29 Aug 2009, Posted by christie in Blogging Bytes, 39 Comments
Kinda creepy – Twitter stalking
Most of us use Twitter as it was intended – to @reply to people who talk to us, or to @reply to someone when we see a keyword we can respond to. But you know you can follow your friend’s vacation drive from Spokane to Miami or any other fascinating updates anytime you want by looking at their single Twitter stream by itself. Like, if you want to know what Ashton Kutcher is up to, just go look at his Twitter stream. Apparently Twitter stalking is something that is done these days, just another way life in the last few years has changed things for us, even legally! Look at this Tweet from Penelope Trunk:
So – you can stalk someone manually by going and looking at their stream by itself, or there is a Firefox addon called TweetStalk, which allows you to follow someone without them knowing you are doing so. You can see their Tweets but they don’t know they have a follower. I have to say, I really don’t see the value in this. I mean, why not just create a Twitter account with some oddball name and put a strange picture up there and maybe an innocent Tweet, then follow your friend all you want? TweetStalk does allow you to create an RSS feed of your stalkee’s Tweets, but so does
Twitter itself! Just go to the person’s profile page and look at the very last thing on the right – below the thumbnails of people they are following. Grab that RSS feed and a few more, and you can make yourself one very creepy educational Google Reader!
I don’t know who would spend time doing this, but I guess it’s important to mention once again, if you are Tweeting under your real name, be aware that employers, exes, in-laws, and the world can stalk you any time they want. 
Photo credit: ~Sage~
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39 Comments
August 29, 2009 9:45 am
Deneil Merritt
lol, twitter stalking. YES! More crazy fans stalking me. lol just joking.
Deneil Merritt´s last blog ..DatMoney.com Entrepreneur Blog For Sale!
August 29 2009 11:01 am
Christie
I'll bet they are! I really wish there were a way for Twitter to tell us WHO looked or WHO got the RSS! :)
August 29, 2009 9:53 am
Robert Owen
This one goes perfectly with a video I just saw over at CrankyCanuck.org
http://crankycanuck.org/2009/08/no-i-am-not-bitter/
It’s just ANOTHER iPhone AD spoof. One of the “We’ve got an App for that” phrases is called “Stalk Her” …
pretty funny
Robert Owen´s last blog ..Email Scam: Taking the Military Tact
August 29 2009 11:02 am
Christie
That is HILARIOUS! Solving life's dilemmas, one app at at time!
August 29, 2009 11:29 am
Extreme John
One of the many reasons I wrote an article titled Twitter Safety Tips, I recently had someone tweet me in regards to who I was hanging out with on my Lanai, talk about freaky.
I have nothing directly behind my house so it was odd.
Extreme John´s last blog ..The Copycat Company
August 29 2009 13:08 pm
christie
Sounds like you have a creepy admirer all right! [shudder]
August 29, 2009 12:40 pm
Jason
One of the main reasons I cancelled (actually just stopped using) my twitter account was because I did not want people to stalk me. I did not think of it that way at first but that is the word I was looking for. I did not want people to know what I did, where I did it, what I read, who I talked to, etc.
Jason´s last blog ..I hate dreams…
August 29 2009 12:54 pm
Klaus @ TechPatio
But they won't know more than you put there yourself, so if you put up what you're doing right now, then YOU allow them to stalk you, right? :) If you only use Twitter to post your blog posts and comment on others, then stalking one would be close to useless.
@MiscBytes
Yeah I don't understand the point of that Firefox plugin either, it's so easy just to subscribe to somebodys twitter feed using RSS, no need to follow them either, I believe?
.-= Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..Top 5 Myths About Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter =-.
August 29 2009 13:12 pm
christie
I have a friend who thought of Twitter as if he was just talking to his brothers and close friends, but he put on his Twitter stream that his company (and he named it) was closing down his office and all about how he was shutting down the data center. I told him offline that that is a BAD idea, since maybe even a big guy from his company is lurking (or searching for the company name).
