Beware of Brand Impersonators on Twitter
By
Kevin Fayle
on June 30, 2009
| Last updated on March 21, 2019
If you haven't started an account on the microblogging service Twitter yet, here's another reason to go ahead and take the plunge: businesses are often the
subjects of fake Twitter profiles, some of which are even started by competitors.
That's why it's a good idea to start an account and being posting updates - or "tweets" - in order to establish yourself as the real voice of your firm.
As the
Iran election shows, people are getting more and more of their information from Twitter. This trend suggests that many people are looking for information about attorneys on Twitter as well. There's also
this attorney's personal anecdote on how he found clients on Twitter and other social networks.
That makes it all the more important to make sure that messages
distributed under your brand are authentic and informative. Right now,
that probably means actually sending out tweets and gathering followers
who read your messages regularly.
Twitter is currently experimenting with a beta version of a
verified accounts
service for celebrities and public agencies that authenticates the
source of the tweets for users, and lets the account holder feel secure
that no one else is sending messages under their name.
Unfortunately, this service isn't currently available for law firms, but I imagine it will be eventually.
Just like with the
Great Facebook Land Grab and the availability of
Google Profiles, it's important to use these tools provided by companies to help manage your brand's presence on the internet.
In other words, control your message, or risk having someone else control it.
See Also:Twitter Launches Verified Accounts (
Mashable)
Coming Soon: Verified Twitter Accounts (
The Blog Herald)
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