Update: TAGS v6.0 is here! You can jump straight to the new site. If you are using version 5.x here are instructions on how to upgrade (there is an old Sheets version of TAGS which is recommended for use with TAGSExplorer).
For a couple of years now to support my research in Twitter community analysis/visualisation I’ve been developing my Twitter Archiving Google Spreadsheet (TAGS). To allow other to explore the possibilities of data generated by Twitter I’ve released copies of this template to the community.
In September 2012 Twitter announced the release of a new version of their API (the spreadsheet uses this to request data from Twitter). Around the same time Twitter also announced that the old version of their API would be switched off in March 2013. This has required some modification of TAGS to work with the new API. The biggest change for TAGS is that all requests now need authenticated access.
So here it is:
*** Twitter Archive Google Spreadsheet – TAGS v5.1 ***
[If the first link doesn’t work try Opening this Spreadsheet and File > Make a copy]
Important: Uldis Bojars (@CaptSolo) has highlighted an issue with TAGS V5.0 which meant it would not page all the results. This has been fixed with the release of v5.1. If you are running version 5.0 of TAGS it’s highly recommended you update the code.
We find that the search API over-represents the more central users and does not offer an accurate picture of peripheral activity; we also find that the bias is greater for the network of mentions – González-Bailón, Sandra, et al. “Assessing the bias in communication networks sampled from twitter.” Available at SSRN 2185134 (2012).
Instructions for setting up TAGSv5
Instructions are included on the Readme/Settings sheet of the template. If you are having problems it’s worth checking Instructions for Tags v5.0 written by Stacy Blasiola (@Blasiola) or this modified version by Karen Smith & Shanifa Nasser made for Open Data Day Toronto available as CC-BY-SA.
What will happen to my existing TAGS sheets that aren’t version 5.0?
When Twitter turn off the old API (test outages this March) all authenticated and unauthenticated search requests will stop working.
How do I upgrade existing versions of TAGS spreadsheets (v3.x to v4.0) to keep collecting beyond March 2013?
As I can’t push an update to existing copies of TAGS you’ll have to manually update by opening your spreadsheet, then opening Tools > Script editor… and replacing the section of code that starts function getTweets() { and finishes 134 lines later (possiblly with the line function twDate(aDate){ ) with the code here. [And yes I know that’s a pain in the ass but best I could do] … or you can just start a new archive using TAGSv5.0
More additional tips and info when I get a chance