Retweet Hijacking – What Would You Do?
[UPDATE 5.6.09 8:32PM PDT: I just got off the phone with the President of the company that the retweet hijack webmaster worked for. The conversation went well and I appreciate now that the company is a global organization with a large staff and an excellent reputation. The situation unfortunately got out of hand. I have chosen to edit this post to remove the company name.]
[IMPORTANT UPDATE 5.5.09 2:45PM PDT: Josh xxxx (last name removed), webmaster for @(name removed) has been in touch with me via email and also commented on my post (see below) and this post and on Twitter to extend his apologies and express his regret for the actions he took. I appreciate the gesture and may consider taking this post down, per Josh’s request… or at least making it anonymous, such that further repercussions are avoided.]
I don’t know about you, but I give GREAT care as to what I tweet about, even in my @ replies and conversations… even DM’s (direct messages). I run everything through an internal filter of:
- Would I be okay with this on the front page of the NYT?
- Would I be okay for this to be found in a Google search? and/or
- Would I be proud for my grandchildren to see this in 20 years’ time? (Exaggeration maybe, but content does hang around the internet for a long time!)
And, I’m always upbeat, positive and focused on adding value. (My tweeting style has been described as the “little Tony Robbins on your shoulder!”)
Now, I appreciate there are no “hard and fast” rules to using Twitter – or any social network, for that matter. BUT there are most certainly general rules of etiquette. And there’s personal INTEGRITY. Something very dear to my heart.
This morning, I put out this tweet: “Mother’s Day is coming up on May 10! This is a great site & service for same day gifts! http://flowersfast.com.”
One of the reasons I chose this site to tweet is I know the owner of the site and service personally.
I was delighted to see several retweets. But then something odd caught my eye – a guy retweeted me, but replaced the link I tweeted with a link to his OWN website, thereby inferring I was endorsing his site. UGH! That is the antithesis to best practice. I was not amused. See the screenshot below: @(name removed)’s tweet goes to his own xxxx site. 🙁
If you know me at all, you know I’m not the type of person to put energy into anything negative; if there’s a challenge to deal with, I’d rather do so quietly and privately. So, I saw that @(name removed) and I were following each other thus allowing direct messaging.
I was a little, um, terse – I broke one of my own relationship rules and that is I sent a message while just a smidge emotional. It’s always best to allow a wee bit of time to calm down and gain perspective.
I also decided to send a regular tweet sharing what just happened… without outing Mr. xxxx just yet – to see if he could somehow rescue this situation. He didn’t. It seemed to get worse. I received a barrage of DM’s from Mr. xxxx telling me it’s a free country and it was “lame” to “legislate integrity.” Oh dear. Well, guess whose xxxx company I won’t be using. Yes, it’s a free country.
Ignoring this occurrence may have been a better choice. But I wanted to make an example of this practice – which I now understand is becoming more prevalent on Twitter. In fact, it’s called “Retweet Hijacking!”
Blocking someone on Twitter will not prevent this type of hijacking behavior.
What are your thoughts – what would you do? Have you experienced/seen any retweet hijacking? Do you agree with this xxxx guy that it’s a “free country” and he didn’t break any of Twitter’s Terms of Service? Should the citizens of the Twitterverse bandy together to ensure best practices? Please share in the comments below [click Comments]:
Related posts: Are You A Twitter ReTweet Thief ?
[UPDATE 5/5/09 8:54pm: New related post found: Twitter “RTs” leave room for misquotes, fabrications]
Hi Mari,
I was shocked by this example of retweeting and also the response that you received. It is irksome but the Universe has ways of dealing with people who operate in such an unethical manner.
I wish people would realise that honesty, integrity and respect are values to uphold irrespective of the medium you’re operating in.
Nickolove Lovemores last blog post..Success Secret – Improve Your Decision-Making Skills
I took a look at the conversation using a Twitter search and I am just blown away this guy feels he did nothing wrong. I wonder what his customers would say if they were shown?
He’s the type that thinks it’s ok to use images off Google, after all, if Google has them on their site then why can’t he?
He’s certainly not going to benefit from any Twitter users. HA!
Scott Procks last blog post..Retweet Hijacking – @MariSmith vs @[removed]
You handled it beautifully, Mari! Out the goof, block him and continue on enjoying your day. The best revenge is living (& tweeting) well!
Doug Champignys last blog post..Twitter Marketing – Retweet Etiquette on Twitter
I have a similar problem with a competitor who follows my online articles and posts. They comment on MY posts and promote their business. It’s tacky and shows lack of creativity and imagination. Most intelligent people who read it see right through their unethical business practices. My company doesn’t worry about it because we know the cream always rises to the top.
What a shame! I’ve had my tweets stolen more than a couple of times. I joined a tweeting contest via #plum (contest was to tweet the darnest things kid say). Someone did a ‘copy and paste’of my tweet and claimed it as their own to enter the contest! So thick!!
We can’t really do anything to stop Retweet hijacking except maybe post a follow-up tweet saying. That RT from this and this is a Retweet hijack..!
Grace @ Sandier Pasturess last blog post..Turbulence Training deserves a feature on this blog
Of course there are lot’s of people with questionable ethics. This is why we are in the financial crisis we are in. His comment that “it’s a free country” and “he didn’t break any Twitter rules” is correct, but sad he and others go that direction. The bigger question is where is the ethics in business these days? What he did wasn’t illegal, but it wasn’t right or ethical either.
I disagree with a comment not to sweat it. We’ve sat back too long and allowed unethical practices for far too long.
CEO’s take note. We the people are tired of your tricks!
As with many others, I am very shocked the guy had the nerve to act like he did after being confronted. Not only has he lost his morals, but he doesn’t have much common sense either.
He obviously doesn’t understand the reach of the Internet and Twitter. He’s made a severely bone headed move and I’m sure he’ll be wishing he could take it all back.
This is what I call a “Tweet Fail” and I have a specific spot on my blog where these go … this one will be posted in short time and I would encourage any Twitter user to block @CaptainLimos. [Comment by Mari: this Twitter ID has since been taken down!]
If enough of us help spread the word about this guy, it won’t be long before his reputation is unveiled for all.
Thank you for posting about this I think you handled it great … Scott
Scott Procks last blog post..Tweep Of The Day – @chadengle
I believe in this 3-step conflict resolution process:
1) Approach the individual that wronged you – in the case of Twitter via DM.
2) If the situation does not get better, involve peers – in the case of Twitter your followers.
3) If the situation still does not progress, cut off communication with them – in the case of Twitter, a block.
You handled the situation well, Mari!
Yes, this is a free nation, but we are also free to also “tune out” the channels we wish not listen to.
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Toasting you with a margarita!
Adrian
Mari, congratulations on having a brand reputation so strong that someone tries to hijack it for themselves. Not saying what Mr Limo did wasn’t yucky. (I think i would have taken more than a wee moment to calm me down!!) But what it says about you is impressive. I seriously doubt that he’d bother to hijack my tweets. You, on the other hand, are one of the Twitter stars (and I’m not talking the @aplusk or @oprah variety.) So when you talk, your fans listen. Welcome being a celeb (or should I say twileb?). Wow. And I can say I knew you when. LOL.
One should treat Twitter, and any other social network, as real life conversation. I will certainly not have warm feelings towards someone who is misquoting me in real life, twisting my words to suit his/her means. Retweet Hijacking is just like that.