August 29, 2009 2:17 pm
Ana
Good mention, as Twitter is exactly that. Being interested in people’s status update may not seem as stalking, but underneath it all, it means the same thing, as you are keeping track of everyone. Of course, there are different degrees of stalking, and one of them is mentioned in your entry. I think your entry is very useful, as it brings to light how real stalking can be on such social networking sites. That is key in todays world of technology.
Ana´s last blog ..Life’s Temple; Open Gateway
August 29 2009 18:33 pm
christie
Thanks Ana! That is so true. We put a lot of information out there on social networking sites to share with our friends, but there can always be someone out there who is consuming the information in a way that may be a little too.. focused. :)
August 29, 2009 9:07 pm
Tricia
I agree it is kind of creepy. But, I think a lot of people open themselves up to this when they post where they live and where they are going wtc. I’m surprised someone hasn’t been hurt, or owrse, yet because they posted too much private information on Twitter.
Tricia´s last blog ..King Neptune Silly Symphonies 1932- Walt Disney Cartoon
August 30 2009 07:33 am
Miscbytes
True! I have seen VERY specific Tweets about where someone is going right now, in what city, and what they'll do next. At the very least, we all know they are not home so we could go break into their house, if we wanted to fly to their city and go to all that trouble! ;)
August 29, 2009 9:12 pm
Sire
I’ve heard of an employee being sacked over something she tweeted about. I reckon it just goes to show if your going to Tweet under your real name you just have to be so careful about what you say and definitely shouldn’t be talking about anyone behind their back, because they or someone they know could be listening.
Lucky for me I’m a Southern Gentleman
Sire´s last blog ..Blog Me This You Blogging Fools
August 30 2009 07:35 am
Miscbytes
Sire, you are definitely a Southern Gentleman through and through - and a poet as well! Yep - all I did with my own firstnamelastname for Twitter was to grab the account and lock it up. That way no one else would get it someday and start Tweeting stupid stuff that someone might think was *me*. :)
August 29, 2009 9:13 pm
A Vecchioni
Great information revealing the dark side of Twitter. Most people who twitter should be concerned about having invisible stalkers. Then again, why do so many people reveal so much information about themselves via Twitter? I wonder (while we’re on the subject) how Twitter behavior changes along age and familial status demographics. In other word, I wonder if, generally speaking, caution is greater among older users, especially those with children/ families?
A Vecchioni´s last blog ..Empty Nester
August 30 2009 07:38 am
Miscbytes
For some people, I really think it's so they'll have more followers. I am absolutely SHOCKED at some of the TMI things I've seen, but that is the whole point for some. For other people, I think they truly start to think that the buddies they're having their @replies with are the only people who are seeing what they're saying. There very well could be a difference as we get older and have kids and are just generally more aware of being careful in this world.
August 29, 2009 9:29 pm
The Gooroo @ iBlogPlanet.com
LOL…That really is creepy. I’m sure Twitter will come up with something to fix this “glitch”.
The Gooroo @ iBlogPlanet.com´s last blog ..Using Testimonials To Increase Sales
August 30 2009 07:39 am
Miscbytes
:D I wonder what they will do! If they just had a way to show that your Twitter stream was "viewed by @username" that would help.
August 29, 2009 11:11 pm
Ching Ya
I gotta admit, some tweets are slightly too personal for public viewing. It may looked harmless at first, but if you think about been stalked?? Too scary. TweetStalk is unnecessary. Why encourage secret stalking anyway? =P
Ching Ya´s last blog ..How Seriously Do You Take Blog Comments?
August 30 2009 07:40 am
Miscbytes
Yeah, I guess TweetStalk was just to be cute. :) Some Twitter stalking may be the result of the stalker having too much time on his/her hands. But others may stalk someone they really know - creepy!
August 30, 2009 6:52 am
Ricky
I don’t know why people bring their personal life on twitter. I consider it as spoofing.lol
Ricky´s last blog ..Top 10 All-in-one Online Messenger Services
August 30 2009 07:42 am
Miscbytes
I can't imagine Twitter for a personal account, unless you do the thing where you protect your updates - lock them down so only your approved followers can see. Then you could Tweet back and forth with real friends/family. Without that protection, funny things have already happened in Twitter when someone forgets to add the "D" for direct message when Tweeting by phone!
