Even if you’re not sure of the definition of Twitter bots, you may have heard people complain about them. Bots are automated Twitter accounts that pretend to be real people who like and tweet different content. They are controlled by software.
It is hard to say how many Twitter bots currently exist, but it is estimated that 5%-20% of all Twitter profiles may be bots.
So how can you be sure you don’t have bot followers? You can rely on a few telltale signs to spot bots or use an excellent third-party tool to remove Twitter bots.
How to spot a bot on Twitter
You might be wondering why Twitter bots are such a problem. While they mostly like, tweet or retweet content, they are designed to broadcast specific content. In fact, bots can be useful when it is vital for events such as real-time reporting of weather emergencies.
However, Twitter bots are primarily associated with the idea of sharing content for malicious purposes. They are widely used for audience manipulation, spamming and disinformation. Twitter bots may not do much damage often, but it does happen with a lot of effort.
How can you tell if a Twitter account is actually a bot? One example is when a Twitter account doesn’t have many followers, but follows many accounts and retweets content very quickly.
A missing profile picture or bio often means the account is spam. Another symptom is also tweeting and retweeting only at certain times of the day and focusing on only one type of content.
Control Twitter Bots with Circleboom
If you don’t have time to research every Twitter follower and their activity on the platform, Circleboom can help. This reliable Twitter management tool allows users to get an overview of their followers and friends and find out how many accounts are fake.
Knowing that your accounts are being monitored by Twitter bots shouldn’t worry you. This is how Twitter works. But that doesn’t mean you have to accept the status quo. With Circleboom, you can detect fake Twitter accounts and remove them instantly.
First, let’s see how to check your Twitter account for bots:
- Go to the Circleboom Twitter management tool and log in to your account.
- Go to the main menu on the left side of the screen.
- Select the “Circle” option.
- Select “Fake/Spam” from the drop-down menu.
Circleboom will display a complete list of fake Twitter accounts on your dashboard within seconds. It will also tell you the exact number of fake accounts following you. If you want to check each profile individually, click the “Visit” button next to their username.
Their Twitter account will open and you can see additional profile details, including the number of followers and friends they have and a full list of their tweets.
How to remove Twitter Bots with Circleboom
You don’t have to delete Twitter bots, but it’s a recommended practice. Now, these bots may not be actively damaging your Twitter accounts, but their presence on your profile is likely to make you uneasy. Fortunately, you can delete all spam accounts in bulk with Circleboom.
Here are all the steps you need to take:
- Go to the Circleboom Twitter management tool and log in with your credentials.
- Move the cursor to the left side of the screen to open the main menu.
- Select “Search” and then “All My Followers”.
- When the Circleboom filter tool appears in your dashboard, check the option to “Show fake/spam accounts”.
- When Circleboom lists all the fake accounts, check the “Select All” box above the list.
- Click the red “Remove Selected Followers” button.
- A new window will appear asking you to confirm your choice. Click the “Remove Follower” button at the bottom.
Circleboom will automatically remove all Twitter accounts from your dashboard. However, Circleboom will not remove Twitter bots from your account in bulk, as this is against Twitter’s user guidelines. Instead, it queues the selected usernames and removes them one by one according to Twitter’s rules.
You can also use the Circleboom filter to remove “Eggheads” and spam. These accounts without profile pictures can also exhibit bot behavior and it is best to remove them from your follower list.
All you have to do is check the extra “Show Egghead accounts (without profile picture)” next to the “Show fake/spam accounts” box.
Another option to consider
You may not want to delete Twitter bots right away, but you do want to organize and monitor these accounts. That’s where Twitter lists come in handy.
You can move all fake or spam accounts into one Twitter list and check their activity regularly instead of seeing what they are doing on your Twitter timeline.
It’s a pretty straight forward process and here are the steps to follow:
- Launch the Circleboom Twitter management tool and log in to your account.
- Select “Search” and then “All My Followers”.
- Check “Show fake/spam accounts” and “Show Egghead accounts (without profile picture).
- Select the accounts you want to add to the Twitter list, or select all.
- Click the “Add to Twitter List” button.
- A new window will appear asking you to create a new list or add Twitter accounts to an existing list.
- You can create a new list directly from Circleboom or go to your Twitter account and create it there.
- Click “Add selection to this list”.
To check bots, go to your Twitter account and select “Lists” on the home page.
Handling Twitter bots like a pro
It might boggle the mind to think why Twitter bots are so prevalent, even though they sometimes have positive applications. Organizations, corporations, governments, and individuals pay for software that makes these accounts available to casual Twitter users with a specific goal.
These efforts are sometimes successful, but savvy Twitter users are detecting spam accounts more effectively than ever. Still, to be on the safe side, it’s best to use a tool like Circleboom to detect and remove fake Twitter accounts.
How many bots do you think your Twitter account has? Let us know in the comments section below.