Alternate universe twitter
August 12, 2011 10:13 AM Subscribe
Heello is a social media site that seems to be have been launched in revenge against Twitter by the founders of Twitpic, but it has become a window into a bizarre alternate social media universe. One in which CNN screams headlines in all-caps, fake Mark Zuckerberg insults people while counting his money, a generic social media expert tweets like a generic social media "expert," and companies ranging from Twitter to MySpace insult each other. Indications are that Heello is not amused by all of this, and has deleted a few particularly good fake accounts.
Heelyes. They should just embrace this and become Evil Twitter.
[Then you say: Isn't Twitter already Evil Twitter?]
posted by rusty at 10:19 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
[Then you say: Isn't Twitter already Evil Twitter?]
posted by rusty at 10:19 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
They do have a "reply count", though, which is pretty awesome.
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:20 AM on August 12, 2011
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:20 AM on August 12, 2011
Please go back and remove the "[small]posted by..." line from your comment. With this line, the comment appears to be spoofed comments from other members so they're not allowed.
OH COME ON
posted by griphus at 10:21 AM on August 12, 2011
OH COME ON
posted by griphus at 10:21 AM on August 12, 2011
TAKE IT TO METATALK
posted by jessamyn
posted by Eideteker at 10:25 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn
posted by Eideteker at 10:25 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
Lulz. It's just Twitter underneath. Commodify the dissent, amirite?
posted by evhead at 1:26 PM on August 12
Oh wow. That's evil, dude. Evil Genius! High five!
posted by rusty at 10:26 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by evhead at 1:26 PM on August 12
Oh wow. That's evil, dude. Evil Genius! High five!
posted by rusty at 10:26 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
[Then you say: Isn't Twitter already Evil Twitter?]
It tried to use a sharpie to color in the bare spots in its goatee, but all the other social networks were wise to it and have been laughing it up. Even MySpace, who is dying of consumption, gave a few phlegmy cackles.
posted by griphus at 10:28 AM on August 12, 2011 [3 favorites]
It tried to use a sharpie to color in the bare spots in its goatee, but all the other social networks were wise to it and have been laughing it up. Even MySpace, who is dying of consumption, gave a few phlegmy cackles.
posted by griphus at 10:28 AM on August 12, 2011 [3 favorites]
Don't worry, this is but a minor aberration in the Twimeline. TwitonMyFace will yet come in your ear (behave).
posted by filthy light thief at 10:31 AM on August 12, 2011
posted by filthy light thief at 10:31 AM on August 12, 2011
Oh yes, this could be the most confusing thread ever!
posted by bgates at 1:26 PM on August 12
I restrained myself from actually using a MeFi admin, lest I invoke The Wrath
posted by blahblahblah at 10:32 AM on August 12, 2011
posted by bgates at 1:26 PM on August 12
I restrained myself from actually using a MeFi admin, lest I invoke The Wrath
posted by blahblahblah at 10:32 AM on August 12, 2011
I'm sort of rooting for it -- I like the use of the terms "ping" and "echo" instead of "tweet" and endless variations of same.
And good for him for at least trying...I like that there's at least an attempt at competing with Twitter.
And FWIW: I'm a fan of Twitter and can't imagine life without it.
posted by davidmsc at 10:32 AM on August 12, 2011
And good for him for at least trying...I like that there's at least an attempt at competing with Twitter.
And FWIW: I'm a fan of Twitter and can't imagine life without it.
posted by davidmsc at 10:32 AM on August 12, 2011
I like that SocialMediaExpert is responding to (seemingly) real social media types with phrases like "Let's be social media experts together!"
(I will now go cleanse myself for the number of times I used the phrase "social media.")
posted by anthom at 10:38 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
(I will now go cleanse myself for the number of times I used the phrase "social media.")
posted by anthom at 10:38 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
MAD vs.CRACKED
posted by clavdivs at 10:39 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by clavdivs at 10:39 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
Deleted? Pfft. I want a Twitter that consists only of fake accounts.
posted by box at 10:39 AM on August 12, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by box at 10:39 AM on August 12, 2011 [2 favorites]
And by compete you mean replicate with a few minor changes?
I realize Twitter is A Big Thing, more than just a microblogging platform or a social network, so trying to create a Twitter Killer is a different thing than trying to make a competing social network. Compare the CNN Twitter account page and the CNN BRK Heello page. It's like a slightly different skin for the same product. Shift a few features around, change some terminology, and viola! New product! Except, if you called it Twitter v2, people would be talking about the interface change, not about a competing product.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:43 AM on August 12, 2011
I realize Twitter is A Big Thing, more than just a microblogging platform or a social network, so trying to create a Twitter Killer is a different thing than trying to make a competing social network. Compare the CNN Twitter account page and the CNN BRK Heello page. It's like a slightly different skin for the same product. Shift a few features around, change some terminology, and viola! New product! Except, if you called it Twitter v2, people would be talking about the interface change, not about a competing product.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:43 AM on August 12, 2011
Running hypothesis: These aren't fakes. These are actual pings by actual people inhabiting the many parallel worlds which source Encyclopedia Dramatica. I'm not sure how Heello opened that dark gateway, but merely banning usernames isn't going to close it again.
