TRAPPSTR

Top 9 tweets of 2009

Posted on 31. Dec, 2009 by Brett in Creative Communication

The Chinese calendar has it wrong. 2009 has been the year of the tweet. I estimate that I’ve read over 108,000 tweets this year. I’ve favorited the best ones along the way and culled that list down to my top 9 tweets of 2009. Some are funny. Some are pure art. Telling a joke, a story, or some revelation in 140 characters is a beautiful thing. These are the best of the best. These are the ones who cleverly pack huge payloads of value into a small space, and our lives are better for it. We salute you master tweet-writers!

(My comments in red)

9. @prodigaljohn Of all the fence options for a new ATL kids’ bike path, barbed wire is an odd choice. Unless a fence made of scorpions was the other option.

Pure comedy from John Acuff, headman over at Stuff Christians Like.

8. @JimmyScroggins Jerry Rankin: A rat-meat eating, Jesus-loving, gospel-preaching field missionary who helped focus the IMB on church pltng. Worthy of honor.

Great tweets use vivid images. This is a great example where Jimmy describes a late missionary as “rat-meat eating.” Simple. Glorious.

7. @taylorbrooks You are not your job, you’re not how much money you have in the bank, you’re not the car you drive, you are not your flipping khakis.

I found out later that this is a variation of a quote from the movie Fight Club. I loved it so much, I wrote a whole blog post about it.

6. @mattskeller I just put on a jacket. Its getting colder. The sun has set on this day. One day closer to you.

I remember where I was when I read this tweet from my friend Matt, and for some reason it struck me with its beautiful simplicity. The best tweets prove that less is more.

5. @jacobsjosh My friend just got dumped. Current Facebook status of his ex-girl? “Freedom equals fun!” Wow; at least there’s plenty of fish in the sea…

My favorite tweets are ones where people tell quirky stories from their everyday lives. Thanks to my friend Josh for this fantasticly funny observation.

4. @claytonbell How to get to get rich: 1. Get M size shirt, call it XL. 2. Bedazzle MASSIVE cross/dragon/skull on shirt. 3. Sell shirt for $60 dollars.

I thought this was a really witty way to communicate a universal truth: Bedazzled, sparkly muscle shirts suck and men have no business wearing them…ever.

3. @challies “This is just one of the ways I know you love me,” said Nick when I fixed his Lego for him.

I’m not a parent, but I love it when moms and dads share these tender moments. I see God in this tweet.

2. @MattChandler74 I keep trying to explain we live on less an a 1/4 acre but to no avail http://twitpic.com/nkupn

Cute-kid tweet of the year in my opinion. I love how this tweet makes no sense until you look at the pic.

1. @benambuehl Liza: “Why is that man laying down?” Me: “I don’t know baby, I don’t know.” #bellringerfail http://tweetphoto.com/7030313

Tweet of the year! There is so much right about this tweet it makes me want to breakdance in church! It comes from my friend Ben (Liza is his daughter). What makes this tweet absolutely remarkable are the multiple overlapping elements. It makes use of

1. Something we have all experienced (Salvation Army bellringer)

2. Storytelling

3. Dialogue

4. Humor

5. A fail statement (more humor)

6. And an absolutely hilarious photo

Congrats to Ben Ambuehl, 2009 TRAPPSTR.com Tweeter of the Year!

And thanks to all of you who make my life richer through Twitter, Facebook, and this blog! God bless you all, and Happy New Year!

(A while back I wrote “6 Tips for Writing Red Hot Tweets.” Check it out.)