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Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles

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Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles

#31

Post by wisty »

tessro wrote: post #25
RyanKearney wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no downside to GoDaddy for domain names, you're just jumping on the "fuck GoDaddy" bandwagon. I have dozens of domain names through GoDaddy and have never had an issue. Just set your DNS servers to something else and you never have to visit GoDaddy again.

I totally agreed with this mentality until I saw the video of the GoDaddy CEO slaughtering an elephant in Africa.

It's a complicated issue. I actually kind of admire him, for his ability to take a politically incorrect side in an issue that's more complicated than people would like to believe. Even if it is just because he's a bit of a jerk.

That said, I'm afraid to touch GoDaddy due to the horror stories about their bait-and-switch tactics.

Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles

#32

Post by moe »

blatherard wrote: post #6

According to a commenter on the linked page, you can file an impersonation report and will likely get it resolved.

I tried to have a twitter handle released recently and no, they don't process individual requests anymore unless you have a trademark or other legal title.

Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles

#33

Post by corin_ »

olefoo wrote: post #27
corin_ wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My (perhaps inaccurate) feeling is that it is most important for Twitter. In my experience most people (except perhaps those both very familiar with the website and pretty techy) are unlikely to try and go directly to a URL for most services based on a name, e.g. typing in www.facebook.com/ycombinator, or whatever the youtube/tumblr/etc equivilents are. Whereas for twitter, if you think you know the name, or even if…

This shows the importance of good URL design upfront. Twitter did an amazing job of having well defined REST-ful URLs from the beginning and it was one of the factors responsible for their early success. The more rational, guessable and legible your URL's the easier it is for people to use your web service.

Well, does Twitter's success show the importance of it, or does the success of all those other sites show that it isn't actually important?

Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles

#34

Post by cletus »

I haven't seen anyone ask the obvious question: just how many of Twitter's ~175 million accounts [1] are simply bots for this and other reasons?

I haven't used my Twitter handle in the better part of a year (I tried it; sorry but for me it's just a glorified link aggregator and not a particularly interesting one at that) but somehow I still get people following me.

Number of users for a site like Twitter is no doubt an important metric. It probably comes up in funding rounds. Those funding rounds will probably have goals/targets for Twitter to reach. Twitter has, to my knowledge, only ever stated the number of accounts, rather than the 7 or 30 day actives.

This all begs the question: does Twitter have a vested interest in inflating their own numbers such that they like bot auto-registration and, well, anything that increases the account total?

[1]: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-how-many-use...

Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles

#35

Post by retube »

cletus wrote: post #34

I haven't seen anyone ask the obvious question: just how many of Twitter's ~175 million accounts [1] are simply bots for this and other reasons? I haven't used my Twitter handle in the better part of a year (I tried it; sorry but for me it's just a glorified link aggregator and not a particularly interesting one at that) but somehow I still get people following me. Number of users for a site like Twitter is no doubt…

> Twitter has, to my knowledge, only ever stated the number of accounts, rather than the 7 or 30 day actives.

I can't believe a VC sticking $100m into a social network like twitter doesn't demand very detailed breakdowns on user metrics.

Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles

#36

Post by olefoo »

corin_ wrote: post #33
olefoo wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This shows the importance of good URL design upfront. Twitter did an amazing job of having well defined REST-ful URLs from the beginning and it was one of the factors responsible for their early success. The more rational, guessable and legible your URL's the easier it is for people to use your web service.

Well, does Twitter's success show the importance of it, or does the success of all those other sites show that it isn't actually important?

It's _a_ factor. Not _the_ factor solely responsible for their success. It's like having well designed tables and chairs in a restaurant; it makes a difference, but if the food sucks or it's in a bad location the restaurant will still fail.

Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles

#37

Post by Bud »

RyanKearney wrote: post #21
mtogo wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The downside there is you have to use godaddy.

There's no downside to GoDaddy for domain names, you're just jumping on the "fuck GoDaddy" bandwagon. I have dozens of domain names through GoDaddy and have never had an issue. Just set your DNS servers to something else and you never have to visit GoDaddy again.

Not yet mentioned in this thread, so I'll mention it: GoDaddy's advertising and branding also displays base misogyny on a level which exceeds even, say, Miller Lite. Not cool.

Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles

#38

Post by pyre »

cletus wrote: post #34

I haven't seen anyone ask the obvious question: just how many of Twitter's ~175 million accounts [1] are simply bots for this and other reasons? I haven't used my Twitter handle in the better part of a year (I tried it; sorry but for me it's just a glorified link aggregator and not a particularly interesting one at that) but somehow I still get people following me. Number of users for a site like Twitter is no doubt…

s/begs the question/raises the question/g

note: this is only an attempt to be informative, not sarcastic or a smart ass.

Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles

#39

Post by mcpherrinm »

retube wrote: post #35
cletus wrote: post #34

I haven't seen anyone ask the obvious question: just how many of Twitter's ~175 million accounts [1] are simply bots for this and other reasons? I haven't used my Twitter handle in the better part of a year (I tried it; sorry but for me it's just a glorified link aggregator and not a particularly interesting one at that) but somehow I still get people following me. Number of users for a site like Twitter is no doubt…

> Twitter has, to my knowledge, only ever stated the number of accounts, rather than the 7 or 30 day actives. I can't believe a VC sticking $100m into a social network like twitter doesn't demand very detailed breakdowns on user metrics.

What Twitter tells a VC with millions of dollars is quite likely different from what they tell the general public for issues like this.

Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles

#40

Post by DomainNoob »

I'd like to see a HN discussion of what people think Twitter should do about all the unused Twitter handles or those that were obviously abandoned after a few tweets back in 2009. -Should Twitter charge a nominal fee, say $1 a year for an account? -Should a domain name 'trump' an unused Twitter handle, ie. a way for domain owners to acquire unused Twitter handles?
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