Informative or are some stars just plain twits?
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday January 9, 2010
Twitter first raided cricket when Phillip Hughes let about 10,000 mates/sticky beaks/journalists/internet freaks/gamblers/England Test players/Shane Watson/bookmakers/stalkers know of his sacking during the Ashes via the social networking site frequented by most inhabitants of the known universe.Whispers were getting louder about Hughes's imminent booting from the Test XI but official confirmation was only forthcoming when Hughes left the Australian team's dressing room, planted himself on the information superhighway and filed the following quotes-based report: "Disappointed not to be on the field with the lads today, will be supporting the guys, it's a BIG test match 4 us. Thanks 4 all the support!"Lo and behold, hours later, OMG, Australian captain Ricky Ponting handed England skipper Andrew Strauss his team sheet. P.J. Hughes was conspicuous by his absence. He was rapped across the knuckles by Ponting and the suits at Cricket Australia for letting the news slip like that. LOL? Not likely.Twitter was breaking exclusives again this week when New Zealand's Chris Cairns was banned from playing the Indian Premier League. The unlikely source of the revelation? IPL boss Lalit Modi's Twitter page. Modi's update was repeated by media organisations, Cairns screamed defamation, lawyers were called in and now everyone is heading to court. All because of one twit on cyberspace.There's some interesting stuff out there because everyone from Hughes to Modi to Lote Tuqiri to Andy Roddick to Serena Williams is prepared to tell you what's on their mind. Fans of apostrophes, punctuation and correct use of the English language should turn away, though, because this is gonna get ugly.From Serena Williams on December 12: "At airport. So tired. On my way to Atlanta for match. See guys how I never take a break?? Am I one of the hardest working women in sports??" December 13: "Home at last! I am going to bed for the rest of the day!!!" December 14: "How do I make beans?? My mom is not answering her phone!! Hurry!! I just boil them for like what 3 hrs??" Twenty minutes later: "How much water for my beans?? They are in a bag, and they are 15 diff kind of beans ... I've got the onion garlic now what?? ... Omg thanks so much guys on all the advise."Twitter is no small deal. The number of people receiving Williams's messages? More than 1.5 million. American basketballer Shaquille O'Neal is the most popular twit in world sport with 2.7 million followers getting an almost daily comment from him. He wants you to have a merry Christmas. Happy new year! Love, Shaq! It's win-win. Fans, both the devoted and the delusional, feel closer to their heroes and heroines. Serena is cooking beans! Quick, she needs our help! Williams and O'Neal are catering to their fans without actually having to go within a bull's roar of meeting any of them. Mad world. One minute, given the right technology, you're getting a text from your mother. The next, Serena Williams is telling you: "OMG!!! Someone at the restaurant I am @ is carrying my bag!! My bag collection from HSN (home shopping network). I'm so excited I could faint!!!!"The trick for Twitter-friendly athletes is to keep it harmless. Hughes and Modi have learned the hard way that anything too serious, revealing or honest can be damaging. Hughes had been singing like a bird during the Ashes before dropping the big one. July 7: "Well it's finally here, the morning of my first Ashes test, im anxious to get out there, so shower and some brekky for me, Hughesy." July 8: "Enough jokes about my catch, you either catch it or drop it, I caught it ... just ... hahahaha." July 9: "Good days play yesterday, great centuries from the boys. Got some good tips from Freddy after his first ball too LOL." July 13: "Well that was close!!!!! Now it's off to lords nil all, the guys were disappointed but super positive!!! Bring on LORDS I say!!!!" And then the bombshell on July 29: "Disappointed not to be on the field with the lads today, will be supporting the guys, it's a BIG test match 4 us. Thanks 4 all the support".Hughes, aka PH408 on Twitter, has barely been heard from since. O'Neal keeps getting in touch. "I feel like partying tonite meet me at liquids 1212 w 6th street. Party n da snow."Some party! More than 2.7 million of O'Neal's mates/sticky beaks/journalists/internet freaks/gamblers/NBA players/Kobe Bryant/bookmakers/stalkers on the social networking site frequented by most inhabitants of the known universe had been invited. But here's the key. Shaq doesn't really want any of us there. He doesn't mean it. Sarcasm is the lowest form of twit.
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald
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