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We ran across some retweets posted by @stfuhose via an app called "Revenge - SE". Having never heard of it before, we decided to investigate and noticed that the retweets were being deleted a few minutes after being posted.
cc: @ZellaQuixote
cc: @ZellaQuixote
@stfuhose @ZellaQuixote We've seen a similar phenomenon before. Tweetdecking, the practice of temporarily retweeting a tweet on multiple accounts in a coordinated fashion in the hopes of sending it viral, is a likely explanation.
@stfuhose @ZellaQuixote If the "Revenge - SE" app is being used for tweetdecking, how do we find the other accounts given that the retweets are deleted within minutes? We monitored @stfuhose in real time and whenever it retweeted via "Revenge - SE" we pulled other accounts retweeting the same tweet.
@stfuhose @ZellaQuixote We found 42 accounts retweeting and quickly deleting tweets using "Revenge - SE" or another app called "Versace - NE" using this procedure. The apps seem to work in identical fashion - all accounts using each app retweets the same tweet within seconds of one another.
@stfuhose @ZellaQuixote Much like the tweetdecking accounts we've studied previously, many of these accounts earn retweet volume entirely out of proportion with the number of followers they have (a result of their tweets being amplified by every account in the group.)
@stfuhose @ZellaQuixote One more interesting feature of this set of tweetdecking accounts: several of them amplify accounts that farm massive followings via follower trains and other followback schemes.
@stfuhose @ZellaQuixote (previous thread on a network of follower-farming accounts using the shared phrase "allow me to blow your account")
@stfuhose @ZellaQuixote The stfuhose account mentioned in this thread has renamed itself to @HoseStfuhose, and a new blank @stfuhose account has taken its place. Thankfully, account IDs stay the same when an account is renamed; the account in question is ID 1147642108708306950.
@stfuhose @ZellaQuixote @HoseStfuhose You can convert between ID and the account's current name at twitterid.com. The site itself appears to be safe, but recommend avoiding clicking ads.
@stfuhose @ZellaQuixote @HoseStfuhose We came across deleted Hootsuite tweets here and there while studying the tweetdecking accounts described in this thread and sure enough, looking at the other accounts that retweeted the same tweets reveals a Hootsuite-based deck. These ones are far slower to delete their tweets.
@stfuhose @ZellaQuixote @HoseStfuhose The Hootsuite-based Twitter deck is comprised of 32 accounts, some of which (based on the presence of other deleted tweets) appear to be participating in additional decks via the iPhone app.
