Were you one of many Twitter accounts whose passwords were reset this week? How did you hear about America’s new president? And have you seen the new Windows app store?

This week we update you on a Twitter security scare, how social media played a big part in the election earlier this week, and some great Windows apps headed your way!

The tweet that broke social media records

It was a big week for our American friends, as the world watched and eagerly awaited the news of who would be the next President of the United States.

Before social media, people would sit glued to their TV’s for hours on end awaiting the results, listen to the radio, or catch the highlights in the papers the following morning. This year was an entirely different story from the campaign to the winning results, starting with online campaigning encouraging people to vote, to presidential supporters showcasing their support, to the presidential candidates themselves tweeting to the people!

When the re-elected President Obama tweeted a picture himself and wife, Michelle in a loving embrace with the caption “Four more years,” it became the most tweeted-about political event in American history. According to Google, the tweet has been re-tweeted over 714,800 times as of mid-Wednesday, while the Facebook post with the same image and caption has garnered more than 3.5 million likes! We found more great stats in The Telecom Blog’s post on social media coverage as well.

Forbes called this “the first truly digital election.” What role do you think social media will play in politics in the next four years?

Twitter’s password faux-pas

Many people were affected this week by Twitter’s accidental reset of thousands of passwords after some accounts had been  compromised by a third-party site. When this happens, Twitter sends out an email warning you your account may have been compromised and automatically resets your password. It’s a good practice, except this week it led to more accounts being reset than were suspected to have been hacked.

Twitter has since issued a statement and apologized, but it’s another reminder that we need to be more diligent when it comes to online security. We noted similar points in our recent post on Cyber Security Awareness month in October, highlighting best practices for social networks, mobile banking and online shopping.

Twitter was also quick to point to their own tips on how to keep your account secure – if you have any tips of your own to share, let us know in the comments and help others benefit from your personal security measures!

Windows tips and tricks for navigating their app store

CNET put together a great piece this week not only reviewing Windows 8 and answering readers FAQ’s, but also highlighting some cool new features in the Windows Phone app store. After joining forces with Microsoft for Windows 8 devices with exclusive apps, we’re naturally anxious to share any additional tidbits we come across with our customers.

Boasting over 120,000 apps, CNET noted you can create a theme to customize groups of apps and the software will actually detect and make recommendations based on preferences and location as well. Want to know more? Check out their full article here and let us know other features you’re loving or excited about!

Kelly is a regular contributor for RedBoard