Friday was a day of wonder.
At eight o’clock that evening I witnessed the miracle that is modern space travel from a church parking lot crowded with grade schoolers, the International Space Station hundreds of miles overhead. We watched as the tin can with three occupants inside cut a west-to-east arc across the evening sky before disappearing into penumbral inkiness.
That nightcap was but a minor miracle compared to early in the day when I was present at the conception of David Boeri’s historic first “Tweet.” Why historic? This is the first time one of 90.9’s on-air voices has used the microblogging service. We’ve YouTubed the momentous event for posterity.
This was the result of a long, hard road we in WBUR New Media traveled these last few years. It has consumed hours of our time cajoling, yelling, pleading begging, and sending endless e-mails embedded with links to Jarvis, Carvin, Romenesko et al. to get here. Personally, I’m exhausted.
David’s earnest embrace of social media is still in the tentative phase, and I anticipate many fits and starts. Right now it’s baby steps all the way with me and others riding shot gun. Until he gets his sea legs, please overlook the occasional lapsed responses and other minor breaches of etiquette. I give him a helluva lot of credit. Where others have scoffed, he has jumped right on in.
Lacking the gift for extemporaneous gab, in the video I refer to David as an “on-air” personality. That has a far too banal and generic ring to it. He is far more than that, besides WBUR’s resident gumshoe and “Whitey” expert, David is a gentleman farmer, a storyteller without peer, father, husband, and now one of the “Tweeple.”
Welcome David to the Rebel Alliance. Long may you Tweet.
I wonder how many people outside of Boston get the Whitey reference. Heh. I suppose those Flickr pics in the right column help.
Good point. I guess I shouldn’t assume folks know about the infamous Bulger still on the lam. Wish I could claim credit for synchronizing those pics w/the post. A bit of fortuitous timing.
Anyone those outside the Hub can read all about “Whitey” here. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t plug David’s recent story about the John Connolly trial.
BTW: Congratulations!
[...] 17, 2008 by Ken George Ladies and gentleman “The Italian Navigator,” a.ka. David Boeri, resident Tweeter, amateur sleuth, gardener and orchardist, now can add [...]