When a person runs a Twitter account as a representative from a company, who owns those followers? In a very unique case, Noah Kravitz is being sued by PhoneDog for his 17,000 Twitter followers.

Noah used to tweet about PhoneDog which provides news and reviews about mobile phones. In October 2010 he left the company and promptly changed his account name from @Phonedog_Noah to @noahKravitz taking the 17,000 followers with him.

PhoneDog has decided to sue seeking $2.50 a month per follower for eight months. The total is $340,000. The argument is that Noah took the company’s customer database.

“The costs and resources invested by PhoneDog Media into growing its followers, fans and general brand awareness through social media are substantial and are considered property of PhoneDog Media LLC,” the company said. “We intend to aggressively protect our customer lists and confidential information, intellectual property, trademark and brands.

Noah states in an interview with the NY Times that the company let him keep the account after he left. He’s also built up the customers to 22,000.

What’s interesting here is the precedence this could set. I would think that a company would have a Social Media Person or representative online sign a contract at the beginning that their company Twitter belongs to the company at the end of the day. The unique problem is this wasn’t an official Twitter of the company. Many companies use this method to bring a face to a company. For example Activision has @ATVIBernard, @ATVIDov, @ATVIMikey, and @ATVIflav. While their Twitter states that they views expressed are their own and not the company’s, it’s clearly stated that they represent Activision Customer Support. So who owns their Twitter?

I believe this is the beginning of many lawsuits like this. Companies have to clearly define their social media presence and understand the rules they need their staff to abide by. It will be interesting to see what the courts believe a Twitter follower worth is. For our readers that might be considering a career in social media, or are starting one, it’s important to know how to protect yourself. We’ll be following this case and getting quotes from Social Media Experts to get their opinions on how to protect yourself from lawsuits.

After watching the negative reviews of Duke Nukem Forever pile up all around him, publicist Jim Redner, of the aptly-named PR firm The Redner Group, finally let loose with something that he wanted to say to everyone panning the title. He basically threatened pretty much everyone in the games press, saying…well, I’ll let the netspeak say it:

Screencap via Ben Kuchera at Ars Technica — click to read his account.

Ouch. Venom. He went on to say that, “Bad scores are fine. Venom filled reviews…that’s completely different.”

So, aside from an odd fascination with snakes (apparently we are snakes), bad reviews apparently equal no press copies. This is a discussion that would normally go on behind closed doors. Yes, publications and sites do get blacklisted for one reason or another. Bringing that sort of discussion into the public space is a bigger problem, though.

Despite Redner’s apology, issued within the next half-hour, I think he’s done something irreparable already. In a single tweet.

You know we get review copies of games from time to time, right? I’ve gotten a few myself. But whether I buy a game or not…I’m evaluating it the same way. Just because I get something for free doesn’t change the fact that I am evaluating it as a product that other people will have to buy. Dude, money’s tight. I don’t want you buying something awful on my recommendation. (On that note, if you feel you’ve been misled by listening to me, I’m so sorry. Our tastes probably differ.)

I am worried, maybe somewhat legitimately, that Jim Redner’s comments have reopened the Pandora’s Box of questioning who’s been paid off by whom. I’m sure it happens out there. It doesn’t happen with us, and that’s the part you really need to know here.

We buy a lot of our own games for review. We disclose when we don’t buy something. But how many people are going to start questioning this? Who’s going to start thinking that every site that reviews games is promising good scores in order to even receive a review copy of a game?

I hate thinking that I’m going to work hard on something just to have someone say that my thoughts aren’t legitimate because I’ve been paid off. If that was the case, I’d probably have more than a couple of dollars in my checking account right now. I love to share my loves with others.

Gaming isn’t a cheap hobby. We want you to play something and feel like you’ve actually gotten something out of it. So we take our time with reviews, whether we buy a game ourselves or not. It might mean we’re not first on the block with a review, but we want to evaluate things as thoroughly as possible. We do it for the readers’ sake.

But I must also address this “venom.” Sometimes things just aren’t so good. It’s just a truth of life. Duke…ain’t so great. He has not aged well. I’m not reviewing this game, mostly because I don’t want to. But I understand where all the negativity is coming from.

That said, it’s not about whether or not those guys are right. When you’re reading a negative review…well, what would you rather see? Something as blah and bland as the source material, or some attempts to punch it up? I know I’d pick the latter every time, venom-filled as it may be. Even negative reviews have to be at least a little bit entertaining.

