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After Domain Squatting, Twitter Squatting
Posted by
timothy
on Wed Oct 29, 2008 02:01 PM
from the kept-in-a-special-safe dept.
from the kept-in-a-special-safe dept.
carusoj writes "Squatting on domain names is nothing new, but Twitter has created a new opportunity for squatters, in the form of Twitter IDs. Writes Richard Stiennon: 'Is there evidence of Twitter squatting (squitting?) Let's check. Yup, every single-letter TwitID is taken ... How about common words? Garage, wow, war, warcraft, Crisco, Coke, Pepsi, Nike, and Chevrolet are all taken. My guess is that Twitter squatters have grabbed all of these in the hopes that they will be worth selling in the not too distant future. Of course the legitimate holders of brands can sue for them and Twitter can just turn them over if asked. But, because the investment and risk for the squatter is zero, you are going to see the rapid evaporation of available Twitter IDs.'"
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Can't say I ever used Twitter (Score:5, Insightful)
So this is pretty much like every other social networking site where you have to pick a username?
Re: (Score:2)
Exactly. What is this Twitter they speak of?
Re:Can't say I ever used Twitter (Score:5, Funny)
who says you can't still get a short username?
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TWITTER SQUATTING! (Score:5, Funny)
Now legal in 12 states, between consenting adults!
Maybe yours is next?
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Re:Can't say I ever used Twitter (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
And then you can just consider that squatters are rövhål. But who cares about twitter anyway?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Can't say I ever used Twitter (Score:5, Insightful)
It's as if someone said, "You know, I like MySpace, but the blog posts there just aren't inane enough. I wish there was a site where people could quickly and easily share every minute of their boring lives with the world."
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[Ob Penny Arcade] (Score:5, Funny)
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/4/23/ [penny-arcade.com]
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Re:Can't say I ever used Twitter (Score:5, Funny)
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Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Can't say I ever used Twitter (Score:5, Funny)
4:07PM EST - Regret reading your comment
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Re:Can't say I ever used Twitter (Score:4, Funny)
12:45 - gotta take a piss
12:53 - Holy fuck! Barack Obama was taking a shit in the bathrroom
12:54 - he forgot to flush
12:56 - fap fap fap
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Re:Can't say I ever used Twitter (Score:5, Funny)
He's a Twitter Shitter!
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Re:Can't say I ever used Twitter (Score:5, Interesting)
So this is pretty much like every other social networking site where you have to pick a username?
Yes, Twitter is just one of the most trendy social networking sites right now so people are falling over themselves to act like the squatting of (or competition for) unique IDs in a limited namespace is somehow a new concept. Once you understand the simple concept, the specific application (be it domain names, Twitter usernames, etc) is mere trivia and doesn't really explain anything new but it passes for news. Refer to Henry David Thoreau's take on "the news" to get a better idea of where I'm coming from.
Because Twitter is very trendy right now, in a few months people will probably stop talking about it as though old and well-known concepts are somehow different when applied to the site. Hell, if it's like a lot of trends, then it's possible that in a few months or so many people will not seem to know what you're talking about if you mention it, or they will speak of it like a vague memory.
I should say that I'm all for using Twitter or any other site if you want to and especially if you enjoy it. What I am speaking against is the tendency to make a big deal out of nothing, to attach novelty and significance to events that are actually predictable and trivial.
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Re: (Score:3, Informative)
OpenID is great in theory, but has a couple of rather annoying implementation flaws—not the least of which is that there's no way to aggregate existing IDs from multiple providers into one "meta-OpenID".
There's also the problem of providers like LiveJournal not giving full access to outside OpenID users—for example, you can comment with an OpenID, but you can't have a journal associated with that OpenID. Because of this, you're required to have multiple IDs with multiple providers. So not only d
Re:Can't say I ever used Twitter (Score:5, Insightful)
There is a protocol to handle this [openid.net] already, and Twitter could've easily used it instead of randomly handing people whatever username came to mind.
To be honest with you, I'm glad that OpenID or something like it has not taken off. I personally like the "chaotic Internet" where one login credential is entirely separate from another and it's up to me to keep track of them. Keeping up with them is a very tiny burden, I do it gladly, and there are plenty of good tools that make it a breeze. To me, the convenience of a system like OpenID is either non-existant or insignificant, while the privacy implications of not only making it easy to profile my browsing but also of doing most of the profiling work myself are severe. I'm sure that the proponents of OpenID have a long list of reasons why I should not worry about privacy implications, but I'm just not buying it. Once personal data is centralized, it has a nasty tendency to stay that way. That kind of accurate, self-managing, neatly profiled data is a marketer's wet dream.
I'm one of those strange people who does things based on principle and a concept of whether this is really the best solution. So, for example, I block trackers like Google-analytics despite any argument or any evidence which demonstrates that it's really rather harmless. Why? Because I never signed any document or made any agreement giving any entity the right to track me and profile me. Personally, I need no other reason to make such tracking as difficult as possible, so I often laugh when I see the subject come up from time to time and I see all of these intricate arguments about what is and is not tracked and why you should or shouldn't worry about it. To me those are needless complications of what is actually a very simple issue. I assume that everyone has the right to privacy and that any entity which tries to reduce a user's privacy (no matter how benign the stated reason may be) without full disclosure and the express consent of that user is acting like an invasive force and that refusing to go along with it is only right and proper. Isn't that so much easier than all of these rationalizations for why we should accept the loss of privacy as though it were some inevitable landmark along the path of human progress? Beware of the motivations of anyone who wants you to believe that; they either have an agenda or a victim mentality and neither one is any good.