Ceiling cat help us all. It has begun.
posted by frimble at 10:46 AM on August 12, 2011 [3 favorites]
Ceiling cat help us all. It has begun.
posted by frimble at 10:46 AM on August 12, 2011 [3 favorites]
fake Mark Zuckerberg insults people while counting his money
fake?
posted by DU at 10:47 AM on August 12, 2011 [4 favorites]
fake?
posted by DU at 10:47 AM on August 12, 2011 [4 favorites]
I might actually be interested in Twitter if it were an RSS-like distributed system and not just another walled garden. Perhaps the arrival of clones will make that more likely to happen.
posted by Mars Saxman at 10:51 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Mars Saxman at 10:51 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
Why didn't I think of this long ago? Screw you, Haughey, with your intimidating height and ability to look at two different things at once! Everyone, I'd like to announce the founding of a new "Best Links of the Internet" group blog: Meetafilter! Meet me there!
posted by cortex at 1:51 PM on August 12 [352 favorites +] [!]
I'm glad to see Twitter have some competition. It's about time. Some of the other net monopolists could use a run for their money too.
posted by rusty at 10:52 AM on August 12, 2011 [6 favorites]
posted by cortex at 1:51 PM on August 12 [352 favorites +] [!]
I'm glad to see Twitter have some competition. It's about time. Some of the other net monopolists could use a run for their money too.
posted by rusty at 10:52 AM on August 12, 2011 [6 favorites]
I got bored with it, but I think I did the social media expert a bit better.
socialmediamonkey.com and @SMmonkey
posted by cjorgensen at 10:53 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
socialmediamonkey.com and @SMmonkey
posted by cjorgensen at 10:53 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
[352 favorites +]
Oh man, can you make this be a thing? When you get like 100 or 200 favourites there's an automatic link to that clip?
posted by chococat at 11:07 AM on August 12, 2011 [7 favorites]
Oh man, can you make this be a thing? When you get like 100 or 200 favourites there's an automatic link to that clip?
posted by chococat at 11:07 AM on August 12, 2011 [7 favorites]
Did anyone else immediately register an account? I'm @Maaik, as it was, is now and ever shall be, world without end.
posted by Maaik at 11:13 AM on August 12, 2011
posted by Maaik at 11:13 AM on August 12, 2011
I'm totally going to Pownce on this site. I may even compose posts in Jaiku.
posted by GuyZero at 11:27 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by GuyZero at 11:27 AM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
The fake Mark Zuckerberg is now my most favorite thing ever (although I admit I'm confused by the concept of a fake twitter with fake accounts. One more step and I think Leonardo DiCaprio would quit in frustration).
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 11:29 AM on August 12, 2011
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 11:29 AM on August 12, 2011
This is not copyright infringement at all. They haven't used anyone's copyright. All they've done is provided the same kind of service.
I'm sure you didn't accuse Google of infringing the copyright of Yahoo when Google first created their search engine. I'm sure you don't accuse Fedex and UPS of infringement of eachother's copyright each time they deliver a package.
Or more to the point: You're not accusing Twitter of infringing the copyright of Twitpic by offering the same service. So why is it when A does it to B do you think it's okay, but B does the exact same thing to A it's suddenly not okay?
It's just called competition, not copyright infringement.
posted by BurnChao at 12:10 PM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'm sure you didn't accuse Google of infringing the copyright of Yahoo when Google first created their search engine. I'm sure you don't accuse Fedex and UPS of infringement of eachother's copyright each time they deliver a package.
Or more to the point: You're not accusing Twitter of infringing the copyright of Twitpic by offering the same service. So why is it when A does it to B do you think it's okay, but B does the exact same thing to A it's suddenly not okay?
It's just called competition, not copyright infringement.
posted by BurnChao at 12:10 PM on August 12, 2011 [1 favorite]
See, Google improved on Yahoo. Twitter improves on TwitPic by making it more convenient to upload pics. What does Heello do that Twitter doesn't?
posted by desjardins at 12:20 PM on August 12, 2011
posted by desjardins at 12:20 PM on August 12, 2011
greatdismal 19 hours ago
off to kabukicho to do some 2C-T-2 with Xeni, Joi, and that Philip K Dick robot head brb
posted by KokuRyu at 12:24 PM on August 12, 2011 [3 favorites]
off to kabukicho to do some 2C-T-2 with Xeni, Joi, and that Philip K Dick robot head brb
posted by KokuRyu at 12:24 PM on August 12, 2011 [3 favorites]
Look at me. I'm a big, dumb, boring idiot. Blah blah blah. Twitter? What's that? I only use IRC and carrier pigeon! Ha, ha, ha, ha.
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 12:38 PM on August 12 (2380 favorites +) (?)
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 2:52 PM on August 12, 2011
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 12:38 PM on August 12 (2380 favorites +) (?)
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 2:52 PM on August 12, 2011
Could be useful if Twitter becomes problematic in the future, much like Twitter is being used by people who got kicked off of Google+.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 4:06 PM on August 12, 2011
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 4:06 PM on August 12, 2011
I've started a fake version of a local celebrity. It is surprisingly difficult to make this funny without being mean-spirited.
posted by grouse at 11:37 PM on August 12, 2011
posted by grouse at 11:37 PM on August 12, 2011
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posted by Hargrimm at 10:17 AM on August 12, 2011