Celebrity ReTweets 19-15

Hi there! Sorry for the delay but things have been busy…which is good! Here are the next entries in my “30 ReTweets in 30 Days” exercise.

Sunday, April 8th @bubbawatson

It was a nice Easter Sunday and we enjoyed watching the final round of the Masters with our great friends, the Branches. Bubba Watson hit an AMAZING shot on the second playoff hole to wrap up the green jacket. A nicer person couldn’t have won and hours after his victory, I congratulated Bubba via Twitter.

My Tweet: Very happy for @bubbawatson! #MastersChamp

Response Time: None

Why I think Bubba didn’t respond: Bubba was a slightly busy in the moments and days after his victory. It’s cool though. I don’t blame him.

Monday, April 9th @AUMensGolf

Auburn fields a great men’s AND women’s team this year. The day after Bubba’s big victory, I was still thinking about that tremendous shot and how no ordinary person could pull it off. I decided to ask the Auburn men’s golf team is they could duplicate the shot.

My Tweet: 153 yards, 40 yard hook, 53 degree wedge. I wonder if any of the guys on the @AUMensGolf team have got that shot!!

Response Time: None

Why I think the golf team didn’t respond: Not sure. Guess it’s obvious that none of the guys on the team can hit that shot!

Tuesday, April 10th @RutledgeWood

Rutledge Wood is one of the hosts of the American version of Top Gear, as seen on The History Channel. He’s a very knowledgeable car guy and has a twinge of Southernease in him (he was born in B’ham). I recently watched an episode of Top Gear in which the guys highlighted the worst cars ever assembled. Rutledge featured the Pontiac Aztec. Weirdly enough, I saw an Aztec on my way to work a few days later and had to let Rut know about it.

My Tweet: Hey @RutledgeWood – I saw and actual, functioning Aztec on my way to work this AM. Can I get an RT for that?

Response Time: Within 2 hours
Additional Comments: “hahaha nice! They’re out there!”

Very cool of Rut to acknowledge my Aztec sighting! He’s a very nice guy and a look at his Twitter feed shows that he interacts with lots of his followers. But I still felt special!

Wednesday, April 18th

I hate to disappoint but I didn’t work for a ReTweet on this date. It felt bad to end my streak but it was a long day at work. I’m really kicking myself for this!

Thursday, April 19th @RedLobster

It was “National Grill Cheese Day” and all of Twitter was abuzz with hashtags commemorating this stupid occasion. If I’m going to tweet about what food for which I was hankering, it would be Red Lobster. ReLo is probably the best restaurant ever and an easy pick when you need a romantic dining destination. Surely they would give me some retweet love for giving them a shout-out on Grill Cheese Day, right?

My Tweet: I don’t care if it is National Grill Cheese Day, I’d rather be at @redlobster! Can I get an RT?

Response Time: None

Why I think Red Lobster didn’t respond: This stupid Twitter account isn’t even verified. It’s probably not the official Red Lobster account. They wouldn’t recognize loyalty if it stepped on their butter-drenched tail!

Not bad but my percentage of receiving a retweet is starting to decline. Click here to see previous attempts and check back to see future Twitter begging!

Celebrity ReTweets 24-20

The retweet challenge continues! Here's attempts 24 through 20...

Tuesday, April 3rd. @TurnerSportsEJ

Ernie Johnson is the figurehead for Turner Sports. He does it all for them - from the NBA to major championship golf. He's best known for being the straight man for Inside the NBA on TNT, a studio show for which I professed my love recently. Side note: Johnson earned the nickname "Elevator Ernie" for his impressive leaping skills during a slam dunk contest back in the '80s.

My Tweet: Hey @TurnerSportsEJ can I please get an RT for wishing I had mad Elevator Ernie hops?

Response Time: Within 1 hour.

Additional comments: none

I think the mention of his athletic ability earned me the retweet. I was impressed with this one even though it appears that this act of kindness is something that Ernie practices frequently.

Wednesday, April 4th. @franknobilogc

It's the day before the Masters tournament begins and I can't get enough coverage. Earlier in the day, I was impressed with the reporting of Frank Nobilo, a former professional golfer from New Zealand who is now known better for his stylish beard and his outstanding analyst skills he puts on display for Golf Channel.  I happened to notice that I was sitting on 999 tweets.  So, I paid tribute to Frank with my next tweet.

My Tweet: I'm dedicating my 1000th to hardworking @FrankNobiloGC in hopes he'll retweet me from Augusta.

Response time: Within 15 minutes.

Additional comments: "Nick, any tweet like that guarantees a response. Cheers"

How cool is Frank Nobilo?!?!  I received a retweet from a widely-known analyst from the site of the best-known golf tournament! I was blown away with Frank's kindness!

Thursday, April 5th. @richthomaswsfa

Rich Thomas has been the lead meteorologist for WSFA in Montgomery for 162 years.  And he has not aged one day.  I was suffering from allergies and wished for a big rainstorm to wash away any remaining pollen. Any time I make weather wishes, I think about Rich Thomas.  So, I looked him up on Twitter.

My Tweet: My allergies have STILL got me down. A retweet from @richthomaswsfa would make me feel MUCH better!

Response Time: None.

Why I think Rich didn't respond: A look at Rich's timeline reveals that, just like in real life, he's strictly business.  He only communicates weather updates and reminders about his upcoming TV segments through his Twitter account.

