There is so much in the news about fake information that it’s hard to know where to begin.

Let’s start with twitter.

 

How to spot fake twitter accounts.

 

1.Check out the profile for authenticity 

Does the URL match the name? If not, then it’s most likely been created by a bot and not to be trusted. If you tweet under your own name then at least there is some level of accountability if not then the tweeter can say and post whatever they like until blocked.

 

2.But who are you really? 

How lazy would you have to be not to put a biography into twitter? Honestly, it’s about 3 lines long! No Bio? It’s more likely to be a fake account.

 

3.Pretty pictures 

Does the account only ever use stock images? Then it is MORE LIKELY to be a fake especially if the account had been on the go for a while.

 

4.All alone? 

Are they only tweeting and never replying? It’s called SOCIAL media for a reason kids. If they are not playing the game then the tweets are more likely to be computer generated.

 

5.Super popular super-fast?   

Check when the account was set up, and if they have a suspiciously large number of followers then they are likely to be untrustworthy.

 

Twitter is great for communications and competitions and networking but when it stops being fun – you stop!

Always remember to keep yourself safe and report anything that you are unhappy with, don’t engage with trolls (it’s like reasoning with a toddler!) and always remember you have the power to walk away; go read a book for example!

 

Look out for the next in the series when I will be telling you why YouTube is not all babies on skateboards!