Current Twitter trends: RATM, Ash Wednesday, Microsoft Outlook

(AFP PHOTO/Noah SEELAM)

February 17 is Ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent in the Western Christian calendar. People on Twitter are talking about the things they will give up for Lent and encouraging others to do the same.

"Ash wednesday what am i giving up for 40 days?" asked one microblogger. Another said, "May Ash Wednesday remind us that our lives are not eternal. Pretty soon, we shall return to ashes," wrote one microblogger.

RATM, short for the name of American rock band Rage Against the Machine, is trending in the Twitter charts at number 4. The group will be hosting a free show in the UK in June.

According to technology blog Mashable, Microsoft has formed a partnership with Facebook and MySpace that will see the two social networks integrated into Microsoft's email program, Outlook. Twitter users are abuzz with the news, propelling the term "Microsoft Outlook" into the eighth position on Twitter's list of most talked about topics.

The top 10 most talked about topics on Twitter on February 17 at 9:30 AM GMT are:

1. #nowplaying (unchanged)
2. #iDontUnderstandWhy (new)
3. #nigeriangrammar (new)
4. RATM (new)
5. Ash Wednesday (new)
6. Brits (+2)
7. #becauseofnickiminaj (new)
8. Microsoft Outlook (new)
9. Lent (new)
10. iPad (new)