kev/null - Latest Comments in Twinkle Hijacks Twitter Usernames

Re: Twinkle Hijacks Twitter Usernames

Kevin Cheng — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 23:49:27 -0000

If you're going to use a channel, you should respect that namespace, yes. While @ is a standard, if I say @joshuakaufman here on my blog, it's fine but it shouldn't post to Twitter. Twitter wasn't "first" in using @'s either. The problem isn't using @ in general, it's using @ on Twitter specifically.

Frankly, it's not about whether Twitter should have an API. It doesn't even benefit Twinkle or anyone else to have an overlapping namespace on the same channel.

Re: Twinkle Hijacks Twitter Usernames

Joshua — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 03:35:07 -0000

So what you're saying, in short, is that if any other service allows @username to reply/demark/notify users on that service, they shouldn't be publishing those updates to Twitter.

I like Twitter, but to play the devil's advocate for a moment: you're barking up the wrong tree. Just because Twitter was first and currently has the largest number of users, does that mean that everyone else who came after them is doing it wrong? @username syntax is quickly becoming a standard for notifying/demarking users on a service. Publishing to Twitter is quickly becoming a standard for communicating social services activity.

Yes, Twinkle hijacks Twitter usernames. But yes, it could happen on any other social network, and not just a social network like Twinkle that mimics Twitter.

If there's one thing that's definitely broken here, it's the design of Twitter @username replies. If they didn't want usernames to be hijacked, they shouldn't have allowed publishing to Twitter via their API.

Re: Twinkle Hijacks Twitter Usernames

Tantek — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:20:01 -0000

This explains a lot, fellow one letter Twitter user.

Re: Twinkle Hijacks Twitter Usernames

Els — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:04:31 -0000

@ Arshad - that was my idea too, but since I don't have an iPhone, it seems I can't even do that.

Re: Twinkle Hijacks Twitter Usernames

Arshad — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:43:33 -0000

So glad there's no @snmyname on twinkle. Maybe I better reserve it before I start getting twinkle spam

Re: Twinkle Hijacks Twitter Usernames

jzip — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:56:12 -0000

Jeez. To think I got fed up with Twinkle when they decided rotating my phone was a good reason to show the world map of tweets. That was bad, but this is worse.

Re: Twinkle Hijacks Twitter Usernames

jesse — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:21:20 -0000

@kev, there is nothing stopping them. It's the wild west with no mountain ranges to pass over to kill off the weak.