"What? Doesn't everybody have to pay people to follow them on Twitter?" |
He is buying thousand by the minute, most don't speak English or are computer generated... all this in the midst of all the #Aurora tweets and #theatreshooting ones... Is he so unlikeable he had to buy followers?
And this:
Every time i refresh he gets 50 or so new followers. Most followers are following exactly 4 people. Most have no tweets or one generic quote tweet from a semifamous person.
The tweets these people have made are almost all done in the last minute or so for the new additions to the list. While that is evidence of nothing, it certainly is suspicious.
(Here is the link to the account so you an see for yourselves.)
Later I discovered there were others on the case:
I’m not saying he bought them, but Romney’s follower stats have taken a sharp and sudden rise since Friday 5PM EST. Could it be a weekend blitz? Twitter noticed. Romney was gaining around 3000-4000 new followers per day for the past month.
Yesterday he acquired 23,926 new followers and is climbing well over 50,000 today. The hourly stats make it pretty clear where this began. (If you click the link you can also see two rather remarkable graphics.)
Some of you may remember that his same tactic was used by both Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin last year.
I don't know about the rest of you but I am beginning to think that there is absolutely NOTHING trustworthy about the Republican part any more. (And yes that was a bit of snark.)
Well, his greed and the entitlement seem pretty authentic to me. Guess he's just playing to his strengths.
ReplyDeleteAnd when are these people going to learn that others can spot purchased Twitter 'followers' from a mile away? Come on Mitt, all that money you've gotten through your exploitative 'work' and yet you can't buy someone who's social media savvy? Your social media presence is something you might not want to outsource to another country.
NOBODY likes Mitt. they just hate him less than President Obama.
ReplyDeleteHundreds of millions love President Obama. Only the bigot Repubs hate him. You act like President Obama is universally hated. But that could not be further from the truth.
DeleteYes. You hit that nail in the wall, my friend.
DeleteI think both of you misread sjk's comment. If you have ever read her posts, you'd know she's knocking Rmoney's supporters - not Pres. Obama.
Delete+1 7:51p.m.
DeleteThat's how I read sjk's comment. She's knocking Mitt and his supporters.
Nice try, Gryphen, but you're insinuating that Mittens is somehow responsible for this fraudulent twittery and that's dishonest of you. Mittens has sworn numerous affidavits proving he's had no involvement in his presidential campaign since 2008. If anything this sounds more like typical Obama Chicago-style thuggery.
ReplyDeleteRe-elect George W. Bush!
Vote Rmoney2012!
Romney is a cheater. Pure and simple. He cheats every chance he gets. This is just one example. He cheats, outsources, lies, obfuscates, twists and cheats more. He's a bully and a cheat with an emotional age arrested at junior high school level. He would be a DISASTROUS president. He buys what he can't steal, he fakes what isn't real in him and he doesn't care about anyone but himself and his rich cronies. What is with these sociopaths gaining such high levels of influence, anyway? It's deeply disturbing.
ReplyDeleteBingo!
DeleteYep, just like the lame show horse they sold for big bucks. The vet who did the insurance exam said that the horse had the most amazing cocktail of pain killers in it the likes of which he had never seen. The Romneys settled their portion quietly out of court. NO integrity in that family.
DeleteAnon@4:05 "What is with these sociopaths gaining such high levels of influence...?" you ask:
DeleteThe Will to Power and Dominance!
That is what sociopaths and psychopaths live for. Anything else is subjugated to that one subject, the only thing that excites them and validates them in their warped minds.
fromthediagonal
Unacknowledged privilege is just institutionalized cheating - and Rmoney as all about privilege.
DeleteFirst thought!!! Gadfree does he sound like Sarah Palin!!
ReplyDeleteShe pulled the same trick + she'd write letters of approval 'about herself' (before she quit as governor)and then have someone affix their name to them. The letters would then be published under 'Letters to the Editor' in the Anchorage Daily News (the ONLY newspaper in Anchorage, AK!).
Republicans are the biggest frauds on earth - it's being proven so over and over again.
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012
The ONLY newspaper in Alaska? Or Only one of the Alaska papers she doesn't read put in front of her over the years.
DeleteLots of news outlets and forums in Alaska, thank you very much.
