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TV Host Mobilizes Twitter Army Over $11K Phone Bill

by Warren Riddle on June 29, 2009 at 02:04 PM


Twitter's characterization in the media is slowly evolving from a criticized haven of narcissistic voyeurs to a viable medium of news and information. Site members can follow up-to-the-minute updates on specific topics, thanks to applications like Seesmic Desktop, and can spread important information instantly to thousands of other users. Last week, according to ComputerWorld.com, a U.S. television host used the site to mobilize his Twitter followers (all 60,000 "twoops") to fight consumer injustice.

After vacationing in Canada, 'Mythbusters' host Adam Savage (donttrythis on Twitter) learned, and tweeted: "AT&T is attempting to charge me 11k for a few hours of Web surfing in Canada. Pls RT (retweet)!" And re-tweet (spread the word) they did. Savage contended that while abroad he only browsed the Web on his laptop for a few hours and did not download any files. So, to fight the bill, he and his 60,000 followers sounded an angry cacophony of critical tweets. AT&T heard (or read) the complaints and relented, agreeing to absolve Savage of the charges.

Savage said he does believe that his celebrity status and large following may have given him an advantage over average consumers, but he also "absolutely" believes that Twitter is an "important communication tool," according to Canada.com. Despite the attention the site constantly receives as being a haven for celebrities, some folks (AT&T being one) are beginning to recognize the power and influence an army of angry followers, armed with Twitter, can wield. [From: Canada.com and ComputerWorld.com]

Comedians on Twitter

    Twitter has a 140-character limit on its tweets, which makes it a perfect forum for comedians to distribute jokes, one-liners, and pithy commentary to their fans and anyone who wants a laugh. Here are five funny folks who are making the most of the ridiculously popular microblogging service.
    --
    Warren Riddle

    1) The Twitterer: Joel McHale of 'The Soup'
    The Funny: "Unless you were on the Rock of Love Bus, then stay at home. I'm just getting over a cold so my immune system is fragile"
    The Following: 539,000
    The Frequency: Daily

    Getty Images

    2) The Twitterer: Eric Wareheim of 'Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!' (Although his partner Tim is listed)
    The Funny: "Christian power ballads playing in the car. Still drunk on Nyquil, so they sound pretty good."
    The Following: 14,000.
    The Frequency: Daily

    3) The Twitterer: Thomas Lennon of 'Reno 911!' and 'Night at The Museum'
    The Funny: "YouTube has pulled the trailer for THE STATE on DVD, as part of a brilliant decade-long campaign to keep us underground. Stay free!"
    The Following: 6,000.
    The Frequency: Daily

    Getty Images

    4) The Twitterer: Mindy Kaling of 'The Office'
    The Funny: "i cant sleep. i keep thinking how destructive to the galaxy it would be if Spock and Kirk fought over me on the deck of the Enterprise."
    The Following: 70,000
    The Frequency: Daily

    Getty Images

    5) The Twitterer: Dave Foley of 'The Kids in the Hall' and 'News Radio'
    The Funny: "Does everyone feel like they are hearing half a phone conversation. I fear that I twitter wrongly."
    The Following: 3,500
    The Frequency: Periodically

    Getty Images

    6) The Twitterer: Charlie Murphy of 'Chappelle Show'
    The Funny: "Whats up y'all. Im in Tampa Florida this weekend at the Tampa Improv. Thurs - Sun...Holla". C'mon, he's new to the site.
    The Following: 400
    The Frequency: Periodically.

    Getty Images

    7) The Twitterer: Aziz Ansari of 'Human Giant'
    The Funny: "Trying to steal wifi while crashing at a friends. How could the password for the network "this charming router" not be morrisey?"
    The Following: 32,000.
    The Frequency: Daily

    Getty Images

    8) The Twitterer: Paul Feig, creator of 'Freaks and Geeks'
    The Funny: "Hot dog martinis! Boil two hot dogs 10 minutes, remove hot dogs, discard, pour hot dog water into glass, top with gin, drink, vomit, repeat."
    The Following: 189,000.
    The Frequency: Daily

    Getty Images

    9) The Twitterer: Jeff Garlin of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'
    The Funny: "My last tweet was sarcasm. Here is what I should have wrote - Pre-orders for my new dvd are lame. Amazon Sales Rank #135257 in DVD. I'm sad."
    The Following: 6,000
    The Frequency: Periodically

    Getty Images

Tags: adam savage, AdamSavage, att, consumer rights, ConsumerRights, mythbusters, top, Twitter

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