Tony and the Art of Twitter

by Jenny LeeMar 12, 2010

If you haven’t jumped on the Twitter bandwagon yet, there is one reason to do so: Tony.

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is a visionary leader committed to the pursuit of growth, trust, and most of all, happiness. Twitter, he acknowledges, has helped in his quest to become a better person. According to Tony’s blog, Twitter keeps him accountable to his personal values; encourages him to see life through a funnier, more positive lens; inspires him to make a positive impact on other people’s lives, and serves as a reminder to appreciate the small things in life.

Some of his tweets will make you laugh, and feel oddly yet soothingly reminiscent of “Deep Thoughts” by Jack Handey:

• Feeling pensive today and pondering life’s big questions. For example, what does Luke Skywalker do on father’s day?

• Going fishing for first time w/ board member. I think they might be taking the whole “teach a man to fish” thing too literally

• At a friend’s house and when I walked by a cactus it poked me. Personally, I find that unnecessary and a bit immature.

Others will provide a glimpse into his disarming and self-effacing sense of humor:

• At MGM for Britney Spears concert! Wait, did I really just admit that to 500k Twitter followers? I meant I’m at home reading.

• At Vegas airport. While in bathroom, I had an AMAZING revelation: Toilet seat covers are shaped exactly the same as life vests!

Others are simple and beautiful inspirational quotes:

• “Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” – Abraham Lincoln

• “In the pursuit of knowledge, something is added every day. In the pursuit of enlightenment, something is dropped every day” -Lao Tzu

• Be Humble: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.” – Shunryu Suzuki

Others are an amalgam of the above. My all-time favorite Tony tweet, quoting Winnie the Pooh: “If the person you’re talking to isn’t listening, be patient. Maybe he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”

Tony is a master at building relationships and cultivating community, simply by being himself. He’s found a way to use Twitter to speak to his strengths and inspire legions of followers.

Join Tony’s over 1.6 million followers at: http://twitter.com/zappos.

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