The Twitter Purge Might Be Coming: How It Will Affect Your Business
In November, Twitter announced its plan to purge inactive accounts on the social media platform, freeing up dormant usernames and reduce the risk of old accounts being hacked. Twitter said it was to eliminate any account that has not been logged into in the past 6 months, ensuring only the most active accounts stay on the platform. It is inevitable for any inactive account to avoid, hence the sense of panic the announcement it has caused. People scoured to find their logins and passwords, ensuring they did not want to let go of their 3-year-old inactive account.
What Does This Mean?
It means one of many things….
1. The most important: Had your eye on a Twitter handle? It might become available after the purge, just keep your eyes out.
Having the right Twitter handle can greatly impact your business. By searching a specific handle online, one without an underscore or an added number to help identify oneself, more people will notice your user @, making your account easy to follow.
2. Be active to avoid deactivation.
Many outlets have reported that inactive Twitter accounts who have not logged in or engaged in more than 6 months will be terminated. In order to avoid an account being deleted, make sure to log in and engage on the account every once in a while.
The statement on the social media platform’s website reads: Accounts may be permanently removed due to prolonged activity.
3. Decreasing the likeliness of old accounts being hacked.
Old accounts who have been inactive on Twitter are more likely to be hacked due to inactivity. If the potential Twitter purge happens, old accounts will be dismissed, allowing new people to take over the handle. This means, the risk of the account being hacked is no more since there is a new user using it.
It’s Not All Bad…
Twitter clearing out its platform isn’t the worst thing to happen. Freeing up unused accounts on the platform can benefit many businesses. Newer and smaller brands can obtain Twitter handles more relevant to their business, giving them more opportunities to optimize their SEO search. Clearing out older, unused accounts will decrease the likelihood of accounts being hacked. With the inactivity and exposure accounts have of not being active, people have tried to obtain the accounts for other use.
But, for now, Twitter has paused their plans to purge all inactive accounts due to the backlash they received from users. Many Twitter users have voiced the need to keep inactive accounts, focusing on the accounts of those who are deceased. People find comfort going back to the old tweets on the account. Twitter acknowledge the concern and has suspended the purge.
