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"Shaquille O'Neal \u2014 all 7-plus feet and 300-plus pounds of him \u2014 isn't just known for casting a huge shadow on the basketball court. He looms large in social media, too, as America's most-followed athlete (second in the world behind Brazilian soccer star Kaka) and Twitter's first-ever verified celebrity account. \nHe's known for interacting with fans, announcing whimsical stunts like posing as a statue in Harvard Square and even  announcing his retirement this year via social media. \nBut these and other \"Random Acts of Shaqness\" aren't just the brainchild of the big man himself \u2014 many were developed in tandem with Amy Jo Martin, founder of Digital Royalty, a firm launched in 2009 to develop social media strategies with athletes, celebrities and companies looking to enhance their online presence.\nMartin began working with Shaq in 2008 when he played for the Phoenix Suns and she was in charge of the team's digital media efforts. She went from showing him how to navigate Twitter's technical aspects \u2014 \"he said he wanted to 'take this thing over,'\" she recalls \u2014 to developing extremely successful social media campaigns that helped turn Shaq into a Twitter superstar. \nBefore long, Martin started Digital Royalty and has since worked with other athletes and teams including the Chicago White Sox, Lance Armstrong and Dwayne \"The Rock\" Johnson. And her influence has only continued to grow. Now, she says, some 60% of her clients \u2014 including Doubletree by Hilton and Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh \u2014 come from outside the sporting world.      \nQ&amp;A With Amy Jo Martin\nHere, Martin, 32, tells Mashable how Shaq took over Twitter, what makes for a successful online presence and where she sees social media going in the future. \nMashable: Shaq has long been known for his effervescent personality. What made him so successful transitioning that to social media?\nAJM: Shaq is really willing to buy into experiments and ideas and this space is all about innovation. I believe very little actually has to do with technology\u2014that's just a portion that complements the objective, which really comes down to communication and imagination. Whether it's the Random Acts or retirement, he was always willing to experiment, and those experiments are what we have now turned into best practices. And his intent is really in the right place, in he didn't have a desire to grow his social media presence because a specific brand wanted him to, but out of a genuine desire to interact with fans.  \n\u201CWith sports, the value is inherent in that there is a lot of natural storytelling ability. But with corporate brands that may not be the case, so humanizing the brand is key.\"\nMashable: What are some of your favorite Twitter campaigns with Shaq, ones that he or his fans particularly enjoyed? \nAJM: Random Acts is one thing he really riffed on and took from team to team and just carried out in different capacities. Sometimes he would call fans, or stand out on the street giving away tickets. It was a really grassroots approach. He decided to go on a diet once, and so we had the \"Shaq Lite\" diet, where the only rule was that if you cheated you had to tweet it, and fans really took to that. Those types of things were really innocent and organic and self-managed. \nMashable: Before you started your own company, was there one moment when you realized social media could be enormous for public figures?\nAJM: There wasn't one specific moment, but it was a pretty condensed period of time where I realized social media's potential power. With in-game signage and things like that, teams were already looking to bridge the gap with fans and make human connections. So social media became a new way to communicate with individual fans but in a scalable fashion. It just took a little while for it to become widely accepted. It's taken a while for corporate America as well as sports teams to see it as a communication tool as opposed to just an advertising channel. \nMashable: Besides Shaq, which other athletes do you think are particularly adept at using Twitter positively and effectively?\nAJM: Steve Nash, who I helped early on, has really been able to vocalize his opinions on the NBA lockout and other issues. Lance Armstrong is someone who was an early adopter but doesn't get enough credit. A lot of athletes think they need to be edgy to get noticed, and he's edgy but also understands the types of things fans want. For example, if he just gets a new bike or is on a really cool ride, he'll share visuals, which fans really want to see.   \nMashable: What are some of the basic keys to a celebrity becoming successful online?\nAJM: One thing is identifying value. For example, with The Rock the common denominator is his personality. He could be giving inspirational tips, exclusive info, or other insights, but it's his personality that is the real value for fans in all of these different pockets. The other big thing is intent. It's not just about putting more of a spotlight on the athlete, it's about engagement. It's a dialogue, not a monologue, and some people don't understand that. Social media is more like a telephone than a television. \n\u201CThe ability to be able to communicate with people one-on-one and still be able to do so in scalable way is extremely powerful.\"\nMashable: You also do a lot of work now with non-sports entities as well. What are the similarities and differences there compared to working with teams or celebrity athletes?\nAJM: With sports, the value is inherent in that there is a lot of natural storytelling ability. But with corporate brands that may not be the case, so humanizing the brand is key, like making Doubletree by Hilton more relatable than just a logo. That can be difficult at times but we really try to tell the story of a brand through the voices of the individuals who are living it. Doubletree is a good example, where some executives are speaking on behalf of their brand. They can actually be pretty hilarious and add thoughts on sports or travel and it can be really fun.\nMashable: Where do you see social media going in the future?\nAJM: The ability to be able to communicate with people one-on-one and still be able to do so in a scalable way is extremely powerful. Brands being able to really unwrap the layers and interact with people triggers more loyalty and response and becomes a whole new layer of how we communicate. When you remove the traditional gatekeepers of communication, the potential is just infinite. It's really only limited by the spread of technology worldwide and how long that takes. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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