When in Manila, always be careful of who you’re following on Twitter…especially if you’re an elected public official. Learn from the really awkward experience of British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose Twitter account accidentally followed a high-class escort agency, BBC reported.
British Prime Minister David Cameron follows an escort agency on Twitter?
British Prime Minister Cameron’s verified account on the micro-blogging/social networking site, @Number10gov, was found to be following the Twitter account of Carltons of London, an “Elite London Escort Agency.”
According to their really NSFW website, the agency offers the “finest London escorts to gentlemen of distinction” for prices of up to ยฃ800 an hour – that costs almost P56,300 an hour!
But officials at Downing Street – the British equivalent of Washington’s White House and Manila’s Malacaรฑang – said British Prime Minister Cameron’s account followed the escort agency due to an automated system they installed back in 2009.
The system reportedly automatically follows anyone who followed the British Prime Minister’s account – which was a common practice for many corporate accounts prior to 2010.
Downing Street also said “following” on Twitter do not imply the British head’s endorsement, noting they are in the process of un-following “inappropriate” Twitter accounts, as well as accounts which are found to be inactive and spam.
Earlier, BBC reported, Cameron’s official Twitter account also accidentally favorited an offensive tweet about UK’s Foreign Secretary William Hague – a slip-up reportedly committed by one of Cameron’s aides/social media managers.
So, When in Manila, don’t let yourself be caught in a social media goof-up like the British Prime Minister.ย For your own sake, double – triple or even quadruple – check before you follow anyone on Twitter or any other social networking site.