Impersonating Las Vegas Twitter Celebrities

November 4, 1:39 PMLas Vegas Technology ExaminerWilliam Lefkovics

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Senator John Ensign Parody Twitter Profile
Andrew Kiraly's parody for John Ensign on Twitter

The Internet affords us a measure of anonymity, or at least the initial perception of it. It also allows impersonation to an extent whether maliciously or in parody.

Much like domain names, and usernames in other web applications like Yahoo! or MySpace, Twitter names have to be unique. These names are also reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. As a result, many people in the public eye, including politicians, celebrities and sports figures, have had to settle for more descriptive Twitter names. These names may include a job title or a sports jersey number. Some celebrities have chosen to add the word 'REAL' or 'THE' in their usernames in an attempt to differentiate themselves from copycats. 

In Las Vegas, that means if you want to follow Carrot Top, you might want to avoid @carrot_top. The actual account for the real Carrot Top is, appropriately enough, @RealCarrotTop. Some impersonators do so in parody. Las Vegas City Life writer and blogger Andrew Kiraly has first hand experience with the selective enforcement of Twitter's impersonation policy. One of our beloved Nevada Senators John Ensign has been in the news for the wrong reasons recently and as such, has become a magnet for comedians, real and wannabe. Andrew's parody tweets of our Senator were poignant enough to draw the ire of our favorite lovelorn veterinarian. Twitter closed Andrew's Ensign parody profile, formerly at twitter.com/SenJohnEnsign. I am including a screenshot of the parody in case its new home @NotSenEnsign also gets deleted. It seems Senator Ensign abandoned his real Twitter account back in June 2009.

Twitter also offers a verification service for those with impersonator problems. Planet Hollywood Peepshow personality and former Playboy Girl Next Door, Holly Madison has chosen to use the verification service, for example. Hopefully this service, currently in beta, will be expanded internationally and to businesses. My Twitter account is mostly messaging, collaboration and unified communication technologies with some random personal observations thrown in @MojaveMedia.

Online technologies like Twitter enable more intimate, almost real time communication with friends and celebrities alike, but that openness provides opportunity for misuse. Hopefully in the future we won't need to use REAL for @LasVegasSign (yes, someone tweets for the sign) or @LVMPD (one of the first police departments to tweet) in order to confidently follow them and view some worthwhile content.