Every now and then, I get a direct message from a service called TrueTwit, which provides an external link to a website featuring a captcha. The purpose: to differentiate the human followers from the spam followers.
Users who decide to implement TrueTwit send an automated direct message to all new follows asking for validation. The perceived benefit is that they will know which followers are legitimate people and which are spam followers.
But does it really benefit anyone? Here are some points to consider with implementing the service into your profile.
Not every follower will get the message.
Most power users check their direct messages on a regular basis, but for more casual Twitter users, they could go days without checking their direct messages inbox. Realize that even though an automated DM is sent, it does not necessarily mean that it will be read in a timely manner (or at all). The result: an unverified follower.
Some followers may dismiss it as spam due to the automation or text.
Twitter has gotten better with regard to controlling direct message phishing and hacking attacks, but spam is still rampant in Twitter’s direct message system. A user that has not seen TrueTwit before may not ever find the courage to click through to the link, so a user runs the risk of losing a potential follow due to the automated look of the message.
Some followers may see it as a waste of time.
People are naturally busy on Twitter: whether it’s with work or tweeting itself. The fact is that some users may simply not want to spend the time verifying themselves to follows.
Unless you are a Twitter superstar with clout equivalent to Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk), chances are that some people will not verify just because it takes time.
Followers could get disgruntled with the captcha.
This isn’t a huge issue on TrueTwit since the captchas are generally very easy to read and retype. But in the (admittedly rare) event that a user types the captcha wrong, it could result in a click away from the website. Yet another way to lose a potentially great follow.
No guarantee that the user will follow back.
Some followers may opt to not fill out TrueTwit captchas just from the sheer idea that there is no guaranteed follow back. In a Twitter universe that is seemingly hungry for more attention and followers, all that the TrueTwit proves is that you are a real person. There is no guarantee that the user will follow the verified follower back, which could turn some people off to filling it out.
If the service continues to grow, the chances that all TrueTwit captchas will be filled out decreases.
For TrueTwit: the more users that join and use the service, the worse off the system is. Think about it: if every other DM was a TrueTwit validation message, the odds would fall that the user would take time to fill all of them out. One way that TrueTwit could fix this issue is through a one-captcha form for all outstanding validation requests. This would save the follower a significant amount of time and help TrueTwit grow their service.
Do you use TrueTwit for your Twitter account? What are your thoughts on TrueTwit?
I would certainly never use this service. The last thing I want to do is annoy potential followers. I don't need to pay an annual fee not to annoy people.
Pietjan
I got a PM by someone I do not know asking me to click to a site I don't know requesting me to 'validate' to proof I am real. I see no reason why this is anything different from spam.
TrueTwit is coming out with a premium service that doesn't use validation and direct messages. Instead, the subscriber's followers are ranked using many different metrics and algorithms. The subscriber can then use this information to either follow back, block, or do nothing.
Today the TrueTwit Premium was released. TrueTwit Premium builds on the follower management in TrueTwit Free by doing an in-depth, automated analysis of your followers and their tweets. TrueTwit Premium is a subscription service that we are charging an annual fee to use. TrueTwit Premium subscribers get the following new features:
* No automatic direct messaging of new followers. * You can choose to auto-follow new followers that pass our follower analysis. * Access to our Follower Analysis page which summarizes the status of your followers.
Also, TrueTwit has released an Android app to use with your TrueTwit Free account. The application allows you to view your followers, view their validation status, and view the date the DM was sent. The application has some advanced views that you can select from that include: show only validated followers, show only unvalidated followers, and show all followers.
6 Reasons Why Using TrueTwit Isn’t Worth Your Time
Every now and then, I get a direct message from a service called TrueTwit, which provides an external link to a website featuring a captcha. The purpose: to differentiate the human followers from the spam followers.
But does it really benefit anyone? Here are some points to consider with implementing the service into your profile.
Most power users check their direct messages on a regular basis, but for more casual Twitter users, they could go days without checking their direct messages inbox. Realize that even though an automated DM is sent, it does not necessarily mean that it will be read in a timely manner (or at all). The result: an unverified follower.
Twitter has gotten better with regard to controlling direct message phishing and hacking attacks, but spam is still rampant in Twitter’s direct message system. A user that has not seen TrueTwit before may not ever find the courage to click through to the link, so a user runs the risk of losing a potential follow due to the automated look of the message.
People are naturally busy on Twitter: whether it’s with work or tweeting itself. The fact is that some users may simply not want to spend the time verifying themselves to follows.
Unless you are a Twitter superstar with clout equivalent to Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk), chances are that some people will not verify just because it takes time.
This isn’t a huge issue on TrueTwit since the captchas are generally very easy to read and retype. But in the (admittedly rare) event that a user types the captcha wrong, it could result in a click away from the website. Yet another way to lose a potentially great follow.
Some followers may opt to not fill out TrueTwit captchas just from the sheer idea that there is no guaranteed follow back. In a Twitter universe that is seemingly hungry for more attention and followers, all that the TrueTwit proves is that you are a real person. There is no guarantee that the user will follow the verified follower back, which could turn some people off to filling it out.
For TrueTwit: the more users that join and use the service, the worse off the system is. Think about it: if every other DM was a TrueTwit validation message, the odds would fall that the user would take time to fill all of them out. One way that TrueTwit could fix this issue is through a one-captcha form for all outstanding validation requests. This would save the follower a significant amount of time and help TrueTwit grow their service.
Do you use TrueTwit for your Twitter account? What are your thoughts on TrueTwit?