Re: [twitter-dev] question regarding API FAQ: reclaim inactive username
Thanks, glad to know I'm not alone on this. I've looked at filing a trademark but it is still frustrating to proceed through lengthy/costly legal process in order to reclaim an inactive/spam username -- especially for a completely free service. This entry in the Twitter API FAQ is a glimmer of hope for app developers. I hope someone at Twitter can help app developers get their specific situation reviewed. In some cases, such as mine, it is an all-around-win for the Twitter ecosystem to release these inactive usernames. -Anil On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 5:17 PM, Aral Balkan wrote: > I had the same response :( > Someone told me that the way to approach it may be to file a trademark > dispute. This is what I'm going to be forced to do since it doesn't appear > possible to talk to a human being at Twitter about this issue. > All the best, > Aral > On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 6:04 PM, anilchawla wrote: >> >> I develop and maintain a free Twitter application (http:// >> tweetymail.com) and I am desperately trying to reclaim the inactive >> 'tweetymail' username because it is causing confusion among my users. >> I was not able to get anywhere with Twitter support, but I came across >> this entry in the API FAQ: >> >> >> http://apiwiki.twitter.com/FAQ#HowcanIreclaimaninactiveTwitteraccountformyprojectorapplication >> >> I followed the instructions and emailed usern...@twitter.com. Five >> minutes later, I received two simultaneous emails: 1) An automatic >> notice indicating that support received my request, 2) An automatic >> rejection indicating that Twitter is not releasing inactive usernames >> at this time. >> >> Have any other app developers had success with this process? Is the >> information on the FAQ still valid? Can someone from Twitter provide >> an alternate avenue for app developers to have a request such as this >> heard? >> >> The account I am seeking (http://twitter.com/tweetymail) has never >> tweeted and has been inactive for at least 6 months. >> >> Thank you. > >
[twitter-dev] Re: Acquiring abandoned twitter accounts for app?
Michael, FYI - I raised this same question a few days ago with this discussion thread: http://bit.ly/9PyWaG Twitter is apparently going to review their process. Let's hope they come up with something more reasonable for app developers. Regards, -Anil On Feb 14, 2:02 pm, Michael wrote: > I saw a post from 2008 about getting unused accounts released to > developers and was wondering if the method is still just to email Alex > Payne or if there is a streamlined method now? The account i am trying > to get was only used for 2 days with 5 tweets back in august 2009 and > i tried emailing the account holder back in December about buying or > trading the name and got no response. > > Thanks for any help. > Mike
[twitter-dev] Is includes_rts=true for statuses/mentions broken?
I've also been facing this issue for quite a long time. I've told myself that this can't be a problem with the API (since nobody else is complaining) but I can't see what is wrong on our end. For example, I have the following status that was retweeted a few times: http://twitter.com/#!/anilchawla/status/14437959797313536 This is the request URL that is generated when I request my mentions using count=200, include_rts=true, and since_id = 13978625736970241 (OAuth tokens omitted): https://api.twitter.com/1/statuses/mentions.json?count=200&include_rts=1&since_id=1.397862573697E%2B16 The four mentions of the above status are not present in the response even though those retweets and the original status have an ID greater than since_id. Omitting "count" and "since_id" does not make a difference. As a work-around, we have to pull both statuses/mentions and statuses/retweets_of_me and merge them together. It's hard to believe that everyone else has been doing the same and ignoring this API parameter. Any idea what the issue is? -Anil -- Twitter developer documentation and resources: http://dev.twitter.com/doc API updates via Twitter: http://twitter.com/twitterapi Issues/Enhancements Tracker: http://code.google.com/p/twitter-api/issues/list Change your membership to this group: http://groups.google.com/group/twitter-development-talk
[twitter-dev] Re: Is includes_rts=true for statuses/mentions broken?
It's been a while but I want to follow up on this because we still have the issue. Is anyone able to pull "native" retweets when calling the "statuses/mentions" endpoint? An indication that "includes_rts" either works for you or doesn't work would be great. Thanks, -Anil On Dec 14 2010, 11:44 am, Anil Chawla wrote: > I've also been facing this issue for quite a long time. I've told > myself that this can't be a problem with the API (since nobody else is > complaining) but I can't see what is wrong on our end. For example, I > have the following status that was retweeted a few times: > > http://twitter.com/#!/anilchawla/status/14437959797313536 > > This is the request URL that is generated when I request my mentions > using count=200, include_rts=true, and since_id = 13978625736970241 > (OAuth tokens > omitted):https://api.twitter.com/1/statuses/mentions.json?count=200&include_rt... > > The four mentions of the above status are not present in the response > even though those retweets and the original status have an ID greater > than since_id. Omitting "count" and "since_id" does not make a > difference. As a work-around, we have to pull both statuses/mentions > and statuses/retweets_of_me and merge them together. It's hard to > believe that everyone else has been doing the same and ignoring this > API parameter. Any idea what the issue is? > > -Anil -- Twitter developer documentation and resources: http://dev.twitter.com/doc API updates via Twitter: http://twitter.com/twitterapi Issues/Enhancements Tracker: http://code.google.com/p/twitter-api/issues/list Change your membership to this group: http://groups.google.com/group/twitter-development-talk
[twitter-dev] Re: Is includes_rts=true for statuses/mentions broken?
