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Without Warning, Twitter Kills StatTweets

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Re: Without Warning, Twitter Kills StatTweets

#31

Post by snorkel »

dryicerx wrote: post #20
RobbieStats wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. That's what sucks about our dependency on Google too. Most Internet businesses are dependent on them and they can decide to remove you from the index as quickly as Twitter disabled the StatTweet accounts. Twitter effectively removed me from their index.

There is a difference between depending on Google and depending on Twitter. Google is a multi faceted business, they have a good revenue model, have money, and are a proven company. Depending on them isn't crazy. What's crazy is depending on Twitter, it's new, still have no solid revenue model to make money and sustain, in simple it's a single egg in the basket.

Google is just as fickle. If Google doesn't like the links on your web pages you get PageRank slapped. If your Google Ad Words don't get enough clicks they pull your Ad Words ads. If Google doesn't like your web site they kill your Ad Sense account and don't bother paying you for ads already delivered. All of these penalties are final and without appeal.

Don't trust the cloud. Appreciate its gifts but don't expect it will always be so.

Re: Without Warning, Twitter Kills StatTweets

#32

Post by snorkel »

sachinag wrote: post #24
pj wrote: post #5

I think Twitter here is making the correct decision. I know it isn't happy for you, RobbieStats, but the ramifications for them, whether you are breaking the law, or they are through allowing you to do it, are tremendously not fun. As a business they need to err on the side of caution. Look what Youtube went through with Viacom and some other content creators. Also, I think your article says that to have a case again…

You're wrong about the stats of the game. NBA v. Motorola cleared up that stats - even real-time stats - are not an exhibition of the game and can be freely disseminated as they are reports of factual occurrences. First useful Google hit: http://lsolum.typepad.com/copyfutures/2004/09/several_of_my_... The sports leagues' disclaimers are empty nothingness. IANAL, but I've been working on 1st Amendment stuff as a laype…

Right or wrong, for Twitter it's not even worth the risk or effort to test if that is true or not. Google/YouTube operates the same way: killing the account and taking the PR griping is cheaper than paying lawyers to sort it out.

Re: Without Warning, Twitter Kills StatTweets

#33

Post by snorkel »

ivankirigin wrote: post #12

Twitter is very open with how they like and don't like their system to be used. They are the most open company I can think of with their API. I can guarantee this wouldn't come as a surprise to the service maker. This is coming from someone who makes an application that heavily uses twitter.

Aside from that Twitter's API is very unreliable. I wouldn't recommend putting Twitter API anywhere near the center of anyone's business plan. Again the lesson is: don't trust the cloud.

Re: Without Warning, Twitter Kills StatTweets

#34

Post by omarchowdhury »

paul7986 wrote: post #28
shabda wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imo, There is a valid reason for 650 accounts. Plus twitter is interesting because of 3rd party apps, so they should be responsive with support emails.

Obviously a way for Twitter to make money would allow developers to pay to create mass accounts for these types of utilities. Copyright is a different ball-game!

yeah, no.

Re: Without Warning, Twitter Kills StatTweets

#36

Post by patio11 »

Confusion wrote: post #29
trickjarrett wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They definitely should be more responsive, their customer service department needs to be massively upsized. And a valid reason for 650 accounts is still invalidated by the fact that it goes directly against their TOS.

Against the letter, but not against the intention. As with the law, TOS's necessarily have shortcomings, because they cannot possibly cover all circumstances of every individual case. It would be nice if they didn't just flaunt the letter of the TOS in his face, but would explain why they do not want users like him. That would be a fair warning to others. As it stands, it's anyones guess what is and what is not allow…

You want a massively upsized CS department and an absence of hard-and-fast rules enforced evenhandedly throughout the CS reps. This is "not a combo".

As it stands, it's anyones guess what is and what is not allowed.

See, right now, everyone knows what is not allowed: 650 accounts? Not allowed. Its written right in the TOS.

With the massively increased CS department making individual decisions in an arbitrary fashion, it would be like "650 accounts? Not allowed, unless you're really a cool tech demo and drew Mary out of the pool, because she's a softie."

Re: Without Warning, Twitter Kills StatTweets

#37

Post by lacker »

sachinag wrote: post #24
pj wrote: post #5

I think Twitter here is making the correct decision. I know it isn't happy for you, RobbieStats, but the ramifications for them, whether you are breaking the law, or they are through allowing you to do it, are tremendously not fun. As a business they need to err on the side of caution. Look what Youtube went through with Viacom and some other content creators. Also, I think your article says that to have a case again…

You're wrong about the stats of the game. NBA v. Motorola cleared up that stats - even real-time stats - are not an exhibition of the game and can be freely disseminated as they are reports of factual occurrences. First useful Google hit: http://lsolum.typepad.com/copyfutures/2004/09/several_of_my_... The sports leagues' disclaimers are empty nothingness. IANAL, but I've been working on 1st Amendment stuff as a laype…

Actually I don't think this issue is clear legally. In NBA v. Motorola it was taken into account that Stats Inc gathered the statistics themselves which is not the case here. Plus at least in some jurisdictions there is the "hot news" doctrine that protects breaking news even though it is a fact. So the disclaimers are not empty nothingness, it is still a legal grey area.

e.g.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/16/the-ap-hot-news-and...

Re: Without Warning, Twitter Kills StatTweets

#38

Post by lacker »

snorkel wrote: post #31
dryicerx wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a difference between depending on Google and depending on Twitter. Google is a multi faceted business, they have a good revenue model, have money, and are a proven company. Depending on them isn't crazy. What's crazy is depending on Twitter, it's new, still have no solid revenue model to make money and sustain, in simple it's a single egg in the basket.

Google is just as fickle. If Google doesn't like the links on your web pages you get PageRank slapped. If your Google Ad Words don't get enough clicks they pull your Ad Words ads. If Google doesn't like your web site they kill your Ad Sense account and don't bother paying you for ads already delivered. All of these penalties are final and without appeal. Don't trust the cloud. Appreciate its gifts but don't expect it…

The penalties from Google aren't final. If you do black hat SEO stuff and get depageranked, and then clean up your site, then over time you will get back into the index. That said, it's certainly better if you don't have to rely on anyone else.
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