"The old guard has passed and the new guard is here. And the new guard likes to ding dong ditch people just for fun." - Ashton Kutcher in his victory speech after beating CNN to the million follower mark.
At 2:13am EDT Friday, Ashton Kutcher took the crown in a much-hyped race against CNN to 1 million Twitter followers. The friendly competition included three on-air pleas by CNN's Anderson Cooper and Erica Hill in the span of ten minutes.
I wrote a post at the start of this race criticizing Kutcher for "not getting it." After watching his livecast on ustream.tv for the last few hours, I gladly take that back.
Kutcher gets new media. His livecast during the race - a continuous live video stream over the internet - was an engaged conversation. He read followers' tweets on air, asked questions, and actively engaged his audience using Twitter. He linked us to YouTube clips and his chosen charity, www.malarianomore.org. He advanced his next cause, fighting human trafficking.
"We can and will create our media," Kutcher said in his victory speech on ustream.tv. "We can and will broadcast our media. We can and will censor our own media ourselves. We are over a million."
All true, though understated. Kutcher's audience is now far greater than just the million people on Twitter. And while we might be quick to pass celebrities off as being in this for their own good, it takes more than that to break through the noise. Kutcher's push just might end malaria deaths and with the audience he's attracted he could also have a serious impact against human trafficking.
"Twitter allows people to share, to connect in a way that they weren't able to connect before," Kutcher said. "And i think that is really cool."
After making a toast to Ted Turner, Larry King and others involved in the competition, Kutcher ended his victory speech with this thanks to his followers: "And last but not least, to all of you. I cannot follow myself."
Good for you, Ashton Kutcher. And more importantly, good for all of us.
Follow Andrew Cherwenka on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cherwenka
Hmmmmm, time to revisit that old tale of Babel.
PLEASE use common sense ppl... what is the point of bed nets, if you aren't going to stay in one for the rest of your life?
Malaria will NOT be controlled with this HUGE waste of money... BETTER spent either on new MEDICINE or at LEAST repeal the ban on DDT as once they banned it is when all the cases of malaria EXPLODED>.
I'm not sure where you get your info, but speaking from experience
And you don't have to give up one cause for another -- you work on water and meds, and other groups will work on bednets. Scotching one in favour of the other just seems shortsight
When you all were watching the Mumbai attack unfold on the news, I was watching tweets from people *in* Mumbai, and knew what was going on before they could get a satellite uplink and interview set up to explain it to the world in traditiona
On the fun side, I tweeted about going to a Matisyahu concert and three weeks later, was followed by Matisyahu - who releases a tweet to let his followers know he's about to broadcast live. Me and 50 other lucky folks gather in moments to watch what most people don't get to see raw and unedited.
If you honestly think everyone is only talking about their cat and meaningles
(1) You don't know what you're talking about because you haven't tried it or
(2) You tried it, and that's what you chose to do with it.
"We can and will create our media," Kutcher said in his victory speech on ustream.tv
What a great day for all of us! When I think of his own incredable bod of work in the entertainm
Personally I don't think we should be so quick to embrace the changing of the guard. Progress is not inherently good, apart from the direction its taking us. And the decline of traditiona
to Mister Turner and to tell Larry King that "I told you such"
i guess the moral of the story is I'd get more views
writing about Ashton Kutcher rather than about news
To hear me sing my full summary, watch:
http://www
I just hope we make it to the singularit
And it's embarrassi