Chad Ochocinco is a man of his word.
The Patriots wide receiver told Metro yesterday that he still plans on taking an Emerson College class out to dinner to discuss the power of social media.
“I will stick to my word. Most definitely,” said Ochocinco.
Ochocinco said he’s interested in hearing Hub students’ views on their use of Internet platforms like Twitter.
Emerson Professor David Gerzof Richard, a social media expert who used Ochocinco to teach his class about using Twitter to create a brand, began talking to the football star several months ago.
Gerzof Richard’s students engaged in online conversations with Ochocinco, who has nearly 3 million followers, and arranged for him to teach the class for a day.
Due to time constraints, that teach-in turned into a tentative dinner date that Ochocinco said he intends to keep.
But as the semester comes to an end, Gerzof Richard hopes it happens soon.
“We have two weeks to do this,” he said. “But everything I have seen of Ochocinco, he puts his money where his mouth is. I haven’t seen him not pull through.”
Ochocinco said when he meets with Gerzof Richard’s class he will give them Twitter tips like “have fun with [what you tweet].”
“I have no filter, I say what’s on my mind,” said Ochocinco. “It is somewhat frowned upon, but I say whatever it is I feel and deal with the consequences later. I hold no punches.”
Gerzof Richard said with students graduating soon, taking Ochocinco’s advice could help them land social marketing jobs.
“There is something he does that makes him successful on Twitter and to try and understand that is what students could [learn from],” said Gerzof Richard.
What Ochocinco said:
On why he likes Twitter:
“There is a certain importance to Twitter, as far as for me, it allows me to gain my image and control it. [My image] is controlled by whatever the media portrays me to be. But with Twitter I control it and control what I say. If you want to know what’s going on in my life you can actually follow me. Twitter cuts out the media middleman. Without them, you get whatever you want straight from the horses mouth.”
On how he deals with all the “@” on Twitter:
“I go through them little by little. I don’t keep Twitter alerts on my phone.”
On why he agreed to meet the class:
“I just thought it would be interesting to hear their views and opinions on social media, and the way they use it. Maybe they have some ideas that would change the things I do on Twitter and make me better at tweeting.”
On his favorite thing about Twitter:
“It makes people accessible. It’s never been like this before. It’s fun for fans, and it’s fun for me. You might not be able to actually talk to celebrities, but the fact that you can reach out is enough for fans. It has a certain excitement to it.”
On when he will do the dinner:
“Whenever I have the time I will let [Gerzof Richard] know. I will stick to my word. Most definitely. You’ll hear about it when it happens.”
View the story “@Ochocinco answers the call” on Storify]
Follow Steve Annear on Twitter @steveannear.
