FanPost

The Twitter Influence - A Necessary Discussion

Hello fellow Boilermakers.

I come to you in hope of addressing a topic that is critical to Purdue's basketball success in the future. As someone who has graduated, I no longer get to attend games and join in the frivolity in the Paint Crew. I don't get to pound imaginary nails into imaginary railroad tracks after every Hammons slam. Instead, I am relegated to a rather restrictive form of celebration or emotional outlet: Twitter.

Yes, Twitter. My rants, raves, cheers, and jeers are mainly expressed through 180 character tweets. This brings me to the point of this post; our collective twitter game is mediocre at best. Things like "Yes AJ!" or "Ugh, come on Purdue" fill up my timeline in a fashion that is neither exciting nor evocative. Booooring.

I'm not saying that there aren't any heroes among us. @Aneeshswamy is usually on his game, employing capital letters and intensity to drive home his points. Many other have clever quips or musings but, bye and large, the Purdue twitter community is rather unremarkable in the grand scheme of college basketball. Here, I present a couple ways to combat this exercise in mediocrity.

BOILERS ON TWITTER: Five Easy Ways To Up Your Game

1. Lose the negativity. Don't post about how we "Purdue'd" something after a loss. This gives ammo to the enemy, who will turn your sour tweet into a rally cry for the opposition. Don't make us a target.

2. Employ GIF's. Or vines. The only thing better than a picture of a Purdue player making a great play is a moving picture of said play.

3. Use Proper Grammar / Spelling. The easiest and cheapest way to lose a twitter argument is to use "their" incorrectly or spell a player's name wrong. Double check your tweets before you send. You went to Purdue, don't let anyone question our academic prowess.

4. CATCHPHRASES! This one is important. We have a disturbing lack of player-related catchphrases. "ST3PHENS" is fun to tweet, but more of these are in sorely needed. Things like "PUT ON YOUR PJ'S!" or "RAZZLE DAZZLE BASIL!" Fun catchphrases mean retweets and retweets mean more visibility for Purdue basketball.

5. Combine GIF's with Catchphrases. This maximizes the effect. For example, tweeting "Octeus Prime!" after his thunderdunk would certainly be appropriate. Tweeting a GIF or Vine of his dunk would be another step up. Tweeting "OCTEUS PRIME!!!" (note the all-caps) with an attached GIF of him turning Colin Hartman into something sub-human would be a true game changing tweet. We're talking hundreds, thousands of retweets. You're getting shout outs from Purdue players, your tweet is scrolling across sportscenter, Jimmy Fallon is frustrated because your voicemail is full. These are real things that could happen.

I hope that everyone has learned something today. Twitter is an ever changing game and we are all players. We can't change what's happening on the court, but we can certainly turn the tide in Purdue's favor on social media.

Please join the fight by posting all of your beautiful and creative catchphrases in the comments.

Boiler Up, Hammer Down my friends

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