Buy a Twitter Account or Google Tour on eBay

Thursday, April 17th, 2008 by Janet Meiners

Buy a Twitter Account or Google Tour on eBay

It started with Rocketboom founder Andrew Baron putting his Twitter account up for auction on eBay. He had 1,500 followers then and at last check he’s at 1,757.

The auction was bid up to over $1200 before he ended the auction (about as many followers as our own Andy Beal has). eBay called him to ask him to delete the auction, but later said it wasn’t against their terms of service. Didn’t matter anyway - he deleted the auction before it ended.

Baron twittered:

Yesterday, one of the most unexpected events that ever happened to me in the online space, lead me to delete the auction suddenly.

He didn’t say why. Twitter can get you out of jail, get you new business, and perhaps, get you some quick money. It could also make you some new enemies - which they don’t track. But I think this publicity stunt only works once (here’s a copycat auction that’s currently going for a cent).

Another auction in the tech world is a tour of the Googleplex that right now is almost up to $300. This time it’s for a good cause: helping smart high school students. The nonprofit Foundation for the Future, is running the auction and they raise money for “real-time needs” of Menlo-Atherton High School students (in California).

If you win, you pick a date a weekday and you get 2.5 hours and lunch in the Google cafeteria. The auction could be marketed much better (maybe ask Baron to twitter about it).

How about inviting the search team to join the winner for lunch? This could be a regular event - auctions for lunch with Google employees - for charity.

Seen any other good geek auctions on eBay?

Save & Share

Similar Stories in: Social | Forward: Email This Post

8 comments on “Buy a Twitter Account or Google Tour on eBay”

Steve Teal Says:

April 17th, 2008 at 2:20 pm

If i were in California, I’d bid on the charity Google Tour. I always wonder how it is for the employees there. Plus it is for a good cause. However that other twitter ebay copycat is a waste of time and money. ~Steve
Nicole Says:

April 17th, 2008 at 2:24 pm

Steve, the employees would feel like any inmate in a zoo. I would if I was being exhibited!

Nicole’s last blog post..eBooks - Another Way to go Green!
Steven Bradley Says:

April 18th, 2008 at 3:59 am

I can understand why someone would bid on a Google tour, but a Twitter account. Aren’t all those followers following the person and not the account?

Of course now we can speculate on what one follower on Twitter is worth

$1200 / 1757 followers = $0.68/follower

Steven Bradley’s last blog post..Last Chance To Join Teaching Sells For $1
Seologia Says:

April 18th, 2008 at 8:26 am

Why did you link to “301 redirect google guidelines” with “about as much followers as Andy Beal has”? Don’t get it…
Seologia’s last blog post..Keyword research para armar una estrategia de SEO efectiva
Keylogger Guy Says:

April 18th, 2008 at 8:53 am

Steven Bradley
There are opinions that account will be using for spam until followers left them.
Steve Teal Says:

April 18th, 2008 at 9:48 am

Why don’t we all just devalue all these great web products? Everyone is selling like crazy, twitter accounts, .edu blogspace, what’s next?
Roger Says:

April 18th, 2008 at 9:57 am

So what was the point of the auction? Baron said his reason for selling was that he found Twitter “dull”. Evidently, bidders disagreed.

The auction is a variation on what we have already seen on Facebook, viz. The commoditization of social data. That’s not a criticism, just an observation. [edit]

Roger’s last blog post..Follow you, follow me: finding people on Twitter
Steph Says:

May 22nd, 2008 at 12:34 pm

He got offered a book deal. Obvious.

Marketing Pilgrim