Jim Redner, along with everyone else who cares, now knows the damage one tweet can do. 2K Games officially severed ties with his PR company this morning.

He probably expected this, though. Not long after his hasty apology, Redner sent out a lengthy one, which Kotaku has published. Here it is, in its entirety:

Hello,

I would like a quick moment of your time to humbly ask for your forgiveness. I made a major error in judgment. I acted out of pure emotion without any thought to what I was saying. It is with a sad heart that I come to you now asking that you forgive me. I posted a Tweet this evening saying that I was reviewing The Redner Group’s policy for future reviews of video games based on today’s Duke Nukem Forever scores. I must state for the record I was acting on my behalf. 2K and all other clients had nothing to do with my comment. I want to be very clear that this came through me and was in no way affiliated with any of my clients especially my former client 2K.

Though I didn’t name names, I did say that I thought some reviews had gone too far in tone. Meaning, that the tone of some of the reviews was poor. I respect the scores, it had to deal with the tone. I was unable to properly convey that in 140 characters. But that it beside the point. We are all entitled to our opinions regardless of score, tone or meaning. My response was a juvenile act on my part. I know better and my emotion got the best of me. I have worked very hard on this project. I want it to succeed. I just got upset and acted out.

I believe we are all allowed to voice our opinions and that opinions by their very nature are correct. Many of you quickly pointed out my error in judgment. For that I thank you and apologize.

I truly respect what you do. You have helped me achieve a little bit of success in this industry. I depend upon you. Your coverage is of the utmost importance to me. You have helped me secure coverage for all of the projects that I have touched. I have tried to treat you all with respect, dignity and honesty. Tonight I threw that all away, and I am extremely sorry.

The video game industry is an industry that I love. I have tried to dedicate myself to this industry.  Tonight I failed the industry.

With much respect, I hope that when we meet again you will be able greet me with a smile and without malice. I will gladly do the same.

I am truly sorry for what I did. I know better than that. If I have caused you any issues, now or in the past, I apologize.

Best of luck,

Jim Redner

While it’s a lot more sincere-sounding than its 140-character counterparts, the damage has been done. And who knows if things will ever be the same? For Jim Redner’s sake, I can only hope that the “any press is good press” adage is true.

As someone who does a little writing herself, I have had an idealized view of what it would be like to be a writer that supports herself through writing work. Sleeping in! Working when it is convenient! Lounging around in PJs all day! Adoring fans writing letters and sending gifts (which is somewhat true apparently, at least for some authors, but we can’t all be Neil Gaiman)!

Following professional writers is a good way to find out what writing life is really like. It’s like a virtual water cooler where they gather to talk shop, exchange banter, maybe throw around a little industry gossip, and we get to eavesdrop. The first thing you learn is that it really is work, being a professional writer. It is work they enjoy, but they have to make sure they do it, too. Seeing these professionals with real publishing deals post triumphantly that they made their word count for the day really makes me feel better about those nights I am forcing myself to sit at the keyboard. Watching days of tweets about editing progress and the trials of proofreading shows the level of craft and polishing that goes into truly professional work. A few weeks ago, several writers that I follow participated in a robust discussion about whether the internet distracts them from work or supports their work, which was intriguing to follow, and helps me to think through the ways that I use the internet for research and procrastination.

I also have found several new to me authors through Twitter. I had never heard of Lauren Beukes (@laurenbeukes), for instance, before William Gibson (@GreatDismal) began aggressively promoting her around the end of last year with multiple tweets for her new book, Zoo City. I went out and got both Zoo City and her first book, Moxyland, and I am glad that I did.

I have also purchased books by Elizabeth Bear (@matociquala) and Catherynne Valente (@catvalente) after finding them on Twitter, although I have not been able to read them yet. Cory Doctorow (@doctorow) isn’t exactly new to me, but I discovered that I didn’t actually own any of his books not too long after I started following him on Twitter, a lack I have since remedied. Nnedi Okorafor (@Nnedi) was already on my radar thanks to the excellent Who Fears Death, but thanks to Twitter, I am on the lookout for Akata Witch for my daughter and I to share now. I will be buying books by a few of the other authors I am following, too, as soon as I knock some books off my To Be Read pile (a never-ending task if ever there was one…). I am keeping a close eye on the feed of Rachel Swirsky (@rachelswirsky), who I’ve written about here before–I don’t want to miss anything that she writes!