August 30, 2009 2:33 pm
Tyrone | Millionaire Acts
I think we really need to be careful when we write something on the internet that can be accessed by almost anyone in the world. I’ve heard the story of an employee who didn’t get the job despite he already signed his contract because of what he post on his twitter account.
I’ve also heard about this VP of a company who lost a major client of his company because also of the post he made on his twitter account.
Tyrone | Millionaire Acts´s last blog ..What is an Entrepreneur?
August 30 2009 14:47 pm
Christie
Hi Tyrone! I'll bet this is happening more and more all the time. I've seen a freelance web designer complain that she was given an "ugly" design to follow, somehow made it beautiful, then was asked to make it "ugly" again. I read that with amusement, but I wondered if she was sure her clients don't know about Twitter? :D Thanks so much for your comment - and please come back to MiscBytes soon!
August 30, 2009 6:50 pm
DiTesco
Twitter stalker? You can actually stalk people by looking at their Twitter stream without following them? What’s the point in doing that? I could not agree with you more, when you question the value in that. I have to admit that I do not see any. Then again, that’s me.
DiTesco´s last blog ..More Income Opportunity For AdSense Publishers
August 31 2009 06:26 am
Miscbytes
Yes, it's crazy, but it's good for us to all remember that people could do it anytime. Although each Tweet looks like it goes by fast and is lost forever, it's easy to forget that someone could capture it and all your other Tweets if they really want to.
August 31, 2009 1:18 am
Serious Monday Roundup #7 | Serradinho
[...] Kinda creepy – Twitter stalking – Apparently Twitter stalking is something that is done these days, just another way life in the last few years has changed things for us, even legally. [...]
August 31, 2009 10:16 am
Asswass
This is really weird Christie, but we live on a weird word with a lot of weird people out there. I bet you this plugin will find a lot of users.
Asswass´s last blog ..Monday WOP: Which is your Favorite Sport and Team
August 31 2009 19:03 pm
christie
Haha it really would find lots of users if they needed to have the plugin in order to see all that. I really don't know why Twitter lets us put the microscope on someone like that, but I guess it keeps some people coming back to look at more on Twitter!
August 31, 2009 1:15 pm
Flashback Monday – Case Study, Free eBooks, And Blog For Sale
[...] Marketing Tips & Social Media Marketing Tips Twitter stalking – kinda creepy! [...]
August 31, 2009 2:31 pm
Frank J
Technology is great, but not with these kind of methods. This should be something that Twitter should disallow. This is a privacy issue.
Frank J´s last blog ..Security Alert – LiveAntispy
August 31 2009 19:04 pm
christie
Hi Frank! It really is a privacy issue. I guess Twitter could counter by saying we are free to make our Tweets private, but why should we have to do that since we want to get followers in order to promote our blogs or businesses? Thanks so much for your comment, and please come back to MiscBytes soon!
September 5, 2009 7:16 am
Tech-Freak Stuff
More than stalking we can call it Twitter Spying! get to know everything about the Twitter life of anyone.
Tech-Freak Stuff´s last blog ..Useful Tips for Writing Good Blog Comments
September 10, 2009 10:26 am
Jason
Stalking on twitter! Scary…
October 4, 2009 2:59 am
Agent 001
Spying/Stalking on Twitter. Haha… What an Idea. Never imagined someone would think like that.
Agent 001´s last blog ..How to Find Good People you can Follow on Twitter and build Relationship?
October 8, 2009 11:11 am
Udegbunam Chukwudi
Don’t sweat it. Softwares are made everyday for crazy reasons and many of them are actually useless in my opinion and if one is unfortunate, he/she could end up with one that has some serious bug issues.
Udegbunam Chukwudi´s last blog ..Top 10 Ways Nigerians Make Money Online
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