Abraham, you are right that I had the wrong understanding of the parameter. When I read "the timeline will contain native retweets in addition to the standard stream of tweets" I didn't realize it meant native retweets of the mentions themselves. It makes sense to me now but I am not sure how that parameter is useful to anyone :-) It's a bit surprising to hear that any REST API client that wants to provide a unified view of mentions/retweets (which makes sense to most users) has to make two calls and merge the results, but I guess that's what I need to do! Thanks, -Anil On Feb 10, 2:06 am, Abraham Williams <4bra...@gmail.com> wrote: > I think you have the wrong idea of what include_rts does. Include_rts is > designed to include native retweets in timelines where default inclusion > would break. For example /statuses/user_timeline expects all tweets to be > from a user A. But if that user A has retweeted user B then user Bs tweets > can be included user As user_timeline with include_rts. Include_rts has no > effect on /statuses/mentions because the original tweet is already included > due to the fact it is a mention. > > Abraham > - > Abraham Williams | Hacker Advocate | abrah.am > @abraham <https://twitter.com/abraham> | github.com/abraham | blog.abrah.am > This email is: [ ] shareable [x] ask first [ ] private. > > > > On Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 21:00, Adam Duke wrote: > > I've seen the same behavior with the include_rts parameter. I have > > tried passing the values 'true', 't', and '1' with no success. > > > On Feb 8, 7:15 pm, Anil Chawla wrote: > > > It's been a while but I want to follow up on this because we still > > > have the issue. Is anyone able to pull "native" retweets when calling > > > the "statuses/mentions" endpoint? > > > > An indication that "includes_rts" either works for you or doesn't work > > > would be great. Thanks, > > > > -Anil > > > > On Dec 14 2010, 11:44 am, Anil Chawla wrote: > > > > > I've also been facing this issue for quite a long time. I've told > > > > myself that this can't be a problem with the API (since nobody else is > > > > complaining) but I can't see what is wrong on our end. For example, I > > > > have the following status that was retweeted a few times: > > > > >http://twitter.com/#!/anilchawla/status/14437959797313536 > > > > > This is the request URL that is generated when I request my mentions > > > > using count=200, include_rts=true, and since_id = 13978625736970241 > > > > (OAuth tokens omitted): > >https://api.twitter.com/1/statuses/mentions.json?count=200&include_rt... > > > > > The four mentions of the above status are not present in the response > > > > even though those retweets and the original status have an ID greater > > > > than since_id. Omitting "count" and "since_id" does not make a > > > > difference. As a work-around, we have to pull both statuses/mentions > > > > and statuses/retweets_of_me and merge them together. It's hard to > > > > believe that everyone else has been doing the same and ignoring this > > > > API parameter. Any idea what the issue is? > > > > > -Anil > > > -- > > Twitter developer documentation and resources:http://dev.twitter.com/doc > > API updates via Twitter:http://twitter.com/twitterapi > > Issues/Enhancements Tracker: > >http://code.google.com/p/twitter-api/issues/list > > Change your membership to this group: > >http://groups.google.com/group/twitter-development-talk -- Twitter developer documentation and resources: http://dev.twitter.com/doc API updates via Twitter: http://twitter.com/twitterapi Issues/Enhancements Tracker: http://code.google.com/p/twitter-api/issues/list Change your membership to this group: http://groups.google.com/group/twitter-development-talk
[twitter-dev] Re: Introduce yourself!
