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SMI Certification Awarded to H, of RRH

By Doc Sheldon | March 28, 2011

In case anyone is trying to figure out just what we’re referring to with Social Media Bullshit, here is a prime example:

 

The Tech section of New Scientist  published an article the other day reporting on a “competition” organized by Tim Hwang, of Robot, Robot and Hwang (you can Google it – I’m not giving him a link). The competition involved three anonymous teams that each unleashed robots which synthesized human social activity in an attempt to alter social behavior on Twitter.

The so-called “experiment” ended last month, and the results, according to Hwang, proved that the robots were able to “heavily shape and distort the structure of the network” via their activities.

Really, Tim? Gee … what part of social is it that you don’t understand? Maybe you should check out the Cambridge or Webster dictionary. Both are quite clear on the fact that social involves HUMAN interaction. Bored, were we, Tim?

Let’s take a quick glance at Robot, Robot and Hwang, or RRH, as they like to call themselves.

The About RRH page on their website describes them as “… an organization that attempts to marshall(sic) a universe of thinking from the world of technology, startup, and computational science to bear on the often staid and conservative world of legal practice.”

Okay. What I get from that is that they want to think outside the legal box, when looking at tech, startup and computational science. Fair enough. Still, the use of “… staid and conservative world of legal practice” seems to convey a somewhat disapproving viewpoint of legal practice, at least within those fields. Going out on a limb, I’d venture to say our hero isn’t fond of conservatism, either, but maybe that’s just me.

Reading on, we find “… we aim to open broad new opportunities for experimentation and fashion the emergence of a kind of legal hacking as a field of endeavor.” Uh, excuse me… I’m a little less clear on exactly what your intent is here, Tim. Unless it was just to disregard Twitters Terms of Use and get away with it (so far, at least), I fail to see what you were trying to accomplish by deliberately manipulating the Twitter platform and with it, the profiles of its members.

If this had been a brainfart from a couple of drunken 19 year old freshmen nerds, hoping to curry favor from an equally nerdy computer science professor, I wouldn’t have been too surprised. I’ve been known to tip a glass or two, m’self, and I’ve surely executed some poorly thought-out plans as a result.

But you imply that RRH is a law firm. And since you also indicate that you are the H in RRH, that would, by extension, imply that you are an attorney.

As an attorney, however, you would be a miserable failure. Not only have you left yourself open to anything from banning to legal action by Twitter, there’s even a possibility of legal action by those members whose business activities may have suffered at your hands (can you say class action, Tim?)

And of course, although it appears to be of little concern to you or your two metallic partners in RRH, there’s the little item of impersonating an attorney. In your state, by the way, any member of the Bar Association is considered to be an Officer of the Court. That makes impersonation of an attorney a felony, I’m told.

Not a good thing, Timmy… not a good thing at ALL! Your partners, at worst, might be decommissioned or scrapped. You, on the other hand, could be left holding the proverbial bag.

Of course, you could scramble to delete the site, and with it any evidence of your activities. Don’t let a little thing like the Google cache bother you. And it’s not like anyone has really noticed, or have they?

God, I just LOVE seeing someone do something really, really stupid, and take the fall for it! It restores my faith in the notion of kharma.

So today, Tim, at least in MY book, you are the proud holder of the SMI Certification.

That’s Social Media Idiot, in case one of your partners didn’t inform you. You are obviously eminently qualified.

Topics: General Bullshit | 1 Comment »

Posted on 28 March 2011 by Doc Sheldon

I am no master. Nor am I an expert, guru or God. I am a perpetual student of all things bullshit.

has written 4 articles for SEO Bullshit

  • http://richardfergie.com Richard Fergie

    I’m not quite sure what your problem is with this study. Are you saying that it was not a social networking study because they used bots instead of humans?

    During the experiment ‘the bots were “able to heavily shape and distort the structure of the network”‘ according to the New Scientist article. I consider this interesting. Particularly as they are proposing using similar techniques to join disparate online communities with similar interests.

    I agree that the contents on the RHH site sounds like complete bullshit but the study sounds quite legit to me.