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It's full potential for what? I disagree that this is a real issue. I think it's a fake issue, a way of riling people up about a perceived injustice that is totally artificial.

You seem to be arguing that the "average Twitter user" is entitled to followers. Why on earth would that be? The average person doesn't in fact have a lot to say publicly.

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I think what he's getting at is the initial difficulty inherent in the process of building a reputation for your personal brand or business when you don't have any preexisting reputation to leverage. There's a tough issue of gaining the momentum to make Twitter a viable marketing channel. When you're just getting started it's difficult to know who to target and where to begin. I see this bot as a relatively harmless way of getting that ball rolling. I agree with you that no one is entitled to followers, but even people with a lot of value to offer can still have a tough time getting those first followers.

Sure, I grant you that the former problem is hard. But the idea that gaming Twitter is a good way to solve it (or that solving it has anything to do with Twitter) is crazy.

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