CelebriTwitters

 

Credit: rapartists.com

I really don’t want this to turn into another blog about celebrities, but I was really intrigued to see how different celebrities use Twitter after reading a recent blog post by Jim Tobin. In his blog, Tobin details how MC Hammer has used social media to make himself somewhat relevant again, and Twitter is a large component of that. It really got me to thinking about how others might be able to use Twitter to brand themselves in the public’s mind, or even promote a new product or show.

So how do other celebrities compare when it comes to using Twitter? Check out my Twitter report card:

Britney Spears: Like M.C. Hammer, Britney Spears has spent a few years as the butt of the joke in the media. It seems just recently she’s started to redeem herself a little bit by cleaning up her image and getting her life in order (I actually haven’t really followed all the Britney drama, but I’ve been able to count on my mother to keep me updated). So how is she using Twitter to accomplish that?

For starters, Britney  occasionally posts on Twitter herself. However, many of the posts come from her management, so it’s far less personal than Hammer’s. It seems her management, who prefers to be called Team Britney, is using Twitter to update the public on what we really wanna know about Britney, like for instance what kind of ice cream she had last night, or where she’s been shopping. I think for Britney’s purposes this is a good strategy, but tweeting more often would help.

GRADE: B

50 Cent: Even before he “got a mill out the deal,” 50 Cent was the P.T. Barnum of Internet promotion as far as hip-hop is concerned. I recently heard an interview with 50 where he said he is more concerned with blogging to promote his music than he is with making music videos. So you can imagine how disappointed I was when I checked out his Twitter page only to find 50’s social media manager is the only one who updates it.

However, 50’s Twitter page isn’t a complete failure, even though it falsely advertises it’s the real 50 Cent. It’s frequently updated with links to viral videos that do feature the real 50 Cent. So I guess 50 does still understand the importance of Internet marketing, but since he has so much money from Vitamin Water now, he has people do it for him.

GRADE: C

Shaquille O’ Neal: Just like 50 Cent’s Twitter page claims to be the real 50 Cent, so does Shaq’s, except here the claim is legit. Shaq is an advanced celebrity tweeter. He has the customized background that shows him in his jersey. He also has Twitter on his phone, which is where the majority of his tweets come from.

Although many of his updates take some deciphering (ex. Ok i admit it i at performance enhancing frosted flakes 2 yrs ago, lol), almost every Shaq post is comedy gold, exactly what fans might expect from “his Shaqness.” He also follows some die hard fans back. But all text tweets aside, Shaq really needs to work on his spelling!

GRADE: B+

Jimmy Fallon: Jimmy Fallon doesn’t seem to be on Twitter to promote or market anything he’s doing, which might change this summer. But as of right now, I’m seriously disappointed by his use of Twitter. The first two pages are nothing but noise, which bored me so much I didn’t bother with the third.

GRADE: D-

Tina Fey: Tina Fey doesn’t update regularly, doesn’t really follow anyone back, and doesn’t even have a picture of herself on her Twitter page, but her page is still so Tina. A picture of a Big Mac in place of where Tina’s face should go is the kind of odd humor I’d expect from Tina. And even though she doesn’t Twitter often, she still might have some of the best posts in the history of Twitter (I should probably admit I’m a huge Tina Fey fan). With thought provoking questions like, “Are Eggrolls just Chinese Hot Pockets?” and hilarious personal insights like, “I don’t know why I even bother chewing corn anymore,” Tina’s Twitter presence is almost perfect, especially since she really has no use for using it to repair a tarnished public image. Tina also doesn’t seem like the type to use something like Twitter to shamelessly self promote 30 Rock, so I don’t count that against her either.

GRADE: A-

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