Brooklyn ad firm @pontiflex gets traffic as Twitter users try to #askpontifex of Pope Benedict XVI @pontifex
A screenshot of Pope Benedict XVI’s twitter account.
In a case of mistaken Twitter identity, Brooklyn-based mobile ad firm Pontiflex has seen its Twitter feed "go nuts" thanks to its similar name to Pope Benedict XVI's new account.
The Vatican revealed the pope's personal Twitter name, @Pontifex, on Monday, according to CNN, and by late Wednesday the account had a million followers. The account itself, however, was only following its own versions in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Polish, Arabic and French.
Meanwhile, Digital Trends quoted Pontiflex CEO Zephrin Lasker as saying:
"Suddenly our Twitter started going nuts… Some people are genuinely kind of confused, and other people get it right away and are making jokes. One letter makes a big difference, I guess."
Evidently, Twitter users needed a "guiding hand" of sorts to lead them in the right direction, Digital Trends quipped.
The Telegraph added that Pontiflex graciously provided the service, telling the flood of new followers:
"We are deeply humbled by the surge of new followers today. But if you're looking for tweets from the Pope please follow @pontifex."
The Telegraph pointed out that while the names sound similar, the term "pontifex" comes from Latin meaning a member of the Pontifical College presided by the pontiff.
Pontiflex, meanwhile, is derived from the French "pont," meaning "bridge."
"We borrowed flex from flexible. Put them together and you have flexible bridge," the company website says.
An allegory for spiritual unity, anyone?
Via his new account, the pope has begun answering questions of faith — and duly, the Washington Post reported an "explosion of tweets with the hashtag #askpontifex," ranging from the spiritual to the sacreligious.
More from GlobalPost: Pope sends first tweet from personal handle @Pontifex
The president of Israel and Joyce Carol Oates were among those requesting advice Wednesday from the head of the Catholic church.
Among the questions:
- "Who would win a fight between Jesus and Wolverine?"
- "Is it true that all dogs go to Heaven?"
- "How can one nurture/grow one’s faith in the Lord in the midst of the worldly predictions abt the end of times/consp theories?"
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