Monday, March 4, 2013

Twitterpated

Lately I have been making much greater use of Twitter, resulting in an increase in emails recommending other accounts that I might be interested in following. Usually the recommendations are spot on, and I do in fact often follow their suggestions, but recently I received one that left me scratching my head.

The email in questions had three suggestions, based on my recent follows.

                   
OK this makes perfect sense.  It is totally (pardon the expression) logical, that having followed Patrick Stewart I might wish to follow other persons associated with Star Trek

Next:

Again perfectly logical suggestions to someone following Arianna Huffington.

Then this:


Really Twitter? Where is the sense here?  "Dear Twitter user, we noticed you recently followed the First Lady of the United States.  We thought you might like to follow an over hyped fashion and tabloid queen with anger management issues, and a tennis player and clothing designer".  I just don't get it.  I would anticipate suggestions of other women in politics, or maybe people involved in child nutrition issues since that is a cause dear to Mrs Obama.  Other than being African-American and in amazingly good shape, what do these two have in common with Michelle Obama?


So what's next Twitter?  "We see you follow Ellen DeGeneres and Rachel Maddow, we think you would love to follow Pat Robertson and Westboro Baptist Church."   or "We see you follow The New York Times and Slate Magazine, we think you'd like to follow Kim Kardashian."

Twitter you need to recalibrate your algorithms.









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9 comments:

  1. ChristineMarch 4, 2013 at 10:18 AM

    Haha -- this gave me a chuckle this Monday morning! Have a good week :)

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    1. MegMarch 4, 2013 at 10:04 PM

      Thank you Christine, glad you enjoyed it.

      Delete
  2. LanceMarch 4, 2013 at 10:42 AM

    funny

    Twitter keeps wanting me to follow Oprah and Kesha. Seriously? what part of me looks or reads like I want that?

    Although they suggested I follow Lita Ford, so I did, and she followed back! so, give and take.

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    1. MegMarch 4, 2013 at 10:08 PM

      I have found some really excellent accounts by following their suggestions, but this really strange to me. I just didn't see the connection.

      Delete
  3. Linda RoyMarch 4, 2013 at 9:08 PM

    Bill Maher! That's a good one! I should follow him. I think you hit the nail on the head with the African American/in great shape point. That's all they seem to have in common. Is Twitter racial profiling now? ;) The Twitter suggestions I get are hilarious sometimes!

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    1. MegMarch 4, 2013 at 10:43 PM

      Well it definely suggested that Twitter perceived a certain shallowness on the part of Mrs Obama's followers. I felt it was rather insulting. Whats worse is that all 3 suggestins were in the same email.

      Delete
    2. Linda RoyMarch 5, 2013 at 7:05 PM

      You're right - it is insulting. Twitter is pretty narrow or they are just taking such short cuts and over generalizing to maximize followers.

      Delete
  4. BarbMarch 5, 2013 at 8:21 AM

    I see the suggestions on my Twitter screen. Some of them are weird, some make sense. I'm just glad I don't get them in my e-mail! lol

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    1. MegMarch 5, 2013 at 9:30 AM

      I guess this one caught my eye because it seemed so disrespectful to Mrs Obama. LIke following the pope and getting a recomendation for Mel Gibson, cause he is a Catholic after all.

      Delete

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