Twitter experimenting with @eventparrot for news alerts

Twitter experimenting with @eventparrot for news alerts ,

Twitter logo 640

Twitter appears to be testing a new service that will send users direct messages with news articles. TechCrunch reports that an Event Parrot account has appeared that claims it's a Twitter experiment. "Follow me to receive direct messages that help you keep up with what's happening in the world," reads the description of the account. While it could be an elaborate fake, a number of Twitter staff are among the account's initial followers, including Isaac Hepworth who participates in "unusual projects" at Twitter.

---

Twitter has experimented with direct messages before

One direct message received from the account appears to be a retweet of news from CNN's own @CNNbrk breaking news account, with a link to an article. Twitter has experimented with early features using similar techniques in the past. A MagicRecs account was created to send DM alerts to followers about popular users and their tweets. The testing eventually led to a recommendation feature built into the company's iOS and Android apps that notifies users when a group of people you follow all follow the same person.

There are obviously thousands of news-related accounts on Twitter, but also some high profile accounts designed to tweet the latest breaking news. @BreakIngNews, @BBCBreaking, and @CNNbrk are a few examples, and Twitter's apparent tests could see a future native service that feeds personal news directly to users. Given the "parrot" part of the name, that sounds more likely than a Twitter-owned news service. We've reached out to Twitter for comment on the account, and we'll update you accordingly.