Back in 2008, Shaquille O'Neal first encountered Twitter because someone was pretending to be Shaq and sending frequent messages to hundreds of fans. The impersonator was registered as ShaquilleONeal and was even using similar sayings like Shaq. Biz Stone,a Twitter co-founder, stated that this was the first instance of celebrity impersonation that he had heard of.
So, what did the real Shaq do to correct this problem? He set up a real Twitter account and said in an interview that rather than have someone speak for him, he'd rather do it himself.
I liked this article because first, it dates back to when Twitter started becoming popular. Second, this was most likely one of the first instances that occurred before the 'verified' function became available. And third, Shaq took an unfortunate situation, risking his brand, and turned into a positive impact all awhile using social media. Shaq quoted, "It’s a fun thing. It’s a way for fans to connect.” Not only is he connecting, but he sure is making it fun for his fans by tweeting hilarious, jokingly tweets that keep it enjoyable for everyone. As mentioned in class earlier this semester, we see the response fans have with their favorite player tweeting. Shaquille O'Neal is currently the number 1 tweeting athlete.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/sports/basketball/20shaq.html
-Alexis Dittmer
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