Gryph, this might have something to do with it...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mediaite.com/online/from-newt-to-justin-biebers-mom-11-twitter-accounts-with-more-followers-than-romney/#0
Mediate was making fun of Romney for having fewer Twitter followers than Pee Wee Herman. The article was posted Thursday afternoon, and your article from Reddit reports a sharp uptick in fake followers the next day. Looks like somebody reads his own press!!!
He may not personally have signed off on this but one of his dysfunctional campaign people sure did. His organization does the same thing Palin's does, hunt for Romney posts and threads and then does something about them. In this case, perhaps his campaign is truthful in saying they had nothing to do with it, but I bet there is a shadow campaign running separately from his official one. They are the ones who pulled this shit as they are the ones who are computer savvy (well they THINK they are) and hoped this would slide under the radar due to the Aurora shooting.
DeleteHe, maybe he outsourced his Twitter popularity! That'd be just like old Off Shore Mitt.
Unless you are uber wealthy this man is not your friend. There are young folks around me who are not paying attention. I try to point out the differences between Obama and Romney. I am only partially successful because their interests are elsewhere (and I'm grandpa) and they listen to sound bites. I keep trying.
ReplyDeleteEven if you are uber wealthy this man is only your friend for what you can do for him. Between the ages of 30-40 (from what I can remember) young folks are busy building careers, getting married, raising families and paying mortgages.
DeleteIt is the most frantic time of one's life - and unless directly involved, politics plays virtually no part in your life - other than how it directly impacts same. Keep at them grandpa - it only takes one of them to understand and it will start to spread - that is how the President was elected & it is how Mitt will be defeated.
I'm listening, Grandpa! Actually, you may not think they are listening, but they are so keep talking. Tell them you love them and they are why you care so much about this country. Oh, and thank you!
DeleteTwo books for you to pass on to the kiddies, Grandpa. Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawkens, Barack Obama's "Dreams from My Father." If they don't read (sigh) try getting them to watch The corporation with you. It is on twitter, and long, but you can do it in parts.
DeleteI don't think it is snark if it's true, Gryphen. This GOP is already playing dirty, and Mitt isn't even the nominee yet. I can hardly wait to see how they spin the debates to make it look like he has an intelligent bone in his body.
ReplyDeleteI'll tell you the thing that creeps me out the most about him is that whenever he speaks, he has this weird smile/smirk thing that he does so that it seems what he is saying is not the truth. Even when he's trying to be serious, his face looks as though he's smiling and I think, "WTH is he SMILING about! This guy is NOT to be trusted." He gives me the shivers on a visceral level.
ReplyDeleteYes, and he has a distinct head bobbing too, almost like a pre-Alzheimer's tremor, very Reaganesque.
DeleteNor does it help when he ends one of those smirky sentences with the usual nervous "heh, heh, heh". If he were a used car salesman he would give them even a worse reputation. This 'lying for the Lord' business of his has gone too far. Every time I hear him speak, I hear another couple lies or fibs. Snidely Whiplash would be proud of his protege.
DeleteHe has an eternal smile.
DeleteMitt could turn out to be an alien in a human skin suit.
DeleteMitt wanting to serve man as POTUS would be as in an old Twilight Zone episode (wiki mention below). Also, Mitt's serve man (mankind) would be a recipe cookbook.
Yes, Mitt will serve mankind, yet not in the ways most other people think that statement means. Mitt views other people are disposable meat puppets. If soylent green ever happened, Mitt would be the first one to rush in and make money off of selling human flesh as food.
---
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Serve_Man_%28The_Twilight_Zone%29
---
Plus I think it'll be no soylent green (dead) people for Mitt, he eats other and real people alive (via his Bain actions).
Snark? I thought it was a bit of truth.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, ""He (Murdoch) remains fully committed to our business as chairman of what will become the largest newspaper and digital group in the world."
Liberal bias in the news? My ass. How can there be a liberal bias when Murdoch chairs the largest news conglomerate in the world.
I have to tell you: I am currently readingThe Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout Ph.D. In Chapter 2 she describes the life of a fictional sociopath. She could have been writing a biography of Mitt Romney. Seriously. It's a must read and it's scary. The subtitle of the chapter is: Ice people - The Sociopaths.
