Jon Camfield

Thinking about tomorrow’s threats against human rights and Internet Freedom. Frustrated Optimist, gardener, salsa dancer, cook, husband, dad, embarrassed Texan. Opinions here are my own. he/they.

2 minute read

Today, Twitter launched one person from their normal Internet life to getting news on the California-regional LAist and valleywag blogs, CNet, a top-rated digg story, a google search term all to herself, fan-created artwork, and a skyrocketing number of followers inside Twitter. In three hours, with one twitter.

Read that again. Three hours, and a message that fit in under 140 characters. If there was ever an idea that was "Made to Stick", (pardon -- deep apologies, really -- for the truly tasteless pun.)

What created this success?

Some things we can learn from - it was relevant to very current events, it was personal and engaging, and funny. While not all messages can or should be funny, pulling out an emotion helps.

A rundown of the event, the C|net article, and a more serious VentureBeat story on the power of flickr.

Let me share the "message" that, stuck er... was so popular to propel the twitterer via a massive viral spread to Internet fame:

I am totally serious. My Ob/Gyn was IN my vagina and an earthquake started rattling the room!

Yes, that one deeply personal update about bad timing at an OB/Gyn put MissRFTC on the Internet Map. If only we all could create such a ... compelling message.