There’s a service called secrettweet that lets you post on Twitter without disclosing your identity. So, in theory, you can say anything you want about anything or anybody.
That strikes me as wrong.
What I like about Twitter is how nearly everyone is accountable for what they write. When someone follows me, I check out their profile (using my new favorite Twitter tool – TwiMailer). The more information they provide, the easier it is to determine whether they are worth following back.
If, for example, I come across someone with a profile that says nothing, there’s no way I’m going to follow them.
To be honest, I’m not really sure what purpose secrettweet really serves. If you’ve got something to say publicly, then stand up and say it rather than hiding behind a cloak of anonymity.
secretttwee was created by Kevin Smith, a 21-year-old graphic design student in West Virginia. For more, check out this story in the New York Times.
7 Comments
I agree! Great post! Stumbled it.
Thanks,
Nate
I agree with you. In Twitter, we get to connect with real people. If you're hiding yourself, there is no way I will follow you.
Wow wouldn't this be considered a vehicle for "Cyberbullying"? Thanks for sharing Mark.
nothing wrong with maintaining an anonymous life. Just look at the mad comic from the gong show…he was anonymous and did just fine.
Beside, you'll never EVER really know if that Jane Doe is who she say she is…
Why all the fuss? Big deal.
I have to respectfully disagree with you, Mark. I think that Secrettweet is simply a natural extension of ideas like PostSecret (which has become a cult favorite) and grouphug.us. While I agree that Twitter is a mode for transparent communication, I don't think there's much harm in something like this.
I also don't think "cyberbullying" is a large concern in this specific venue, as the posts that end up on the @secrettweet Twitter account are moderated (see excerpt from FAQ below) and can be redflagged, with an unabridged version on the website with an appropriate disclaimer on it.
FAQ excerpt:
– I manually read and approve EVERY tweet that is posted. Sometimes it takes me several hours to get time to check the tweets and approve/delete them. Wait
– Your tweet had graphic sexual or violent connotations. Although I allow swearing in tweets, I must draw the line somewhere. If you're unsure whether or not your tweet will be approved, try tweeting it anyway…the only thing that could happen is that I ignore it while approving others
– Your tweet mentioned another twitterer or individual by name. I rarely approve tweets that do this (unless the tweet is perfectly clean and harmless to named individuals).
Sorry for the novel here; I just didn't think the subject was appropriately researched.
The nice thing about Twitter is that there's room for discrete groupings of people with different standards of what's acceptable or not. Don't like anonymous/pseudonymous tweeting? Don't follow anonymous/pseudonymous tweeters.
Every increment of time invested online either is earning social currency or spending it..This feels like a spend to me..good illustration underlying why "the brand is you" is moving towards "the brand is us"…