ReplyDeleteFantastic book. Read it last year when I was learning to deal with my narcissistic father. I thought it also explained Sarah Palin's behavior quite well.
DeleteThere are a lot of posters on HuffPo that are the same thing. They have 200 -300 one line posts for Romney since their accounts were opened in June. I figure they're getting paid a nickle a post.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing news articles and photos about Sarah Palin showing up at the top of YaHoo lists for no apparent reason, supposedly indicating that lots of people were viewing the articles or photos. I believed back then it was just bots clicking her links over and over.
DeleteFake Twitter followers, etc. What I really want to know is this: Does this man who is aspiring to have the highest office in the country really believe that when he dies and when all Mormon men die, he (they) get their own planet?
ReplyDeleteA simple question, and I want to hear his answer. This is in the Book of Mormon. He either truly believes it or he doesn't. Which is it, Mitt?
"Does this man who is aspiring to have the highest office in the country really believe that when he dies and when all Mormon men die, he (they) get their own planet? "
DeleteIs that really so hard to believe? Maybe it's a small planet? They're not claiming they'll get Uranus, are they? I doubt they even want Uranus. So big and cold. Seriously, I'm sure Mittens will deny that he expects Uranus when he dies.
I'm guessing that each Mormon man gets a small planetesimal, nothing ostentatious. Enough for a few hundred worshippers, maybe fifty-sixty hot young babes for wives. Space enough for a half dozen mansions each with its own car elevator. Maybe a stable to keep some horses. Mostly rocky, lots of craters, maybe a methane lake or two, hopefully some kind of magnetic field to deflect lethal solar radiation. Maybe some frozen water ice in the shadow areas of craters. And enough rotation for some gravity to keep those hot young babe-wives from floating out into space.
Wow, this sounds pretty awesome....
Hey, Mormon peoples, I WANNA JOIN!!! CALL ME!!!
Beldar Torus Klaatu Conehead: that's lame, really lame and stupid.
DeleteWell I thought it was funny. What I find so undesirable about the Mormon afterlife is that it's just a continuation of this mortal life. When I was a Mormon I read a book called "Added Upon". It was about a ditch digger and his existence in the afterlife. Guess what he was in the afterlife? A ditch digger! Of course now he was a glorified ditch digger who has the respect of his entire community and teaches other how to dig ditches.
DeleteI remember thinking - that's it? That's what i have to look forward to in the afterlife - just a continuation of this life? Will I be making pizzas for eternity? And women are stay at home moms who spend eternity pregnant and bearing children. That's ETERNITY! Yes women, it will never end. You will be going through childbirth forEVER! It will never stop. You will never get a break from the pains of childbirth and never stop raising children. This is your glorious eternal reward. That's if you are lucky enough to be married. If you happen to die without being married, you have the option of becoming one of some god's multiple wives or you can spend the rest of eternity in a lesser kingdom as a "ministering angel" serving those that are better than you.
I left the Mormon church.
Ahem, Beldar is snarking us. And more, snarking Mormons and Mitt.
DeleteGo Beldar. :)
"It appears that Mitt Romney has fake Twitter followers. Is NOTHING about this man authentic?"
ReplyDeleteAnn says it is their turn. The hubris is mind- boggling. Leona Helmsley didn't have anything on these folks.
At least Leona left her fortune to her dog instead of her spoiled relatives. That's got to count for something!
DeleteI just followed his twitter page for 32 minutes
ReplyDelete9:00 789,513
9:02 515 +2
9:03 514 -1
9:04 575 _61
9:05 516 -59
9:06 520 +4
9:07 522 +2
9:08 525 +3
9:09 587 +62
9:10 587 --
9:11 590 +3
9:12 591 +1
9:13 592 +1
9:14 536 -56
9:15 537 +1
9:16 540 +3
9:17 540 --
9:18 539 -1
9:19 599 +60
9:20 541 -58
9:21 606 +65
9:22 547 -59
9:23 609 +62
9:24 614 +5
9:25 557 -57
9:26 559 +2
9:27 564 +5
9:28 624 +60
9:29 565 -59
9:30 569 +4
9:43 789,585 +16
9:46 789,599 +14
9:47 789,600 +1
9:48 789,663 +3
9:49 789,664 +1
9:50 789,605 -59
9:51 789.614 +9
9:52 789,615 -1
9:53 789,618 -3
9:54 789,620 +4
9:55 789,622 +2
9:56 789,623 -1
9:57 789,682 +59
9:58 789,624 -58
9:59 789,625 +1
10:00 789,625 --
10:01 789,689 +64
10:02 789,629 -60
10:04 789,638 +10
In 1 hour 4 minutes, there has been an uptick of 125 on his page. The times I post are EST -- so on a Saturday night between 9 nd 10pm -- 125 'live' people 'followed' him -- don't think so.
