox, labeled “Buzz”
• It provides links to websites, content from around the web. Picasa, Twitter, Flickr and other sites are aggregated.
• It shows thumbnails when linked to photos from sites like Picasa and Flickr. Clicking on an image will blow up the images to almost the entire browser, making them easier to see.
• It uses the same keyboard shortcuts as Gmail. This makes sense. Hitting “R” allows you to comment/reply to a buzz post, for example.
• There are public and private settings for different posts. You can post updates to specific contact groups. This is a lot like Facebook friend lists.
• Google wants to make sure you don’t miss comments, so it has a system to send you an e-mail letting you know about updates. However, the e-mail will actually show you the Buzz you’ve created and all of the comments and images associated with it.
• Comments update in real time.

• @replies are supported, just like Twitter. If you @reply someone, it will send a buzz toward an individual’s inbox.
• Google Buzz has a “recommended” feature that will show buzzes from people you don’t follow if your friends are sharing or commenting on that person’s buzz. You can remove it or change this in settings.
• Google is now speaking about using algorithms to help filter conversations, as well as mobile devices related to Buzz.

The Mobile Aspect

• Google buzz will be accessible via mobile in three ways: from Google Mobile’s website, from Buzz.Google.com (iPhone and Android), and from Google Mobile Maps.
• Buzz knows wher you are. It will figure out what building you are and ask you if it’s right.
• Buzz has voice recognition and posts it right onto your buzz in real-time. It also geotags your buzz posts.
• Place pages integrate Buzz.
• In the mobile interface, you can click “nearby” and see what people are saying nearby. NIFTY, if I say so myself.
• You can layer Google Maps with Buzz. You can also associate pictures with buzz within Google Maps.
• Conversation bubbles will appear on your Google Maps. They are geotagged buzz posts, which lets you see what people are saying nearby.
• They just showed off a video for Buzz.

Gmail is set to become Google’s next major push into social media. According to The Wall Street Journal, the popular webmail service will soon launch a new feature for sharing content and status updates with friends. [Update: We think Google might announce these features on Tuesday]

As WSJ points out, Gmail users can already update their statuses — sort of — through Gmail’s chat feature. Currently, this feature is more akin to the traditional IM “away message.” However, with this new social push, Gmail will offer a timeline-view of your friends’ status updates, just like on Facebook and Twitter.

Those updates might come from both Gmail and third-party services. According to WSJ, Google-owned YouTube and Picasa will be integrated into the stream. The huge question then is whether or not the new feature will include updates from Twitter and Facebook.

If so, the new features could be thought of more like a TweetDeck or Seesmic, looking to provide an aggregate view of your friends’ social media activities along with the ability to push status updates to the services you use from inside of Gmail. If not, it could be thought of as a major competitor to Twitter and Facebook as Gmail looks to covert its millions of e-mail users into adherents to a whole new breed of social media service.

An issue with the latter, however, is that Gmail has historically added people to your contacts based on e-mail interactions. Hence, this contact list often varies significantly from your friends on social sites where relationships need to be made explicitly.

In other words, your Gmail contacts aren’t necessarily the same people you want to share status updates, photos and videos with. This is an issue that shouldn’t be overlooked in evaluating the new features Google is soon to unveil.