Throughout the months of the Arab Spring, the twitter feed of NPR senior strategist Andy Carvin was a one stop shop for keeping up with events in the region--even though Carvin was a world away in Washington D.C. Now Carvin has written a new book about his experience, Distant Witness: Social Media, the Arab Spring and a Journalism Revolution, and sat down with Brooke for a live event to discuss his reporting with social media.

Mazen Dha Nahar el Youm

NPR's Andy Carvin, author of Distant Witness: Social Media, the Arab Spring and a Journalism Revolution, talks with Brian Lehrer about the role of Twitter in reporting and his experience using social media to follow developments during the Arab Spring.

"Friends, New Yorkers, Opera Lovers Everywhere," writes Fred Plotkin. "Do I really need to explain why people should not engage in extended conversations at the opera?"

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As the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired missles into Gaza this week, they did something unprecedented in military history: they tweeted about it. As the fighting unfolded, the IDF carried out a real-time social media campaign, posting justifications, combat videos, and propaganda posters to Twitter and to a dedicated live blog. Bob talks to Noah Shachtman, editor of Wired.com's Danger Room blog, who tries to explain the IDF's logic and put their media offensive in perspective.

Clive Carroll & John Renbourn - First Drive

Tom Phillips, the man behind a website called "Is Twitter Wrong?" worked hard during Sandy to debunk many of the false images of the storm and its aftermath. Bob speaks to Phillips about how easy it is to differentiate the real images from the fakes.

Helium - Aging Astronauts

Last week's storm highlighted Twitter's role as a useful (and occasionally infuriating) source of information during an emergency. OTM producer PJ Vogt talks to Bob about how to find accurate information on the platform while mostly avoiding the chaff. 

After the first presidential debate, we spoke to several independent voters throughout the country who have not yet decided who they will be voting for come November. Now, after the second presidential debate, we check back in with these voters to see what they thought and where they are leaning.

Technology is giving history a real-time feel through tweets.

Twitter set a record last night for the volume of tweets during a political event, beating out the conventions from a few weeks ago. Here's a collection of our favorite tweets from last night.

Police say more than 100 people have been arrested as Occupy Wall Street protesters march in small groups around Manhattan's financial district to mark the anniversary of the grass-roots movement.

Twitter on Friday agreed to hand over about three months' worth of tweets to a judge overseeing the criminal trial of an Occupy Wall Street protester, a case that has become a closely watched fight over how much access law enforcement agencies should have to material posted on social networks.

The social networks are out in force here at the Republican National Convention, indicating a shift from reflecting to trying to direct the political conversation.

Social media trends come and go (remember Friendster?), but Twitter remains a stalwart presence. With that in mind, we take a look at some of opera's best tweeters.

"Posing for a cover shoot is scary..." That's the beginning of a tweet by Katie Couric, and it's a perfect example of a new subsection of social media. It's called a "humble brag." You know, telling people why your life is so hard, while subtly reminding us why your life is so sweet.

It makes sense to assume an off-key tweet will disappear by itself in the ever-expanding Twitter-verse without consequence.  But some politicians don’t risk it, and delete tweets that might get spun into gaffes.  Enter the Sunlight Foundation’s Politwoops site, which keeps track of politicians’ tweets, lest a cover-up slip through the cracks.  Bob talks with Tom Lee who’s in charge of the project.

Errors - Tusk

Twitter has teamed up with Republican and Democratic polling firms, as well as another company called Topsy, to create a new tool called the Twindex. It offers a new way to gauge the political leanings of likely voters. Bob speaks with Adam Sharp, Twitter's manager for government and politics.