/ 8 August 2013

Twitter tanks #Tutu’s account but not for long

Twitter Tanks #tutu's Account But Not For Long

Desmond Tutu's Twitter account was blocked by the social media network just hours after it was launched due to "aggressive following".

The account was started because the 81-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner plans to cut down on travelling. A social media prescence would assist him in communcating with people, he said. Tweets from the account are sent by either Tutu himself or his daughter Mpho.

There was a bit of confusion around the suspension because the account, @TutuLegacy only followed 30 followers. Some suspect that the powers that be at Twitter blocked the handle because it amassed a following of over 600 in very little time. 

According to Twitter, "Aggressive following is defined as indiscriminately following hundreds of accounts just to garner attention. [As if the Arch needs to try]. However, following a few users if their accounts seem interesting is normal and is not considered aggressive. [Like following 30 people?]"

Turns out that the Tutu account was caught up in a Twitter spam clean out. 
 

 

Anyway, it's up and running again and Mpho Tutu would like to assure followers that this account is the real deal.

In light of the fail on Twitter's part, the Arch has something to say too…