Is it just me that always registers Twitter at the same time as the domain?
/me squats @glimcat
Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles
11–20 of 41 posts
Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles
#12Registered a new domain today that I'd like the Twitter name for ... good heads up Ross, thanks!
Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles
#13According to a commenter on the linked page, you can file an impersonation report and will likely get it resolved.
Am I the only one slightly worried about this? I mean, they aren't really impersonating anyone, since the Twitter handle was created before the website was even online.
First come, first served may suck sometimes, but at least it's a clear, well-defined and fair way of allocating handles.
Before registering your personal handle, have you checked if someone had the domain?
Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles
#14According to a commenter on the linked page, you can file an impersonation report and will likely get it resolved.
Am I the only one slightly worried about this? I mean, they aren't really impersonating anyone, since the Twitter handle was created before the website was even online. First come, first served may suck sometimes, but at least it's a clear, well-defined and fair way of allocating handles. Before registering your personal handle, have you checked if someone had the domain?
I agree in principle, but I think there's scope for leeway (at least I hope there is in this case!).
Case-by-case can be painful/time-consuming - I know, it's baked into the ethos of the company I work for - but it has its rewards.
People have more time for a company that has more time for them.
Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles
#15What a great opportunity for a registrar to differentiate themselves! They could tell you if your handle is available on popular social media services before you register your domain, and then help you sign up for your handle simultaneously with your registration.
Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles
#16As well as Twitter are there any other services that should be signed up for ASAP to avoid problems like this? Facebook, Youtube, Tumblr?
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 you just think you have a good guess, lots of people will type it right into the address bar.
Maybe this is because Twitter, right from launch, had a very clear link between "if this is their username, it's also their display name, and also their URL", whereas other services, while they might have done the same thing (often as a post-launch change), it was sold more as a "this makes links look nicer" rather than as a "go straight to an account easily" feature.
Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles
#17As well as Twitter are there any other services that should be signed up for ASAP to avoid problems like this? Facebook, Youtube, Tumblr?
Domain names of course! And get a trademark or several. The latter has more leeway to the point of people blogging about losing their handlers on the online platforms due to trademark rules or something.
Seek your own legal advice with Trademarks. The good advice should include handling 'typo' handlers possibly impersonating your service. eg YCOMBlNATOR.com
Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles
#18What a great opportunity for a registrar to differentiate themselves! They could tell you if your handle is available on popular social media services before you register your domain, and then help you sign up for your handle simultaneously with your registration.
Godaddy already tells me to get twitter when I buy a domain.
Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles
#19What a great opportunity for a registrar to differentiate themselves! They could tell you if your handle is available on popular social media services before you register your domain, and then help you sign up for your handle simultaneously with your registration.
Godaddy already tells me to get twitter when I buy a domain.
The downside there is you have to use godaddy.
Re: Bots are crawling new domain registrations and namesquatting Twitter handles
#20Twitter's namespace problem is inherent to a single party controlling a centralized service.
If you want to truly own and control your own namespace, you should support services that are distributed, like the rest of the Internet.