It was actually a verified, which is important these days to pan the real thing out from the plethora of celebrity spoof accounts. She proceeded to post fairly mundane details that you would expect from someone getting a feel for Twitter:

Now skip to today, three days later, when the veil was lifted:

Whoops! Jokes on you, Twitter. But also everybody else, as it seems legitimate news organizations fell for the ruse as well.

So how exactly did this happen that Twitter verified an account of a known public person to someone who is not in fact that known public person? Nobody knows just yet, but the BBC asked Twitter about how such a slip-up could occur with their verification process. Twitter responded, “We don’t comment on our verification process but can confirm that the @wendi_deng account was mistakenly verified for a short period of time.” Nice cryptic answer, Twitter. Further adding to the confusion, Mashable reports that News Corporation even told some media outlets that Deng’s account was the real deal. Do we even know who to believe at this point? Nope, but Twitterers taken by the decoy were quick to snark about the fake account:

Interesting, the account for Rupert Murdoch is still listed as a verified account. However he (or his account handler) hasn’t acknowledge the fake Deng account yet. The jokester did finally come clean about the fake account and posted a few acknowledgements today:

So there you have it. The short rise and fall of the fake Wendi Deng Murdoch Twitter account. In memoriam, the fallout from this hoax illuminates two very peculiar facts:

1 – Twitter’s verification process is shoddy and was obviously duped. Expect the verification process to get revamped in the near future, but in the meantime we’re all left to question whether any of those verified accounts are the real thing or not. What would the world do if that Snooki account turned out to be some bored university undergrad spoofing millions? Would the world be less fun? Or more?

2 – Whoever is behind the Wendi Deng Twitter hoax ignored a really basic rule of fake Twitter accounts: be funny! Seriously, take notes from the fake accounts of Gary Busey, Rahm Emanuel, the sun, Drunk Hulk, or even the Bronx Zoo cobra that escaped last year – be funny with that trouble you’re starting. Nothing could be more boring than trying to be normal. Spoof Twitter accounts may very well be a new artform in their very own right and I believe it’s the duty of every fake Twitter account holder to uphold the integrity of this form of expression. Make a mess!

With respect to fact #2, this account failed miserably.

The new partners include Fuel TV, Oxygen, Speed, Sundance Channel and TV Guide. Other partners already onboard are AOL, MSN, MySpace, Yahoo, Comcast and CNET.

"Each of our new content partners has a reputation for creating premium entertainment experiences designed to fulfill television viewers’ more eclectic needs," said George Kliavkoff, chief digital officer, NBC Universal and interim CEO of the joint venture.

"We are delighted they have all agreed to contribute their compelling content to our venture, which will help ensure our ability to satisfy the more personalized demands of the growing number of Web video consumers."

The Sundance Channel programming will carry full-length original series, webisodes, short films and content filmed specifically for the Web.

Larry Aidem, Sundance Channel’s president and CEO noted, "Sundance Channel’s participation in this new News Corp./NBCU joint venture underscores our strategy and efforts to expand the reach of Sundance Channel content beyond the linear network to a thriving audience seeking our content across multiple platforms."

Which may not have been what the billionaire intended.  “We are disappointed, as I imagine you are, that the details of our proposal and the discussion of the merits of a potential combination have become a matter of public debate,” he wrote to the Bancroft family (which owns Dow Jones).  Yet the letter was unfailingly courteous, and modesty ruled the day.

Murdoch did, however, hint at the ways in which News Corp. could help Dow Jones.  “Dow Jones is already a leader in content and digital media with three of the world’s leading paid-subscriber financial news sites,” he admitted, but, “We would enthusiastically build upon this success by leveraging the scale we have built in digital media.”

One almost wonders if Murdoch is thinking about MySpace; it and the Wall Street Journal probably don’t share many fans, and given MySpace News’s poor performance, there’s likely more potential there for harm than good.  Still, Murdoch seemed ever-mindful of not embarrassing the Bancroft family.

“Maintaining the heritage of independence and journalistic integrity of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones’ other publications would be of utmost importance to me and to News Corporation,” the billionaire stated.

Murdoch also addressed concerns about freedom of speech and China – though not at the same time – saying that he would “[i]ncrease funding and support for the Dow Jones Foundation to continue to promote journalism standards and press freedom around the world,” and “[e]xpand where appropriate Dow Jones’ editorial presence in emerging Asian markets, including India and China.”

Heh.  Google and Yahoo surely wish him luck with balancing those goals.

In any event, Murdoch’s “conversation” with the Bancroft family has been (to all appearances) completely one-sided.  But with a rumored $5 billion offer on the table, an acquisition doesn’t seem impossible.