Internet Firm Sues Former Employee Over Migration of His Twitter Followers

Just who or what "owns" a Twitter following? This question is one of social media's stickier wickets. The obvious answer might revolve around interpretations of non-compete contract language and definitions of intellectual property. However, as an article in today's siliconvalley.com implied, it's not always that simple. The story notes some intriguing details that those interested in the business side of social media should carefully consider. (For the record, the story appears to have chased the tail of an article by John Biggs in The New York Times on Christmas Day.)

The case involves Noah Kravitz, a former employee of the Internet news and review firm PhoneDog. He left the company to start his own enterprise. Kravitz's new venture allegedly used Twitter account information gained from his work with PhoneDog. Significantly, the plaintiffs in the case, in their court filings, attributed a monetary value to each Twitter account associated with the defendant. In this instance, each Twitter account was worth $2.50 per month. That's right -- two dollars and fifty cents. An intellectual property lawyer quoted in the siliconvalley.com piece doubted the figure would stand up to legal scrutiny. However, it does beg the larger question of how to sensibly value social media user information.

Two-fifty doesn't sound like much, until it's multiplied by the number of Twitter accounts associated with the firm's efforts. In its litigation, PhoneDog asserted the defendant had 17,000 Twitter followers per month. The term in dispute was eight months. The total figure comes to what a Ferrari might cost.

Auric Goldfinger, from the James Bond movie Goldfinger

The legal activity suggests there's gold to "monetize" in them thar' social media hills. (In fairness, Kravitz's Twitter site includes the slogan "People are not property. Love over gold.") There's also anxiety among bloggers, as vator.tv correspondent Krystal Peak noted, about the fate of their "curated Twitter followings."  These considerations lead one to wonder about the gold being mined by some of the Internet's leading transaction firms and what it's worth. Do you think $2.50 per "follower" sounds like the right value? What is your social media worth?