I finished typing this at 10:08 are refreshed his page -- it says 789,703 and at 10:09 dropped to 789,643. There is a somewhat of apattern of ups about every 5 to 7 minutes of around 60 and the next minute drops of 58 or 59 - just less than the 60.
Ooops!! As you can see, I followed it for just over an hour -- not 32 minutes as I originally started out with as I was writing the post. Wanted to see how the pattern of jumps up and down went.
DeleteIf I leave my "porn" and "spam" followers, I would have around 500+ since I got my account. But I block those kind asap and the numbers are down to a reasonable 163 of quality accounts. (@Omega40)
DeleteIt's 9:20 cst on Sunday...I just checked...he has 813,000 now...
DeleteFake twitter followers. Geez. Next he'll be doing Fake Team Followers who do hits if someone tweets something uncomplimentary about Mitt. I first saw the pattern with Palin, then the same group would attack if I tweeted about Murdoch so it was apparent that they bought the same service. The pattern with Palin and Murdoch was South Americans with coded #FollowFriday tweets that attack. None of them had more than a handful of followers.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the matter with those people? Romney is an 64 or 65 year old adult! Businessman! Missionary and bishop in his "church" and he's conducting his campaign like this? Holy crap.
I thought "missionary" was the only position he hasn't flip flopped on.
DeleteOnly a very disgusting person would buy twitter followers.
ReplyDeleteMy theory is that some may be purchased followers, but I think the LDS church youth groups are following worldwide.
ReplyDeleteDumbing down America one child at a time
ReplyDeleteRead more here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/21/2904889/dumbing-down-america-one-child.html#storylink=cpy
I don't do twitter so could someone please explain how someone buys followers?
ReplyDeleteNot that I don't believe it's something his campaign would do (because there are clearly no depths to which they would not sink), but I just don't know how the process would work.
Thanks!
Do you not do Google either?
DeleteI don't understand either!
DeleteSorry, but I don't know...and Anon @ 9:47 thanks soooooo much for nothing!
DeletePlease take a look @BarackObama twitter account. I think there is a problem there as well, with his followers. So far it is 17,718,636. Many of them have the same problem that the followers of Romney. I don't know what's going on, but something is not right. To me it looks like alot of "spam" accounts are coming in fast and furious.
ReplyDeleteThat is snark, I hope. Otherwise, meh. Waaaah, go cry to mommy, Sarah.
DeleteGood Heavens Willard !! Is buying up fake Twitter accounts the modern day version of tying a pork chop around your neck? So that somebody, ANYBODY, will like you?
ReplyDeleteWillard, your middle names are Desperate and Duplicitous.
I was looking for information to increase my Twitter followers and found companies selling them.. Then I checked blog forums to get more information... The followers are mostly out of the country and/or inactive accounts if I recall. Kinda worthless.
ReplyDeletePalin and Romney are like Barbie dolls, if they want to be popular, their friends have to be bought.
ReplyDeleteSad, he purchases fake people to follow him. Figures, Mr. Robot is about more fakery.
ReplyDeleteWhile he feel he deserves and is entitled to be President, Mitt can go and find fake people to also worship him.
No way, even at gunpoint, would I fawn over him, be on my knees and bowing down to him.
I'm starting to wonder exactly how many tea republicans or independents really support him. Perhaps the polling numbers are really off, then again, easy to figure out, the tea racists hate President Obama enough so the racist tea would settle for a white Mitt robot in the White House.
If you click on many of the posts you will see that the comments have nothing to do with Mitt. Some of the comments are about well known media personalities like Krystal Ball, Rev. Sharpton, CharlieSheen, and more. I randomly selected 10 tweeters and not a single one mentioned Mitt.
ReplyDeleteCharlieSheen_