Draft spec 0.3 for a bot taxonomy (see also http://i.imgur.com/bKXNQ0V.png) #botALLY

gistfile1.txt

# Towards a Taxonomy of Twitter Bots

## Intro

- towards a definition - autonomous non-human agents on Twitter
- critical thinking - MECE, rabbit rule, holding hands
- patterns of behaviour, rather than content
- Twitter largely a textual medium
- crossover between two broadest categories (automated/event-driven), but largely one or the other (maybe?)
- some bots will exhibit both behaviours (active/reactive), but tend to favour one (most commonly, tweeters will also exhibit conversationalist behaviours)
- why not tags?
- The #botMUS test for independence: if nobody else was tweeting, would I continue to operate?

## Independent (of *Twitter* inputs - )

- samplers/ebooks (prefer 'samplers' to distinguish from Markov '_ebooks')
	- @Horse_ebooks ( :…( )
- mashups (HT @LightAesthetic)
	- @LatourSwag
	- @KimKierkegaard
- Markovs
- permutors/permutators (madlibs/snowclones/piecewise combinators) (HT @LightAesthetic)
- iterators/corpus exhausters (HT @BooDooPerson)
	- @everyword
- randomisers (like iterators, but less intentional…?)
	- @everycolorbot (iterator? Randomiser?)
	- @killcodes
- p-event/(physical)real-world event-driven/IoT
	- the tower bridge bot
- digital event-driven

## Dependent (operate in response to conditions on Twitter)

- retweeters (on keywords/tags/phrases)
- responders/keyword replying
	- @stealthmountain
- two-centers (RT on keywords/tags/phrases, with comment)
	- @RedScareBot
- functions (parse inputs)
	- @101atron
	- @MarkovChainMe
- whisperers (DM)
	- @magicrecs
- collectors/multiretweeters/mimics (retweeting paired/matched sets)
	- @pentametron
	- @annagramatron
- mimics (actual spambots)

## Qualities outside of this taxonomy
- multipartite (@FavThingsBot)
- functional/non-functional
- "dying, time traveling mimic[s]" (HT @tinysubversions)
	- @oldsubversions
- rhymebots
- images (??)

## Edge Cases

- Umm…
	- multi-tweet generative (oeuvre is a series)
		- @FavThingsBot
	- mimics/actual spambots "passing" (HT @tinysubversions)
	- "dying, time traveling mimic[s]" (HT @tinysubversions)
		- @oldsubversions