48 Hour Twitter Marathon

As required per the BUAD 336 syllabus, we are just about to wrap up 48 hours of Twitter that started at 11 a.m. on Sunday. I find Twitter to be an amazing tool, not just for networking, but for finding out the daily lives of professional athletes and the famous people whose lives we wish we had. Since it is an HR Management class I wanted to discuss the ramifications of professional athletes tweeting, and especially the likes of Chad Ochocinco. Earlier this preseason, the often suspended loud-mouth was fined $25,000 by the NFL and its commissioner, Roger Goodell. Ochocinco was punished because he tweeted during the game, which breaks the new twitter/social media regulations passed by the NFL. Under the aforementioned Twitter Policy imposed by the NFL, all team personnel including players and coaches are forbidden from using Twitter 90 minutes prior to kickoff and may not resume until all media obligations are met post-game. To some degree, I would have to side with the NFL on this one just because it establishes some focus and respect towards the game, not to mention it gives players a chance to show its owners that they are out there to win a football game. On the other hand, I have to say these guys are surrounded by marketing geniuses and this is just one way the NFL can have some say in their daily operations and how players are managed. Overall, it's a unique opportunity to see what is going on in everyday life of professional athletes and their daily schedule.

Lastly, I'd like to talk about my experience. I've had Twitter for about one year. Last spring, I went on a Twitter binge I guess you could call it, and added all my favorite athletes and sportscasters, as well as a few friends. I found it addicting to see the conversations they had with each other and the type of news information I received before it hit the press. As for this project, I found it interesting that I caught myself thinking about logical things to say, but in the end it was just spur of the moment kind of things. I still think that with the technological advancements of the cell phone, that email is the fastest way to communicate mass paragraphs, Twitter is a nice way to stay connected to any network; be it your coworkers, high school friends, or those in your field of work, for instance HR. I'm sure Twitter will only continue to grow and the key for graduating seniors like me is to find the ability to market ourselves just like Ochocinco and other athletes today.