It's About Liberty: A Conservative Forum

Topics => Politics/Legislation/Elections => Topic started by: Pandora on August 25, 2012, 08:14:55 AM

Title: "A Bubble Reputation"
Post by: Pandora on August 25, 2012, 08:14:55 AM
USA Today quotes studies which suggest that 70% of Barack Obama’s Twitter followers are fake. “A new Web tool has determined that 70% of Obama’s crowd includes “fake followers”. (http://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2012/08/24/a-bubble-reputation/)

Quote
The New York Times describes how it’s done.

    The practice is surprisingly easy. A Google search for “buy Twitter followers” turns up dozens of Web sites like USocial.net, InterTwitter.com, and FanMeNow.com that sell Twitter followers by the thousands (and often Facebook likes and YouTube views). At BuyTwitterFollow.com, for example, users simply enter their Twitter handle and credit card number and, with a few clicks, see the ranks of their followers swell in three to four days.

    Will Mitchell, the founder of Clear Presence Media, a marketing company outside Tampa, Fla., said that he has bought more than a million followers for his clients, which include musicians, start-ups and a well-known actress he declined to identify.
    Advertisement

    “And it’s so cheap, too,” he said. In one instance, Mr. Mitchell said, he bought 250,000 for $2,500, or a penny each.

The NYT article lays out the worst case.

    If accurate, the number of fake followers out there is surprising. According to the StatusPeople tool, 71 percent of Lady Gaga’s nearly 29 million followers are “fake” or “inactive.” So are 70 percent of President Obama’s nearly 19 million followers.

But TechCrunch is not so sure that the Presidents numbers are so grossly inflated. Their own estimates are that President Obama’s non-existent legions only comprise 31% of the total.

But it is probably unwelcome news in any case for the Obama campaign. Just recently the Guardian noted that “when it comes to sheer productivity, Obama’s massive staff – in June, it was 750 compared with Romney’s 87 – has maintained the president’s lead by dwarfing Romney’s postings on Twitter, out-blogging him on the Obama campaign website and matching Romney’s activities on Facebook.” Imagine their chagrin at learning that many of those enthusiastic supporters were no more real than a three dollar bill. The NYT reports that Twitter is cleaning up their act.

Once upon a time I would have surprised to find that voters are considering their vote selection based on Twitter popularity.  No more.

How likely is it some of the poll numbers are extrapolated from Obongo's Twitter numbers?
Title: Re: "A Bubble Reputation"
Post by: Libertas on August 25, 2012, 09:45:21 AM
When the hopium wears off, when you're so-called friends abandon you, when your Admin is cratering deeper every day, when you cannot debate facts because the facts like all reality is kicking your ass...all you have left is lies, distortions, shrill personal attacks...and yes even some good old fashioned democrat phony baloney!

After all, how are fake Tweeters any different from astro-turfed supporters at staged Town Hall events?

Title: Re: "A Bubble Reputation"
Post by: Predator Don on August 25, 2012, 10:42:18 AM
Why is this news???? The guy with fake followers also has composite girlfriends. You can't damage that ego.
Title: Re: "A Bubble Reputation"
Post by: LadyVirginia on August 30, 2012, 11:49:31 AM
Why is this news???? The guy with fake followers also has composite girlfriends. You can't damage that ego.

The guy built a persona -- nothing about him is real

except the fall he's about to experience
Title: Re: "A Bubble Reputation"
Post by: Libertas on August 30, 2012, 02:37:15 PM
The landing should hurt like a dickens!   ::whoohoo::
Title: Re: "A Bubble Reputation"
Post by: Glock32 on August 30, 2012, 02:39:59 PM
He's the type whose self-destruction will have a massive fallout area.
Title: Re: "A Bubble Reputation"
Post by: Predator Don on August 30, 2012, 02:59:01 PM
He's the type whose self-destruction will have a massive fallout area.


There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth....It will be great.
Title: Re: "A Bubble Reputation"
Post by: John Florida on August 30, 2012, 07:37:16 PM
He's the type whose self-destruction will have a massive fallout area.


  I can live without Chicago.
Title: Re: "A Bubble Reputation"
Post by: AlanS on August 30, 2012, 08:03:11 PM
Once upon a time I would have surprised to find that voters are considering their vote selection based on Twitter popularity.  No more.

They have twits that follow tweets?