Lots of people, at least those who follow Daly on Twitter, know that the ever popular pro is getting in shape, dropping tons of weight, and seems to have a great attitude about life and about golf.
Twitter.com is the online communication forum where users write about whatever they want in 140-character messages, or tweets. From the day he first "tweeted," Daly has done what most of his professional golfer counterparts, indeed, celebrities in general, have not: he actually follows the people who follow him. Imagine that? Following many of the people who like you, want to hear what you have to say, and enjoy following your career. What a novel idea.
John Daly's "Tweeps"
The "twitterverse" is as free a place as the United States, and there’s no rule that requires a person, celebrity or otherwise, to follow everyone who follows them, or even most. Certainly, there are people/fans who take things over the edge (of sanity), but a star who makes full use of one medium they choose to use will go a long way toward building a fan base and strengthening their platform.
By all appearances, JD genuinely enjoys communicating with his Twitter friends. He answers most questions (with more than canned, expected responses), responds to well wishers, invites others to have conversations with him, and simply interacts.
Social Media Interaction
John has figured out the true utility of Twitter for building a fan base; being genuine. As of this writing, he has a Twitter following of 24,000 and he’s following nearly the same number of people. Given his interaction with followers, starting with simply following most of them and continuing through being as responsive as possible within his schedule, people like him. They like hearing about his game, his fitness, his new choices in attire, his life, his jokes.
Now, what would happen if he dropped in a few tweets about a favorite charity, maybe asking for donations or participation? It's very likely people would respond. Daly’s response rate would be far above many other celebrities who don’t interact with fans, or whose interactions are simply one-way and/or hollow.
Daly has found the secret to Twitter, and seemingly to golf and to life, as well. At a time when professional golf tours are struggling to maintain sponsorship levels and fan base, due in part by the sluggish economy, Daly has taken the lead in bringing people closer to the game they love. He’s open, he’s himself, and he’s genuine. Success, and people, will follow.
