So, there was this service on Twitter called “@FAME,” which was something of a weird/novel concept — basically, you install this plugin, and you got entered into a daily raffle. If you won the raffle, all the other FAME users would auto-follow you for a day. After a day, those users unfollowed you automatically, with the option to refollow. Cool idea, right? Well, Twitter didn’t think so — they banned the app for an undisclosed terms of service violation, saying it violated the spirit of the platform. The company says it’ll try doing this on another platform instead. Should they come to Tumblr?
» A precedent-setting case? For many startups, Twitter followers are starting to become the lingua franca of customer service. So, it’s fascinating to see how cases like this could set an example as things go forward. “This will establish precedent in the online world, as it relates to ownership of social media accounts,” noted NYC intellectual property lawyer Henry J. Cittone. “We’ve actually been waiting to see such a case as many of our clients are concerned about the ownership of social media accounts vis-á-vis their branding.” Which way should the courts decide in this case, anyway?
This crazy story’s been floating around the ether over the past day or so suggesting that Newt Gingrich’s campaign staff used a service to pay for most of his million-plus Twitter followers — a number which is ahead of every other presidential candidate besides Obama. But did he? A conflicting story’s been floating around suggesting that Newt has all those followers because he was one of the first Republican politicians on Twitter’s suggested user list, which to us sounds more realistic. No matter the case, the evidence is clear that Newt Gingrich is a social-media trailblazer who was one of the first politicians to use Google+. We’ll keep an eye on this one. source
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