It used to be that geeks and jocks only used to hang out in the high school bathrooms for impromptu meetings capped by wedgies and swirlies.
But now techies and athletes are hooking up on Twitter, albeit with mixed results.
First the good: When Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong recently announced the birth of his son, Max, he did so with a Tweet: “Wassup, world? My name is Max Armstrong and I just arrived. My Mommy is healthy and so am I!”
Other big-name athletes who Twitter include the LPGA’s Natalie Gulbis (@natalie_gulbis), MLB’s Curt Schilling (@gehrig38), NASCAR’s Ryan Newman (@ryan12newman) and the NBA’s Dwight Howard (@dwight_howard).
And the bad: Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa just settled a lawsuit with Twitter after an imposter posed as the MLB manager and made some chillingly inappropriate comments. This latter example actually looks like it will change the face of Twitter, as individuals will soon be able to open “verified” accounts later this summer, at least in beta mode. Verified accounts would contain some official signature or seal confirming that the person Tweeting is who he/she claims to be. (It appears as if only A, B, and C-listers will get access to the verification technology at first. Sorry, Kathy Griffin).
What’s the point of all this? Well, where grade school recess, video arcades and dating have failed, Twitter has succeeded. For better or for worse, finally, there is a place where self-proclaimed dweebs and jocks can hang out without bruised bones or egos. Well, besides “The Breakfast Club.”
