UPDATE 04/23/09: Gary McBride who represents The Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation has kindly confirmed with the REAL Phil Mickelson that he is indeed not currently active at Twitter and this account is not his. The impersonator has left the account up but has changed the name on it to David, deleted the previous messages and Tweeted these messages today:
- Thanks all. Just mosey along, I am not on the PGA Tour but I do enjoy playing occasionally.
- I repeat, I do NOT play golf for a living.
ORIGINAL POST BELOW
Many golfers were probably excited about the opportunity to talk golf with Phil Mickelson on Twitter.
The question we must ask when it comes to any celebrity account though is are we Tweeting with the REAL person or a clever imposter?
Some quickly realized this is highly unlikely to be the real Phil. We ask ourselves:
- Image by Getty Images via Daylife
- Why wouldn’t he have his Official Phil Mickelson Web site in his profile?
- Would he be that obsessed with the number of followers he has?
- Wouldn’t he follow his sponsors’ accounts?
- Would he be likely to follow Michael Arrington of TechCrunch or is that an error that pegs this account owner as a marketer?
We are still awaiting confirmation from Phil’s official representatives but feel it is highly unlikely that account is real. This post will be updated as soon as they reply to our email or voicemail.
Phil isn’t the first celebrity to be impersonated on Twitter nor will he be the last. The Real Shaq O’Neil Put His Cyberfoot Down last year and so should any others whose identities are hijacked by imposters. Read theTwitter Official Twitter Impersonation Policy to find out what to do should this happen to you.
Because Celebrity Imposters Hurt Twitter’s Credibility , outing them as soon as possible is the best way to deal with them.
Real fans and friends of Phil and Amy Mickelson may be interested to learn more about how The Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation supports education. Their Start Smart program provides school supplies and clothing for 1,500 of San Diego County’s neediest youth.
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Twitter: @NiceBallz
What’s surprising is how many people jumped on the bandwagon. Also wonder if the PGA is doing anything to advise their Tour players on how to protect their personal brands online…wethinks prolly not.
NiceBallz
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Twitter: @NoBogies
Most people would never think to question whether someone is who they claim they are. It was @ClevelandGolf who first recognized that it wasn’t actually Phil. I did hear from Gary McBride of The Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation. While he could not absolutely confirm the account is fake he was willing to make Phil aware of the issues involved.
I doubt that the PGA has any programs in place to educate their Pros on the use of Social Networking. Social Media is still new to many people. Eventually more organizations and companies will hire someone qualified to assist them in brand protection and promotions.
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