“Im lying in bed.” — 50k Tweets Later

Those four words, sans-apostrophe and all, were the first things I ever posted on the now massive, infamous and world-changing social network called Twitter. I sent that message via text from my silver Samsung flip phone while laying at home in bed at 2:24am on August 31st, 2007. Little did I know how much the site would influence my life over the following 4 years, 7 months and 2 days.

We all know the fabled stories of Twitter - breaking news of plane crashes, sparking political revolution in the middle east, and connecting communities across the globe like no other - but my story isn’t something of consequence, or one to be envious of. It’s just mine, and that’s why I like it.

Twitter was a really different site back in 2007. For anyone who remembers that time, they’ll probably tell you about how the front page had a live updating stream of every tweet posted on the site, scrolling in real time. If there was a lull in users online you could sometimes get a few in a row and tell your friends to check it out. Keep in mind, I was one of the first 10,000 people to register, and back then we didn’t realize the potential that the website had. We were just having fun posting stupid entries from our day, meals we were about to eat and occasionally a link to something we found funny.

I’m not quite sure when the moment was, but at some point tweeting became second nature to me. I didn’t have to think about it anymore. Instead, I just tweeted whenever I got the urge. An ultimate stream-of-consciousness, I suppose, but one that was helping me become a better wordsmith and ultimately a damn good copywriter. The fact that ordinary daily life occurrences could become entertaining nuggets of wit and wisdom really resonated with me, much in the same way writing for advertising headlines does.

After devoting one-fifth of my life to documenting it in such a way, I look at the collection of tweets not as some would see it - a wasted pile of time and energy that could have been better spent on “real” pass-times. Instead I see volumes and chapters of life being told first-person, as they unfold in real time, with no censorship or topic off limits. I dare you to find a more concise living and organic approach to the documentation of human existence than what Twitter has created.

Along with my main account, @ObviouslyBen, I’ve also had more than thirty full- and part-time Twitter accounts that I’ve created or helped manage. For example, @ItsBenspiration is my account for inspirational, motivating tweets. @LotsaNews is exactly what it sounds like, an aggregate of 30+ news RSS feeds, each automatically sourced half-hourly. And @BensNowPlaying auto-updates each time I play a song on my laptop. Trust me when I say that I can take anything and create a Twitter account for it. That being said, it seems evident that I’ve posted many more than 50,000 meager tweets. And by all accounts when you add up my combined Twitter activity I most certainly have. But the fact that this account, the one that I’ve stuck with since the beginning, has finally met the mark of so many hand-written, well crafted tweets is still something to appreciate in my book.

Here are some simple stats to tickle your brain:
• @ObviouslyBen - 50,000 tweets, 8,614 followers
• @LotsaNews - 615,196 tweets, 5,530 followers
• @ItsBenspiration - 62 tweets, 147 followers
• @BensNowPlaying - 513 tweets, 17 followers
• @[old alias] - 2,281 tweets, 249 followers
• 27 other accounts - 3,000+ total tweets, 4,000+ total followers

And after all that time, all the effort (and tedious typing,) what has Twitter really given me? Well for starters, the opportunity to visit YouTube headquarters to talk about community engagement. Oh, and a job during my sophomore year of college. And a Starbucks Gold card that I won. And sponsorship opportunities for my video blogs. And countless networking instances with some of the heavy hitters in my field. And a real, thriving community of #CoolKids who support me on the daily. And, yes, even my best friend who I met on Twitter in 2008, and for the first time IRL back in 2010. Each of these opportunities and journeys have come from being on Twitter, and I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world.

Bring on the next 50,000.

♥ -@ObviouslyBen

Goals for April:

• Buy my first ever pair of running shoes,
• Start running in downtown Savannah 3-4 times per week,
• Continue going to the gym more often (yesterday with my best friend got me addicted!) and hopefully try a Cross Fit class or two,
• Keep learning how to make good home cooked meals for myself, including whey protein shakes twice a day.

Time to get fit, people!! GET IT!

What I do all day since Ultra Music Festival