Bruce Benson fake Twitter feed more fun than CU president's real account

One of the odd quirks of the social media explosion has been the proliferation of folks pretending to be someone else -- a phenomenon that no doubt annoys the typically notable person being identity-jacked but can be entertaining for the rest of us. As an example, let us juxtapose the...

By Michael Roberts

July 15, 2011

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One of the odd quirks of the social media explosion has been the proliferation of folks pretending to be someone else -- a phenomenon that no doubt annoys the typically notable person being identity-jacked but can be entertaining for the rest of us.

As an example, let us juxtapose the tweets of CU President Bruce Benson with those of the self-described Fake Bruce Benson.

As noted by the Boulder Daily Camera, Fake Bruce actually preceded Real Bruce into the Tweet-iverse. And while Real Bruce tweets things like this...

Bipartisan efforts lead to legislative successes for CU: Recent session saw several threats to higher education thwarted. http://ow.ly/57TnXless than a minute ago via HootSuite Favorite Retweet ReplyCU Bruce Benson
CU_Bruce_Benson

Fake Bruce is more apt to offer something like this...

Marcy and I considering going vegan. Have you smelled Greeley lately?less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet ReplyFake Bruce Benson
FakeBruceBenson

...which is kinda contradicted by this...

Did you know that if you are over the age of 2, you have to purchase a meal at @Casa_Bonita?less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone Favorite Retweet ReplyFake Bruce Benson
FakeBruceBenson

In an interview with the Camera, CU system spokesman Ken McConnellogue acknowledged that Benson knows about Fake Bruce but isn't losing sleep over what he might tweet. "Of the 1,000 things that occupy the president's time, this doesn't rank in the top 1,500," he said.

In response, Fake Bruce first tweet-explained why he/she/it didn't respond to the Camera's request for an interview...

Sorry I couldn't respond to interview requests, @dailycamera. I got a University to run, you know. :) #hugsless than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyFake Bruce Benson
FakeBruceBenson

... before tweaking McConnellogue's quote with not just one tweet...

Reading @dailycamera piece. "Of the 1,000 things that occupy the president's time, this doesn't rank in the top 1,500." Hey Ken: 1500 > 1000less than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyFake Bruce Benson
FakeBruceBenson

... but two.

Did I mention the Creating Futures campaign will improve our Department of Mathematics? http://t.co/BfXmxeBless than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyFake Bruce Benson
FakeBruceBenson

That last tweet is a message both Bruces could get behind. Maybe.

More from our Tech archive: "Has an imposter been tweeting as Jay Cutler?"

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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