Why Twitter Spammers Bug Me And Why We Need Verified Accounts For Everyone

Firstly, an apology:

Please forgive my ignorance in believing that Twitter is about interaction concerning a number of things, including business.

Interaction shows relationship, and communication. If you look at the word ‘communication’ and compare it with ‘community’ it’s pretty obvious that they come from a similar root.

I received a notice about a new follower earlier today!

What’s Wrong With This Profile?

For a start, there is no name, just a business name.

By all means, use your user name, or a business name, but include your real name as well.

Second, there is no profile picture!
So again, there’s no way of identifying exactly who the account holder is.

Third, there is no bio!

S,o to sum it all up, there is absolutely no way of identifying exactly who this person is.

Fourth, and very importantly, who ever is behind this account is obviously using an auto follow program to gather a following – they follow people in the hope that they will follow in return.

People who fall for this just become part of their marketing list.

In Contrast, Look At This Account

Robert Scoble has reached celebrity status on Twitter, has a verified account, and deserves all the followers he gets IMHO.

Notice that @Scoblerizer has an identifiable profile photo.

He has a short bio, and his real name as well as a user name on his profile!

To top it all off, he has a verified account.

The advantage of a verified account is that it shows other members of Twitter that this is indeed a real person.

While there will always be ways for the underhanded, or those wishing to take a short cut to get around these processes, this is a good place to start.

Until verified accounts are available for everyone on Twitter and other social media sites, I’d recommend that everyone take a good long look at all their new new followers’ profiles.

I’ve adopted Connie Reece’s policy of no bio, no photo, no follow as shared by Teeg on my last post! I’d encourage you to do the same!

I believe that we need verified accounts on all social networking sites, including Facebook, FriendFeed and Myspace!

Apart from making people more accountable, it will definitely cut down the amount of spam!

The Internet is not a cozy anonymous place, and never really was except maybe in the deep dark past.

Don’t believe me?

Google your name and username – chances are you will meet yourself somewhere… but that’s a post for another day!