This document contains frequently asked questions that arise when using the Twitter Social data source. You can quickly navigate to a particular FAQ by using the table of contents below.
How come I can’t see any historical data for Twitter?
Why do I have tweets showing but no account related data?
Why is it when I look for new followers the number is inflated?
What metrics are available for Twitter Social?
How come I can’t see any historical data for Twitter?
Twitter Social data is a snapshot at a moment in time and doesn’t provide a way to get historical data from the past. Real time data providers don’t have a problem with empty days in the past because they show data “at this moment”. One of TapClicks’ value-add is that it’s storing your data over time, each snapshot, one per day, for trend analysis. We’re providing something that others / Twitter doesn’t make easily available to external parties. It is considered a best practice is to connect your data as soon as possible so we start collecting it.
Why do I have tweets showing but no account related data?
Twitter Social does provide tweets dated before the connection date, so there is nothing wrong. However the reason they are there but there is no data at the higher levels is because Twitter handles the data differently. Account-related data is more restricted and we don't get any historical, whereas tweets are more public.
Why is it when I look for new followers the number is inflated?
The first time you connect, it’s comparing the total to “0” which is why it may be inflated. Twitter gives us a snapshot of data each day and we do the calculation, so after a few days the new values should normalize.
What metrics are available for Twitter Social?
All metrics for a given data source are listed in the TapClicks Marketplace. You can find all metrics and their associated data view for Twitter in the Marketplace here: Twitter Social Metrics.