Here is the list of sf/f authors I created from the authors I follow: https://twitter.com/#!/sussabmax/sf-f-authors/members. This is by no means a complete list of authors on Twitter, nor is it an attempt to pick the best that Twitter has to offer in this category. As I said above, I spend a lot of time on Twitter, and I don’t have enough time for it really, not to follow everyone completely, so I am not looking to add more interesting people to follow. I am still adding people, but I have mostly stopped going out to look for them. I might add someone because of a recommendation from someone else I follow, or a particularly funny or smart retweet, but most of my new followings are organic like that these days.

Is anyone else following their favorite writers on Twitter? I hesitate to ask (see: way too busy already), but who has the most interesting tweets?

Through twitter, I have found GamingAngels.  The staff has embraced me as one of their own and in the months I have been working with them, have found a nice little family.  Although we are spread out across the nation, gaming, social media & the internet we are able to stay in touch and run GamingAngels.com as a team.  This has impacted my life in a positive way and given me a new outlook on my life as a gamer.  I used to hide the fact that I played video games, like it was a dirty little secret.  I had a fear that I’d be judged as a non-professional, as immature.  With the help of social media, I’ve seen that there are a great many professionals who enjoy the sport of gaming as much as I do.

Of course, there is the social aspect.  With conventions, tournaments, sites like twitter and facebook, online gaming, online multiplayer and game chats, it’s easy to connect with other gamers, talk about life and have some laughs.  Through these outlets, I’ve also seen a great number of people find jobs in the industry.  It’s good to have connections.  It’s also fun.  The number one reason to play games is for fun.  What better way to end a stressful day at the office than to sit on your comfy couch and play a game of Call of Duty?  Or how about having a family game night?  A lot of games seem to be geared toward families or groups.  Who wouldn’t want their mother to issue them a beat down in a game of The Fight: Lights Out?

Many games for kids prove to be educational as well.  I’ll be honest, my kids love gaming and I feel they learn a great deal from games.  They can teach anything from Colors and ABC’s to logic and problem solving.  Yes, there are games out there that are not for kids but that is a parent’s responsibility to ensure safe and appropriate games for their child as well as to guard them from possible online connections that should not be made.

With the Wii, PS Move and Xbox Kinect, games have taken a hard right.  The fact that sitting on your butt for hours is not very healthy can be countered with the Fitness and Motion games on the market.  These games are fun, educational and many of them can get you to work up a sweat after a while (fitness games or not).  This can get you out of those boring gyms, keep you away from repetitive work out videos and give you a customized program on your personal fitness level with progress tracking and in-game rewards for reaching your goals.  In our GamingAngels forum, we recently finished the “90 Day Challenge: New Years Edition!”, and another challenge will be starting soon.  Through our forum we are able to encourage and support each other in our fitness goals, along with a few rewards along the way.  Some people have turned to good old exercise and healthy food choices, while some of us have combined them with fitness and motion games.  It gives us a whole new way to keep in shape.  I myself have been playing Dance Central lately and I love the workout mode which calculates your workout time as well as estimating your calories burned.  On those days I don’t feel like going for a run or if the weather is bad, I still find myself turning on my Xbox for a few rounds of dancing.  It really seems to take the work out of workout!

So, with all things said and done, I feel there is a good deal of positive that can come from gaming which outweighs the negative.  I think people who oppose gaming altogether should be more open to the possibility that games could bring a positive change in their life.

In case it’s not apparent, I have a thing for TV game shows new and old turned Facebook games. The Dating Game is no exception. In an interesting adaptation, players have both a male and a female avatar they can host or play games with. Like most Facebook games, the more people playing it, the more fun it is. There are two types of games; one that’s finished within 30 minutes, and one that’s finished within 7 days (for the more patient of us). When hosting a game, the choice is available as to which type of game to play. With the quick game, panelists are assigned, and the game begins. With the longer game, the host chooses options such as what gender avatar, player, and whether or not people who aren’t “friends” on Facebook can play. It seems as though when becoming a panelist, players don’t choose the type of game to play. There is the possibility to choose the type of host, however, when searching for a game to play. Keep in mind that it’s only possible to be a panelist on 3 games at a time.

