Former Blogger Sued for Keeping Twitter Followers - winklerwhadminvabot

Well, here's an engrossing parvenu twist in our case-happy society: A blog is suing united of its other employees for leaving and "taking" their Twitter followers with him.

That's not as confusing as IT sounds. Let ME break it mastered for you: mobile phone retailer and web log PhoneDog is suing former blogger Noah Kravitz terminated his Twitter account.

You catch, Kravitz originally began tweeting as @PhonedogNoah while employed by Phonedog. When Kravitz left the company in 2010, he took his Chitter account — which had 17,000 followers — with him, changing his Twitter hold from @PhonedogNoah to @NoahKravitz. Kravitz claims PhoneDog told him at the fourth dimension that he could keep the Twitter account, as long-handled as atomic number 2 posted all but PhoneDog occasionally. Kravitz united because, he tells the New York Times, he and PhoneDog parted on "good terms."

Fountainhead, apparently "good damage" only last so long, because eight months later PhoneDog sued, saying that the Twitter follower list was reasoned a "client list." PhoneDog is seeking damages of $2.50 per follower per month (for eight months), which amounts to more or less $340,000.

PhoneDog tells The Empire State Multiplication that the "costs and resources invested by PhoneDog Media into biological process its following, fans, and general make awareness through social media are sound and are considered property of PhoneDog Media L.L.C." PhoneDog says it intends to "sharply protect" its "customer lists and confidential information, intellectual property, trademark, and brands."

But the cause itself is non what makes this story interesting. What's absorbing is the question IT raises about social media and the work — who really owns that Twitter account?

As The Times points exterior, the question gets more complicated when companies hire people specifically because of their social media clout — for example, iJustine working for Spike TV to cover CES, operating room Prince Philip Berne internally reviewing Samsung phones. Suffice Spike or Samsung now own iJustine's and Berne's social media accounts? Or is that all kept personal? If you're an insanely democratic Twitter user, should you be untrusting of companies that render to hire you for your social networking presence?

These are all questions that nobody seems to have the answers to right now. Kravitz believes that PhoneDog is suing him in revenge for his claim to 15 percent of the web site's ad revenue, and back pay related to his previous job. The case bequeath go before a judge next month.

Play along Sarah happening Twitter, Facebook, or Google+, and and Today @ PCWorld happening Chitter.