Indeed!
As Twitchy reported yesterday, Twitter users coordinated an effort to restore the @Instapundit Twitter handle to Instapundit Glenn Reynolds. You see, for a while the trademarked name was used by a fan. The fan just used it as an RSS feed for Instapundit posts, which was, of course, fine with Mr. Reynolds. However, when Instapundit made some site changes, that feed no longer worked and the fan was nowhere to be found. @Instapundit was non-functional. That did not suit! Instapundit readers need their Insty-fix on Twitter!
Even though Instapundit is trademarked, and having a “dead” Twitter feed devalues that branding, Twitter does not make it easy to fix such trademark issues.
@Instapundit gets his #Twitter #trademark problems solved. http://t.co/jdEUaE0f But how about everyone else? | LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION®
— Ron Coleman (@RonColeman) July 31, 2012
More from Likelihoodofconfusion.com:
Two weeks after that I got an email with the subject line “Twitter Support: update on Trademark Issue – (tradename)” at 5:14 on a Friday night. The email said, “Please read this carefully and respond to confirm that your report as currently submitted is complete and valid or reply with the additional information required as described below. We will not be able to investigate further and this ticket will be closed unless we receive a response to this message.” It then had the same questions as on the original form I had submitted. It did not clarify what question had not been answered to their satisfaction.
So I restated my case in slightly different terms, and sent back the email. I received the exact same email again at 7:12 p.m., and again at 9:12 p.m., and again at 12:05 a.m. the next morning. I responded to all of the requests except the last one because I was pretty sure by that time that the LOLcats had taken over Twitter’s automated system.
I waited another 2 weeks and sent an email to Twitter’s support email again, basically saying “what’s up?” and I almost immediately received a reply saying, and I quote, “You tried to update a request that has been closed. Please submit a new request at http://support.twitter.com/forms. You can also visit our help center at http://support.twitter.com for self-help solutions to common problems. Thanks!”
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What did work? The Twittersphere itself. Twitter users took up the effort to “free Instapundit” using the hashtag #respondTwitter.
The effort succeeded. Twitter power!
Hey, look who's back: @instapundit Thank you all for your help in making this possible. & thanks to Twitter for responding. #respondtwitter
— Ed Driscoll (@EdDriscoll) July 31, 2012
Thanks everyone for helping us capture the @Instapundit Twitter feed! Be sure to follow him! http://t.co/grTLE12O
— PJ Media (@PJMedia_com) July 31, 2012
Alas, there is a problem.
https://twitter.com/instapundit/status/230314894602424320
This happens sometimes when accounts are suspended and it looks like it happened here, too. Often, after an account is released from #TwitterGulag, the followers will eventually come back as well. Mostly. Do you really want to take that chance, Insty-readers?
I probably don't need to tell you to follow @instapundit, now that Glenn has the account. But I will, anyway.
— Stephen Green (@VodkaPundit) July 31, 2012
@instapundit It's soooo AWESOME to see the Blogfather in my TL! Woot!
— Taxpayer1234 ?????? (@Taxpayers1234) July 31, 2012
Best blog is @instapundit. A must read. Follow them now! That is all. #tcot
— Granite Pundit (@Granite_Pundit) July 31, 2012
https://twitter.com/Capt_Whitebread/status/230352552993120256
@instapundit about time they unlocked your feed! #Follow to the max!
— New Class Traitor (@newclasstraitor) July 31, 2012
@instapundit was supernatural fast as a blogger. Now that his Twitter access has been restored, he will be unto A LIVING GOD!
— BattleSwarm (@BattleSwarmBlog) July 31, 2012
If that isn’t enough to convince you, look what Twitter will suggest when you follow @Instapundit?
When I started following @Instapundit Twitter immediately suggested I might also like Jon Lovitz and Rick Perry.
— The Refugee (@TheMediaRefugee) July 31, 2012
Oh, my! A trifecta of awesome.
Welcome back, BlogFather! Rest assured, we are following!
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