Now on to the contest! In tribute to the number of celebrities that appeared on The Dating Game throughout its television days, 3G Studios announced today the “Celebrity Look-Alike Avatar Contest” for players of The a href=”http://www.datinggame.com/” target=”_new”>Dating Game across all its social platforms. Players have the chance to earn in-game prizes of points and hearts by creating – and voting on – avatars in The Dating Game that closely resemble some of the famous celebrities that appeared on the TV series, such as Farrah Fawcett, Tom Selleck, Michael Jackson, Arnold Schwarzenegger and many more.

Here’s how it works:
“Once players are satisfied with the appearance of their celebrity avatar, they must post the avatar to The Dating Game fan page on the social networking site that they frequent. After doing so, other players can vote on the best avatars by trying to guess which celebrity the avatar depicts. Players who guess correctly will be rewarded in-game points that can be used to host games, win “dates” by giving more sensational gifts and snazz up their own avatars. A Grand Prize of 10 hearts, (premium currency of The Dating Game), and 1500 points will be awarded to the best celebrity look-alike avatar. Additionally, only on Facebook, the avatar that receives the most “likes” will win five hearts and 750 points.”

Play The Dating game on Facebook, Twitter, Friendster, Bebo, and MySpace!

To enter: Post a comment on this entry telling us why you’re a fan of Dungeons & Dragons the Movie or why you love to play Dungeons & Dragons Online!

For extra chances to win, RT this on Twitter: Enter me @GamingAngels to Win the  Dungeons & Dragons Giveaway! http://ht.ly/1boEl3 #GamingAngels

• CONTEST ENDS: SORRY, THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED
• Enjoy Dungeons & Dragons now available For Download on iTunes: http://bit.ly/Gaming_Dungeons

Cocolani Island is a unique MMO playable both on Mac and PC, using your browser. No need to download or install anything, which makes it very nice if you are like me, managing one too many computers and/or computer accounts.  The game is set in a tropical world where you chose a tribe and make your own mask; then you can start exploring and unlocking the mysteries of the island.  If you like to have your own home that you can rent or help the locals to acquire coins that can be use to further customize your avatar, furniture and home decorations, you are in luck.  This game has it.  Not to worry though, the game also has mini games starting with shooting and ending with puzzles like Mah Jong. What? You are more of a “KILL THEM ALL” sort of gamer? That’s ok, Cocolani Island has tribal battles and PvP arenas as well! ASCII Media and GameSamba have told us that hundreds of more mini games are due for release during the beta, which is sure to deliver many hours of play.

How can you get a beta key? That’s simple! Keep an eye on here on GamingAngels.com, on our Facebook page, and make sure you’re following us on Twitter.  We’ll have keys to hand out soon!

If you are one of the lucky winners, all you have to do is:

1. Go to http://www.cocolani.com

2. Enter your email address at the bottom of the page

3. A new window will open asking you to choose your user name and password

4. Enter your closed beta key in the field at the bottom of this window

5. Agree to the terms of use, click submit

6. Congratulations!  Follow the link on the next page to begin playing. You will receive an email with your user name and password should you forget it.

We wish you the best of luck and hope to see you in Cocolani Island!

Wizards of the Coast are announcing their brand new twitter name for all things Magic: The Gathering.

As you may have guessed, it’s @wizards_magic.

The new channel will be good to follow for Magic fans because they will be doing announcements, promotions and spoilers for upcoming releases.

In fact, things launch starting today with a preview card from Mirrodin Besieged.

If you have a Twitter or Gawker account you are being warned by both companies not to use the same password for the Gawker commenting system and Twitter. Everyone should go and change those passwords immediately, and don’t use the same passwords for any two accounts.

Over the weekend, a hacker accessed Gawker’s database, where about 1.5 million usernames, e-mails, and passwords were encrypted. Simple passwords may have been be vulnerable to a brute-force attack. You should change the password on Gawker (GED/commenting system) and on any other sites on which you’ve used the same passwords. Gawker said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, you should also change your company email password and any passwords that might have appeared in your email messages.”

In a FAQ posted Sunday night, Gawker said the password issue affects sites beyond Twitter. “If you used your Gawker Media password on any other web site, you should change the password on those sites as well, particularly if you used the same username or email with that site,” the company said. “To be safe, however, you should change the password on those accounts whether or not you were using the same username.”

There is currently no option to delete your Gawker account, though the company said it will provide that feature in the future. A post at TheNextWeb that said a group calling itself Gnosis has claimed credit for hacking Gawker’s servers.