Friday, April 6th. @TheRevAl

Al Sharpton has been in the news recently for the same reason he is always in the news: for playing the race card and not letting racism die in this country.  This was Good Friday and if there was any day that the good pastor could drop his defenses and actually do something positive, this would be the day.  It was late in the day but I was going to offer an olive branch via Twitter.

My Tweet: As Good Friday concludes, I ask for a retweet from @TheRevAl to improve race relations and mankind.

Response Time: None.

Why I think Reverend Sharpton didn't respond: He was probably too busy searching for his next opportunity to be on TV.  He's been doing that a long time, ya know. 

Saturday, April 7th. @HighlandParkAL

This one is a little questionable, but I'm going to count it.  Shortly after tweeting to Reverend Sharpton on the 6th, I tweeted that, on the following day, I would be playing a round of golf at Highland Park in Birmingham, which happens to have its own Twitter account. 

My Tweet: Playing @HighlandGolfAL with @Claymb tomorrow. #GoLow

Response Time: 15 hours

Additional comments: None.

When I received notification that Highland Park had retweeted me, my playing group was third in line to tee off on a very crowded tee box.  I felt this logjam was a product of the course's recent decision to require all carts to remain on the cartpaths.  I bit my cyber tongue at the time but did voice my disappointment after the round.

My Tweet: Had a good time at @HighlandGolfAL but wish they would rethink cartpath-only decision. Loooong round.

Would you believe that this comment also got a retweet?

Response Time: 2 days

Additional comments: "Glad u had a great time! Carts on path help keep our course in the best shape possible 4 our golfers. Hope 2 see u back soon!"

I will say that it's good of the Highland Park management staff to respond like this.  But it doesn't make me think that they'll be dropping their new rule anytime soon. 

Thanks again for reading.  This has been a very interesting experiment.  Check out 30-25 if you missed and and come back soon!

Celebrity ReTweets 30-25

Towards the end of March, I decided to send a retweet request to one random celebrity (or brand) each day for 30 days.  Unlike Facebook, Twitter allows everyday people the opportunity to interact with their favorite celebrities.  Celebrities can retweet, or share, humorous musings or calls to action from their followers.  Getting retweeted by a celebrity is considered the technological equivalent of a passing conversation on the street.

Retweets can also go very badly.  Ask Spike Lee.

I've detailed the first five of my 30 retweet requests below.

Thursday, March 29th. @RealJayWilliams

Jason Williams was one of the most talented Duke Blue Devils to ever play point guard.  An All-American and National Champion, he's best remembered for leading an unfathomable comeback against Maryland in 2001.  A motorcycle accident after college derailed his NBA career before it even started but Jason has found steady work covering college basketball for ESPN. 

My tweet: Can I get a RT to gain some followers? Your studio skills are making folks forget about your court skills!

Response time: Within 2 hours

Added comments: None

I was really stoked after this retweet!  This is going to be easy!

Friday, March 30th. @DocGooden16

Dwight Gooden was a rising star for the New York Mets in the 1980's before drugs and alcohol brought him back down to Earth.  But before his fall, Dr. K was the best and I wanted to reach out to him.

My tweet: Wishing you the best today! I'm a big fan of yours and 80's baseball. Can I get an RT?

Response Time: No response given

Why I think he didn't respond: Doc's not the most active Tweeter.  I don't imagine that he's savvy enough to know when he receives a mention on Twitter either.  This was actually a long shot, but at least I tried.

Saturday, March 31st. @JakeTrout

Peter Jacobsen is known for being a decent PGA Tour Player in his day but probably more identified as a great TV analyst these days.  He still plays on the Champions Tour and because of his popularlity and persona, he is endorsed by several top-shelf golf companies.  Srixon features Peter in their TV ads for their Q-Star ball, a ball geared toward amateur players.  After seeing this ad during a commercial break while watching a tournament, I decided to seek a retweet from Jake Trout.

My tweet: I'll run out right now and buy 2 dozen Q Stars if I can get a RT from you Jake!

Response Time: within 1 minute

Added comments: none

I was totally shocked at this quick response.  Spoiler alert - I did not go buy the golf balls.  I hate not keeping my word.  Maybe I'll buy some this summer. Peter is a new favorite of mine.

Sunday, April 1st. @Gatorade

I was not feeling particularly well on this date.  In an attempt to flush a virus from my body, I drank copeous amounts of this sugary, syrupy crap.  I thought that I could get a retweet for my efforts.

My tweet: Can I get an RT for drinking 128 ozs of @Gatorade today? #hydrate

Response Time: No response given

Why I think I got no response: As a brand, Gatorade really doesn't give out too many RTs unless you're some sappy runner who gives praise to Gatorade for providing the enzymes needed to complete a double marathon. Or they probably didn't believe that I really drank that much of their terrible product.

Monday, April 2nd. @MoesBBQBham

Moes BBQ in Birmingham serves the best BBQ'd meat in the area.  This is not a fib.  That's saying a lot considering that there's a BBQ joint on every corner here.  As a brand, they do a great job of communicating via Twitter.

My Tweet: Can I get an RT for convincing my friends that @MoesBBQBham is the best BBQ in Bham??!

Response Time: Within 1 hour.

Additional comments: "yes thanks!"

I may have sucked up to get this response, but it worked. It's true what I said - most of my friends are now convinced about Moe's BBQ.

I'll post the next 5 attempts at a celebrity retweet soon! Thanks for reading!