So back to OpenID. The advantage: one-stop management of many online accounts. The disadvantage: yet more centralization of private data and an increased ease with which it could be disclosed (intentionally or otherwise). I will be harshly honest -- I think there is something seductive about promises of convenience and reduced effort (especially for things which are already very easy) and I likewise think that there is something cowardly about people who value such promises more than they value their own freedom and privacy. I am not referring to you personally with that sentence, but rather to the large numbers of people who will gladly trade what is priceless in exchange for what has a price and sincerely believe that they have found a bargain.
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I'm squatting for myself (Score:2)
I don't use twitter at the moment or have any plans to, but I grabbed a few for myself that I may use in the future just to have them. I can't see anyone actually squatting them to stop me or asking me to pay up, but this way I avoid the situation all together.
Combatting Multis? (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes, it is sacrificing a simple hands off policy for a complicated enforced one
Re: (Score:2)
Twitter's user base includes a lot of people who would be sharing computers with family members who may also be using Twitter. Would you propose an IP block for them, too?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The same person always has the same IP? The same IP always belongs the same person?
Wrong and wrong, but thanks for playing.
Obligatory (Score:3, Funny)
How many sock puppets does that guy need?!?!
This would assume that Twitter was worth a damn (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:This would assume that Twitter was worth a damn (Score:5)
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Yeah (Score:4, Funny)
I heard that Twitter squatted around 100 kazillion accounts on Slashdot including some with prime numbers. If we don't watch out all prime numbers are going to be taken!
got that right (Score:5, Funny)
this is why my entire retirement plan consists of the thousands of facebook and myspace accounts that I have created.
Re:got that right (Score:5, Funny)
You think that's speculative? My entire retirement plan revolves around putting money into a 401(k) and an IRA, and I'm heavily invested in blue chip stocks and index funds. Now that's playing footloose and fancy free with the future!
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Re:got that right (Score:5, Funny)
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And Twitter Founder Guy says the INTERNET broken (Score:2)
Yet another reason (Score:3, Interesting)
Squitting? (Score:4, Funny)
Why is twitter squatting squitting and not twatting?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
"Squitting" sounds like something I do about 20 minutes after eating too much Taco Bell.
Slashdot, too (Score:5, Interesting)
What's pretty funny, is that this is the same on Slashdot. For instance I tried a few car brands and these all exist and have extremely low UIDs:
http://slashdot.org/~mercedes [slashdot.org]
http://slashdot.org/~ferrari [slashdot.org]
http://slashdot.org/~ford [slashdot.org]
http://slashdot.org/~fiat [slashdot.org]
But also :-)
http://slashdot.org/~tefal [slashdot.org]
http://slashdot.org/~aga [slashdot.org]
http://slashdot.org/~farber [slashdot.org]
exists so we have a few happy chef-cooks here as well
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Slashsquatting?
Re:Slashdot, too (Score:5, Funny)
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Still, its a great excuse (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Still, its a great excuse (Score:5, Funny)
I'm some random /. reader, and I approve the preceding message.
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Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Yep. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Huh? (Score:4, Insightful)
Scientific (Score:5, Funny)
I'm trying to find a way to tie my hatred of the very concept of twitter in to this but I can't, so I'll just make it a seperate statement.
Squat before someone else does (Score:5, Interesting)
I love how TFA suggests you go out and shot-gun register anything associated with your brand.
in short.. he's saying you should fight squatting by squatting it first.
Gotta love that.
Twitter singularity (Score:5, Funny)
Twitter has problems with downtime. Aas the number of users has grown (approximately exponentially, until approaching saturation), so has downtime.
In 2011, twitter downtime will surpass 365 days per year.
viral marketing (Score:5, Insightful)
Twitter jerks, we all know you are desperate. But understand this: your train has sailed. We know you are desperate to be bought out by some large company like Myspace was. It is NOT going to happen for you. The credit crunch makes that certain. Plus your crappy site never stays up more than 24 hours in a row. It's time to give up. Or at least SHUT UP, and stop spamming this site with marketing crap disguised as articles.
Re:viral marketing (Score:5, Insightful)
I came into this thread for the snark, but I stayed for the insight.
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If this keeps up (Score:3, Funny)
Eventually ICANN will need to solicit proposals for new Twitters with a $185,000 submission fee, to provide more twitname space.
Assigned short international ID (Score:3)
Any half-geek can get a Amateur Radio call sign that is unique worldwide. It's 4-6 characters long and most nations have a vanity sign program. All you have to do is study a bit and take a test. In the US if you take an advanced test you can get a 4 character sign. No Morse code testing in needed in the US and some other countries. Oh, you also then get the privilege to use bits of the RF spectrum to talk with other geeks. Most US states will give you special vehicle plates at a reduced cost with your call sign on them.
73 de w7com
Re:Who cares? (Score:5, Funny)
Fuck.
Sorry, that's taken already.
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