Twitter has long been our go-to destination for real time news. Of course there are serious problems with Twitter’s instantaneous, un-verified news swapping (i.e., bad information gets spread – quickly) but it’s also an invaluable tool in emergencies and dangerous situations.
Twitter recognizes its value as a breaking news service, and as the company preps for its upcoming public offering, it appears Twitter is testing a personalized breaking news service. Tech Crunch reporter Matthew Panzarino noticed a new experimental Twitter account called @eventparrot that sprang up recently. The account’s Twitter bio reads: “This is a Twitter experiment. Follow me to receive direct messages that help you keep up with what’s happening in the world.”
So far, there’s only one tweet:
Hello World! So happy to keep in the know about what’s happening in the world. Please send us feedback by replying to the direct messages.
— Event Parrot (@eventparrot) October 10, 2013
It works like this: @eventparrot sends direct messages to followers that showcase news based on each user’s feeds. It appears to work similarly to @magicrecs, another recent Twitter experiment that gave users suggests on who to follow. After @magicrecs became popular, it became an official Twitter product, and the same thing may happen to @eventparrot if it works.
So far, I haven’t received a direct message from @eventparrot, so I can’t vouch first-hand for the quality of the recommendations, but this is definitely an account to keep an eye on if you’ve been looking for a service that gives you customized news updates.
Although @eventparrot is set up in the same way as @magicrecs and its first followers include Twitter employees, the company doesn’t comment on ongoing experiments, so the only confirmation that it’s the real deal is its verified checkmark.
Whether or not @eventparrot is a success, if Twitter is behind this account, it’s another indication that the company is aiming to deliver a more personalized experience for its users, tailored to their interests.
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