Loyal friend and social media enthusiast Randy Johnson utilized Twitter, tapping into national sentiment on a level he never expected – exposure to 18,199,953 people – to be exact. Here he describes the experience:

Why did you choose social media as the outlet for your personal contribution?

“Social media has made professional athletes and celebrities more accessible than ever. I chose Twitter because it seems to be the preferred social media outlet for athletes/celebrities to interact with each other and a great deal of their fans. A retweet or mention by an athlete or celebrity is like the ‘autograph 2.0′, especially if you can get someone to personalize their message.”

How do you feel about the process and outcome?

“I’m absolutely thrilled with the overall support I received for Tony with messages thanking him for his service and welcoming him home. I’ll admit this 7-day project spun out of control rather quickly, to the point where I actually had a hard time keeping up with the tweets and retweets coming in. I never imagined I’d have a list of 88 athletes/celebrities from all over the world by the time all was said and done. I couldn’t be happier with the result and the huge response I received from the “twittiverse”. I can’t wait for Tony to get back and see the overwhelming support that too few soldiers receive.”

Maybe you Tweet, maybe not, but I encourage you to view Randy’s Twitter Tribute in its entirety and challenge you to utilize social media in an unexpected way – what do you have to lose?

-Stephanie C.