The Telegraph today engaged in Twitter-nomics to set up reports for this Wednesday’s forthcoming UK Budget announcement from Chancellor Alistair Darrrrrrling (gotta love that name).

Following their Editor Will Lewis’ example of embracing Twitter, the Budget team created a TwitterFall for their website. A TwitterFall is a way of viewing the latest ‘tweets’ of upcoming trends and custom searches on Twitter. Updates fall from the top of the page in near-realtime.

So the theory is that anyone on Twitter talking about the Budget will appear on the Telegraph’s website.

However, as the recent Skittles debacle showed – automatically republishing Tweets based on keywords searches can be dangerous – particular when the naughty Twitter imps come out to play…

Whooops!

Visitors to the Telegraph’s Budget Page will see that the TwitterFall has swiftly been taken down now. Still, that hasn’t stopped The Guardian and FT from rubbing their hands with schadenfreude…

my favourite #budget mischief makers:

1. 
   natmandu Subliminal message: b u y a d i f f e r e n t n e w s p a p e r #budget 20 Apr 2009 from TweetDeck
2. 
   bloggerheads William Lewis smells of wee. Pass it on. #budget 20 Apr 2009 from web
3. 
   cripesonfriday Dear telegraph,I was shocked and appalled to read the words Fuck & cunt on your website today,all I wanted to do was read about the #budget 20 Apr 2009 from Power Twitter
4. 
   stavros79 Martin Clunes, Paul Daniels, Fred Dibnah and David Coulthard to be faces of new bank notes. #budget 20 Apr 2009 from TwitterFox
5. 
   nickpeters What a bunch of hate-filled excuses for journalists they are at The Telegraph – get proper jobs you wankers! #budget 20 Apr 2009 from TweetDeck
6. 
   gareth53 RT: @mattkitson: So all I have to do is say #budget and the horsedanglers, nutsack, cowburglar, titwrap, poohat, knockers Telegraph use it? 20 Apr 2009 from TwitterFox
7. 
   danpscott applauding the telegraph for suicidely having a twitterfall for anything with the #budget tag 20 Apr 2009 from TwitterFox