 "Twitter experimenting with account that will Direct Message you recommendations")
We’ve got to get used to seeing new features and services from Twitter’s offices now that the company has confidentially filed for an IPO. It has emerged that the micro-blogging service has been experimenting with a feature that will send you a Direct Message, recommending accounts for you to follow.
An account called Magic Recs was spotted a while ago on Twitter and promised to deliver “instant, personalized recommendations for users and content via direct message.” While Twitter has never acknowledged the presence of such an account directly, the bio on the account confirms it is part of a Twitter experiment and also has the squiggly blue and white tick mark next to the name, assuring that it’s indeed an authentic account.
Automated DMs from Twitter
The only other confirmation about the account has come via a couple of tweets by Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter. Spokespersons for the company have declined to comment on record about the existence of the account.
The account works in a simple way. You follow Magic Recs with your Twitter account and based on the new accounts people in your network have been following, it will send you a Direct Message notifying you of them. Of course, you do need to follow the account if you wish to receive notifications. Unless you’re following an account, Twitter is unable to let them send you a Direct Message.
The Direct Messaging (DM) feature of Twitter has evolved over the past couple of years. Earlier it used to let two people interact privately but the service is now seeing a rise of third-party services notifying users discreetly. Most famously, the DM is now used by unfollower applications to let users know the names of users who unfollowed them on Twitter.
According to a report by The New York Times, it could be possible that the account is letting Twitter test recommendation algorithms and whether or not users are okay with receiving automated Direct Messages from the service. With the IPO looming closer, once sorted out, this DM system could turn into a money-minting prospect.
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