<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"As we reported yesterday, Shaquille O\u2019Neal is on Twitter, and it\u2019s definitely the real Shaq.  But two days ago as a few people started discovering The Big Aristotle\u2019s account, not everyone was convinced.  \nBryant Blount (aka lord_b) was one of the doubters after first hearing about @THE_REAL_SHAQ on a sports website.  The back and forth between the two ultimately lead to an unforgettable phone call for a sports fan, and perhaps proves once and for all that Shaq is the coolest star athlete on the planet.\nAfter first hearing about Shaq\u2019s presence on Twitter, Blount decided to follow him.  A few hours later, much to Blount\u2019s surprise, Shaq followed him back.  Skeptical, Blount tweeted \u201Cshaq has requested to follow me...boy is he gonna be disappointed.\u201D  \nA bit later, he added \u201Cstill 30% skeptical about shaq tweeting...will continue to investigate and report back with any new findings.\u201D  Low and behold, Shaq responded at 1am (the guy doesn\u2019t appear to sleep based on his tweets), \u201CLORD B, DNT B SKEPTICAL, ITS ME GIMME A NUMBER I WILL CALL U.\u201D  \nThe Call\nSince Blount\u2019s Twitter account is private, he decided to go ahead and post his phone number.  Blount explained to me what happened the next day at work.  \u201CI was just doing some stuff at work and tweeted \u2018waiting for the big Aristotle to enlighten me\u2019.  Then a blocked number came up on my phone and I answered.  It definitely sounded like Shaq,\u201D he told me.   A bit starstruck, the two chatted for \u201C3 or 4 minutes\u201D about Twitter, the \"fake\" Shaq, and Blount\u2019s hometown \u2013 New Haven, CT \u2013 where Shaq apparently used to play basketball with some people.  \nIs Shaq Really That Cool?\nAfter the conversation, Shaq tweeted \u201CI just talk to my good friend lord b, hes cool, im a invite him to a game , him and his family.\u201D  Of course, all of this was simply amazing to Blount, who tweeted, \u201C@THE_REAL_SHAQ Big ups to shaq for making my life with that call. you can see why the big fella needs so many nicknames\u2014he's mad cool.\u201D  \nExpanding beyond 140 characters, Blount told me \u201CI just thought it was amazing that Shaq was tweeting and really direct.  A lot of [athletes] have blogs, MySpace, and Facebook, but Shaq on Twitter is pretty crazy because a lot of people are hearing him.  I was never a huge Shaq fan, but one of the things he said was \u2018I\u2019m a regular guy just like you.\u2019  I think he\u2019s a great guy and a great person, you can just tell.\u201D\nWhat\u2019s Next For Shaq on Twitter?\nKathleen Hessert, who manages Shaq\u2019s online marketing, commented on our post yesterday:  \u201CShaq is a joyful person and a riot to be around. He not only gets attention but actually attracts people - he\u2019s magnetic and genuine. That\u2019s why I recommended that he twitter. Frankly it suits him and he\u2019s one of a select few who actually do care about his fans. He\u2019s learning twitter on the run and tomorrow I\u2019m showing him how to respond@ to a fan.\u201D  \nSure enough, today saw Shaq make his first reply to a follower.  The big man is clearly enjoying himself on the service, and while it might be more of a testament to his personality than the  virtues of Twitter, it\u2019s remarkable to watch."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2008/11/21/shaq-twitter/>