With information being thrown at us so quickly, I find Twitter to be a quick way to get an idea about what’s happening. I also use Twitter to contact companies when I have a non-urgent need and don’t feel like sitting on the phone for hours. But Twitter’s for more than just doing work or getting worked up about the world. Sometimes it can also bring a much-needed smile to your day. I often find myself looking at what’s trending or things suggested for me. One day I saw the National Cowboy Museum was trending so I took a look. I’m so glad that I did.
At this moment, we are all being asked to do something we don’t usually do. Parents are asked to be teachers. Office workers and road warriors are being told to do work from their homes. In all, the world is not in any way normal.
The same goes for the employees of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK. I’m sure the museum was a worksite that ran much like any other, with staff running the day-to-day operations, including the media and social marketing.
The museum’s Twitter feed, @ncwhm, typically put out one Tweet a day about the museum and upcoming events. That all changed with this Tweet on March 16th.
The next Tweet from the account began one of the most entertaining examples of someone getting on-the-job training for running a Twitter account. Say hello to Tim, Head of Security, and now the head of Social Media for the museum.
The last three weeks have consisted of Tim trying to figure out the internet, Twitter, and being confused by all of the social media jargon involved with the process.
We’ve also learned about additional characters. The first was Tim’s grandson, Lucas, who early on told his grandfather to start using hashtags. The first time didn’t work so well.
Tim took his new job seriously, so he looked for help.
But it turns out, he wasn’t trying to ask Twitter.
Should have been a dead giveaway because he didn’t end the tweet with what would become his eventual tagline “Thanks, Tim.” It’s still cute that when he thought he was asking Google for Twitter hints, he said please. 🙂
Tim eventually learned how to make a hashtag but still didn’t get it quite right.
After a few days, we were introduced to a new character, Seth from Marketing. Seth was obviously noticing the increased interest in the Twitter account after Tim took over. Seth tried to get Tim to use social media tricks. With Tim just learning what a hashtag was, you can imagine how this went. Tim’s selfie attempts were just as funny. At first, he took a picture OF the selfie station.
Then Tim realized that people wanted to see a picture of him in the selfie station.
Seth then wanted to see if Tim could drive engagement with the Twitter page. As you can imagine, Tim had no clue what this meant.
Tim obviously was starting to have fun with this new assignment. It wasn’t long before he started breaking out the “dad jokes.”
This was the first time I saw Tim use the #HashtagTheCowboy. I’m sure it was Seth from Marketing’s idea.
There’s a seemingly endless amount of comedic material generated when someone is learning in front of you. Like when Tim said to grab a pen and paper to write down a long URL.
Or being totally baffled about what a Tick Tock is.
The one thing Tim did seem to understand was a Retweet.
Tim’s becoming quite an internet superstar. Arby’s is even sending him merchandise. I wonder if Seth from Marketing is going to tell Tim that he’s now an “influencer.” I was happy that Tim learned how to @ someone on the first try (well, almost).
If you want to remember this lightning in a bottle moment of levity that was only made possible because of the state of the world right now, The Cowboy Museum is selling T-shirts with #HashtagTheCowboy on the front and “Thanks, Tim” on the back.
I hope Tim keeps up contributing to the Twitter for the museum even after all of this ends. But for now, I hope Seth from Marketing lets Tim keep things simple.
It just shows that for as much thought and money that big media companies put into driving their social media presence, sometimes all it takes to make a thing “go viral” is to put the Head of Security of a Cowboy Museum in charge of your Twitter and say, “Go!”
#stayhealthy #stayathome #washyourhands
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
