The $17,000 Tweet: Don’t Ever Underestimate Twitter

This is such a fun story about using Twitter, making bets and following through. A few days ago, the person behind @poultrykeeper sent the tweet you see below after his boss insisted Twitter is a waste of time. He made a bet with him about how many times his tweet would get retweeted.

I’ve been on Twitter almost every day for going on three years. I’ve sent almost 90,000 tweets so you know I know whatz up when it comes to Twitter. Trust me when I tell you that if there is something that burns a Twitterholic’s ass more than anything else, it’s someone calling Twitter a waste of time. So, I’m really not surprised that his tweet went viral and got over 23,000 retweets! Okay, maybe I’m a little surprised that it was thaaaaaaat many. Suddenly his boss owed him $17,000 (or more)!

Unfortunately, his boss weaseled out of the bet and won’t be paying up. What kind of cheap bastard is that? Way to set a good example on follow through buddy! My advice? Run! Look for another job immediately! Just kidding, of course who would ever expect someone to pay that (even if the bet was won FAIR AND SQUARE). Besides, I’m sure they were both shocked when they saw the results. I hope the person who wrote the tweet at least gets a turkey on Thanksgiving or something though.

I guess the lesson learned here is never ever underestimate the power of our precious Twitter. It’s like Uranium, the moment a brand doesn’t respect Twitter is the moment it will mess you up! Here’s where the story gets a little strange for me though. Yesterday the person running that Twitter account sent this tweet…

If your brand, or in this case, your website, was suddenly gifted 15 minutes of fame, wouldn’t you want to ride that momentum to make it last as long as possible by at least sending some interesting tweets instead of keeping quiet? Also, why isn’t that person following people back? Doesn’t he or she know that unless you are a celebrity, a brand/website that’s a household name, or you send super duper tweets, you can’t get away with that? Well, I mean, if building a Twitter following matters to you. In this particular case, it shows a lack of respect for those on Twitter who RT’ed the tweet so he could win the bet. Many of those people, over time, will clean up their Twitter account, notice he never followed back and unfollow since there is nothing stellar in those tweets to keep them following. Maybe I’m just thinking too much like a marketer today.

Either way, @poultrykeeper will probably drift back into the shadows of Twitter, but for today, it’s a really fun story! The real question is, what effect did all those retweets have on Poultry Keeper if any? That may be a question we never know the answer to. You can read more about the effects of Twitter retweets here.

Via: [Geekosystem] [The Next Web] Image Credits: [Web Cool Tips] [The Real Tim Scott]