Earlier this week social networking site Twitter released part of its Year In Review report, shedding light on the most popular topics of discussion and hashtags of 2011. Now the popular micro-blogging site announced another installment of its Year In Review report, detailing the top tweets per second (TPS) of 2011.

The pregnancy announcement of R&B singer and actress Beyoncé Knowles during MTV’s Video Music Awards in August broke the record for the highest TPS spike of all time, amounting to a TPS tally of almost 9000 (8868).  

Sport makes a play for the top

Live sporting events accounted for six out of the top 16 TPS spikes, with the top podium placing for these taken by the final game of the Women’s FIFA World Cup with a TPS count of 7196. This figure is just 30 more than that attained (7166) for the Brazilian national soccer team being knocked out of the Copa America tournament.

News features prominently

Hard news also featured prominently with the execution of convicted murderer Troy Davis reaching a TPS figure of 7671, and Steve Jobs’ resignation as Apple CEO rounding off the list with a TPS tally of 7064. When news broke of the Apple co-founder’s death in October a TPS spike of 6049 was attained.

“The biggest moments on Twitter this year were live events and breaking news, when millions of people came together to watch significant events as they unfolded in real time,” a post on Twitter’s official blog read. “These moments range from natural disasters and geopolitical happenings to championship games, and reflect the way people turn to Twitter for a fast, simple way to communicate.”

Top ten in terms of tweets per second:

1. 28 August MTV Video Music Awards - 8868 TPS

2. 20 September Troy Davis executed - 7671 TPS

3. 17 July End of FIFA Women's World Cup - 7196 TPS

4. 17 July Brazil eliminated from the Copa America - 7166 TPS

5. 25 August Steve Jobs resigns - 7064 TPS

6. 1 January New Year’s Day - 6939 TPS

7. 27 June BET Awards - 6436 TPS

8. 28 May UEFA Champions League final - 6303 TPS

9. 6 October Steve Jobs passes away - 6049 TPS

10. 13 June NBA finals - 5531 TPS

 

In related news on the social networking front, Facebook has updated the Facebook for Android app, which sports some improved features such as quicker photo loading.