Maybe I’m just obsessed with pop culture and technology, but it’s still fascinating to see how celebrities use Twitter. Some use the platform to vent, others for raising money, and some use it as a launching pad for political campaigns. It’s a fact that celebs have actually helped the network grow into a mainstream social tool.
Either way, Twitter has become a go-to communications and news platform for most celebs and political figures. And today, NBA basketball star Shaquille O’Neal (@Shaq) used Twitter to announce his retirement after 19 seasons, and four NBA titles.
Shaq, who has 3.8 million followers, kept things pretty simple in his retirement Tweet, simple stating ‘im retiring’ with a link to a video message of the star announcing the news via Tout, an iPhone app that allows you to send short video updated to friends. He also included the hashtag, ‘#ShaqRetires,’ which is now trending on Twitter.
It’s a big win for startup Tout, who faces competition from TwitPic and perhaps soon from Twitter, if the company expands photo sharing to videos as well.