Tag: Twitter

The Twitter Post: Celebrity Roleplaying

On By Kevin A. RansonIn Roleplaying, Technology1 Comment

Back in the days of old AOL, it was all the rave to have a screenname (aka handle) that sounded like a known celebrity. At the time, no one really thought anyone was who they said they were (Superman, Prince, Madonna) until actual celebrities started staking out their names and demanding legitimacy. I’ve always preferred using mythological creatures and character names myself (you can get into some copyright issues there, too, if you name your WoW character “Richard Rahl”).

But with the popularity of Twitter, the game of celebrity impersonation has been taken to a whole new level. While some celebrities have “verified” themselves and others have professional “tweeters” keeping fans happy, others haven’t started playing or have no intention of doing so. This makes them prime targets for impersonation, and some clever impersonators have gotten away with quite a bit: Celebrity Roleplaying.

Continue reading “The Twitter Post: Celebrity Roleplaying” →

The Twitter Post (Updated)

On By Kevin A. RansonIn Satire, Technology2 Comments

If you’re actually still reading this after the title, you probably must think that, unless you know me already and fairly well, I’m about to tell you I’ve joined the ranks of Twitter. You would be wrong, however, because I’ve already BEEN on Twitter for some time, just not as “me.”

But I do follow quite a few people via that same identity, and although plenty of people make fun of the pointless banter which is the hallmark of any Internet communication that goes mainstream (95% of all email being spam, anyone?), the people I “follow” meet a certain criteria. If they break my rules, I switch ’em off, and feigning ignorance is not an excuse.

The Rules (thus far):

  1. Relevant thoughts and/or information only, please.
  2. Keep checklists of bodily functions (eating, sleeping, walking, purging) to yourself.
  3. I don’t care what you’re selling. Continue to spam my email as usual.
  4. I don’t need to see everything you TwitPic, especially when it’s another punchline to a “clever” tweet.
  5. If you think of anything else I may have missed, refer to Rule #1.

And to answer the question, “Why Twitter?” With an aggregator or service like Twitteriffic, I can quickly check in on a relative tweeting their way across the states to a new job, find out why a director had to move his shoot to another location, or hear about someone else’s experience with a new movie, DVD, or game. Creative minds (“scruffy,” for those in the know) need outlets for sharing (even if no one’s listening), and these are thoughts in real time. 140 characters of unique but limited expression, but “OMG, Tacos!” is probably not the penultimate use for it.

For every reason NOT to Twitter, check out this video:

For 100 reasons why you SHOULD Twitter, check out this article:

And the sequel to Twouble with Twitter:

Enjoy!