Hi all, I'm Anil Chawla and I develop a free service called tweetymail - http://tweetymail.com - which is a full-featured Twitter client based entirely on email. I've been using the API since early 2009 and develop my applications in PHP (thank you Abraham for your excellent TwitterOAuth library). The feature I would most like to see is the Search API providing the correct Twitter user IDs :-) I am also excited about xAuth and agree with Marc's comment about getting more clarity in some of the error messages. @anilchawla On Feb 19, 3:20 pm, Abraham Williams <4bra...@gmail.com> wrote: > We have not had an introductions thread in a long time (or ever that I could > find) so I'm starting one. Don't forget to add an answer to the tools thread > [1](Gmail link [2]) as well. > > I'm Abraham Williams, I've been working with the Twitter API and this group > since early 2008. I do mostly freelance Drupal and Twitter API integration > and personal projects. I love seeing the creative projects developers build > or integrate with the API and look forward to meeting many of you at Chirp. > > TwitterOAuth [3] the first PHP library to support OAuth is built and > maintained by me, and will hopefully see a new release soon. I also built a > fun Chrome extension [4] that integrates common friends and followers into > Twitter profiles. > > The feature I would most like added to the API is a conversation method to > get replies to a specific status. > > So. Who are you, what do you do, what have you built, and what feature do > you most want to see added? > > @Abraham > > [1]http://groups.google.com/group/twitter-development-talk/browse_thread... > [2]https://mail.google.com/mail/#inbox/12680cd0fa59011e > [3]https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/npdjhmblakdjfnnajeomfbogo... > [4]http://code.google.com/p/twitter-api/issues/detail?id=142 > > -- > Abraham Williams | Community Advocate |http://abrah.am > Project | Out Loud |http://outloud.labs.poseurtech.com > This email is: [ ] shareable [x] ask first [ ] private. > Sent from Seattle, WA, United States
[twitter-dev] Re: question regarding API FAQ: reclaim inactive username
but we ask that it be done constructively. > > >> Ryan > > >> On Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 7:45 AM, Aral Balkan wrote: > > >>> Ah, so Twitter wants to see a *registered* trademark number? > > >>> (As an aside: why do you hate your developers, Twitter?) :) > > >>> The thing is, a trademark does not _have to be_ registered to be a > >>> trademark. Products get trademark protection automatically. > > >>> I guess if I don't hear back, I'll have the IP law firm I use to write a > >>> letter first. Cheaper than getting a registered trademark. > > >>> Of course, the best thing would be for a _human being_ at Twitter to say: > >>> hey developer dude, we love you, sure we can do that... don't mention it! > >>> :) > > >>> (I just don't get this impersonal "computer says NO" attitude towards > >>> developers. Is this just the corporate culture at Twitter or are you guys > >>> severely short-staffed? Thinking Twitter really needs to invest in > >>> developer > >>> relations. Maybe get someone whose job it is to handle developer relations > >>> and champion the needs of developers within Twitter?) > > >>> Aral > > >>> On Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 3:28 PM, anilchawla wrote: > > >>>> Raffi, thank you for the response, but it is disappointing. I have to > >>>> agree completely with Aral that these requests are not for "personal > >>>> use". Some of us have hundreds/thousands of users around the world who > >>>> use our apps as a means to participate on Twitter, and it is > >>>> ultimately those users who are affected. In my my case, I have had > >>>> several users mistakingly mention or try to follow this inactive spam > >>>> account (http://twitter.com/tweetymail) thinking that it was > >>>> associated with my service. In the meantime, I am doing the best I can > >>>> to communicate with these users using another account. > > >>>> FYI, I did not have any success opening support tickets for > >>>> brandsquatting/impersonation. Originally, I was told to wait until > >>>> 1/31/10 for the username to remain inactive. When I complied and > >>>> opened a new request on 2/1, I was immediately denied. It seems that > >>>> brand-squatting/impersonation/brand-confusion are all irrelevant... > >>>> Twitter wants to see a trademark number. I am a hobby developer who > >>>> provides a free service completely out-of-pocket, and now I need to > >>>> spend hundreds of dollars to register a trademark just to get access > >>>> to a username that nobody ever used? > > >>>> I see that you have also replaced the text of the FAQ entry with the > >>>> more generic policy regarding trademark infringement. This is too bad, > >>>> but I guess it answers my original question -- the existing entry was > >>>> no longer valid. I certainly understand that Twitter can't always > >>>> transfer usernames to app developers who want them, but there are > >>>> certainly cases in which a username (inactive/never tweeted/created > >>>> for spam) could be put to better use. A blanket policy on trademark > >>>> infringement may make sense for companies and large brands, but it > >>>> does nothing at all to help the small-time hobby developers who > >>>> contribute so much to the Twitter ecosystem. > > >>>> On Feb 10, 7:34 pm, Raffi Krikorian wrote: > >>>> > hi all, please refer to > > >>>>http://apiwiki.twitter.com/FAQ#HowcanIreclaimaninactiveTwitteraccount. > >>>> .. > > >>>> > We are unable to transfer usernames for personal use at this time. If > >>>> you > >>>> > believe a Twitter account may be squatting on your trademark and > >>>> violating > >>>> > Twitter's Terms of Service, please file a ticket athttp:// > >>>> help.twitter.com/requests/newregarding 'Trademark/Brand squatting'. > > >>>> > On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 4:05 PM, Kyle Mulka > >>>> wrote: > >>>> > > I also have this problem and have gotten no response whatsoever from > >>>> > > Twitter. > > >>>> > > Here's the inactive account that I'd like to have: > >>>> > >http:/
[twitter-dev] Block API call always fails for specific users
This is a follow up to an existing thread (which I am unable to reply to): http://groups.google.com/group/twitter-development-talk/browse_thread/thread/5a287ab379497e97/321508b2463573d7?lnk=gst&q=block#321508b2463573d7 Our application is experiencing the exact same problem. The block API call often works but will consistently fail when trying to block certain accounts. For example, one of our users reported the error when trying to block @divadmarketing. I was able to recreate when trying to block this same user from my own account (no offense to the person who owns this account). Perhaps you will be able to recreate against this account too? As Thomas mentioned in the existing thread, the response is always a full page of HTML containing text that "Twitter is currently over capacity". This is not an accurate message because we can recreate every single time we try and it only happens with specific users. Thanks, -Anil -- Twitter developer documentation and resources: https://dev.twitter.com/doc API updates via Twitter: https://twitter.com/twitterapi Issues/Enhancements Tracker: https://code.google.com/p/twitter-api/issues/list Change your membership to this group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/twitter-development-talk
