We all come to Twitter to connect with the latest information on the topics and people we care about. So when we decide to follow a favorite brand, business or charitable organization, we expect to be among the first to get a special announcement, access to exclusive content or a great offer.

That's why starting today, we're introducing a way to ensure that the most important Tweets from the organizations you follow reach you directly, by placing them at or near the top of your timeline. These Promoted Tweets will scroll through the timeline like any other Tweet, and like regular Tweets, they will appear in your timeline just once. Promoted Tweets can also be easily dismissed from your timeline with a single click.

We’ll be rolling out and testing this new offering over the next several weeks with a select group of partners, including Groupon, Microsoft Xbox, Summit Entertainment’s “50/50”, Make-A-Wish Foundation,

We are often asked the question, "How do I keep my Twitter account safe and private?" Good question, and we’re happy you asked.

First, you should know that attempts to directly “hack" Twitter are extremely rare. The majority of account compromises actually happen as a direct result of "phishing" schemes. Phishing is a way to target users by sending them fraudulent messages meant to trick them into sharing their passwords. This can come in the form of fake emails, attachments or log-in screens that are designed to look similar to your Twitter sign-in page.

You should know that Twitter never sends emails that request your password or asks you to download attachments. Similarly, you will never have to enter your Twitter password into anything other than a Twitter log-in screen on the web and applications that you trust. You can always make sure that you’re on the real Twitter site by checking the address bar in your browser--make sure the domain is Twitter.com. There is lot more about protecting yourself from phishing attempts on our how to do it.