Tracy Ringolsby’s guide to Twitter
“Being a very public sports media figure, and apparently a writer, you may want to figure out how to express yourself better. At the next Root Sports staff meeting, ask Joel Klatt if he knows what the hell you’re talking about. He’s going to fake a phone call and head out of the room.”
Root Sports commentator Tracy Ringolsby (@ROOTSPORTS_TR) is great at sugar coating the calamity at Coors Field, but the “Cowboy” as he’s known, needs to be brought up to speed a little on social media. Recently I tried to find out just what the hell he was talking about when he took the time to chastise RockiesReview.com’s David Martin (@RockiesReview) for something he said that Ringolsby didn’t agree with. Martin didn’t understand either and asked for a clarification. That’s when I jumped in. I’ve been retweeting Ringolsby’s nonsensical ramblings for some time because their out of context hilarity has shined a light on the glaring gap between the old school journos and the next wave of sports reporting that’s already crashed on the shore. But now I’m here to help.
So for Ringolsby’s benefit, here is a guide to Twitter, just for him.
First of all, try not being such a dick. I know you’re not on Twitter to make friends but your caustic replies and rebukes of people wanting to criticize the Rockies make you look even more like the crusty old man you probably are. We know you’re in full defend-the-Rockies mode, we get that. But I think even the Rockies would appreciate you smoothing the way with a slightly less abrasive approach with the fans. Dexter Fowler is a shining example of how a player, who could have checked out three months ago, is still reaching out to fans because he knows you’ll never get them back next season if your Twitter feed is all piss and vinegar.
Like this: “Nobody made this required reading. If you don’t like the posts don’t read them. Pretty simple.” Hey, hey. I know things at 20th and Blake have gone south like a goose in October, but there’s no need to be like this to fans looking for insight into a team gone horribly awry.
Next tip: When you reply to someone, remember to include their Twitter handle. Otherwise it becomes an insane conversation with no one for all to see. During our time together you bitterly sermonized, “that’s what the view conversation tab is for.” Got it. Been using Twitter for awhile and if I could have made heads or tails out of what you were talking about, the conversation tab would have cleared it up. But it didn’t. Being a very public sports media figure, and apparently a writer, you may want to figure out how to express yourself better. At the next Root Sports staff meeting, ask Joel Klatt if he knows what the hell you’re talking about. He’s going to fake a phone call and head out of the room.
And then there was this:
“you have seen it 3 times at Coors. Don’t be greedy”@WPatrickOwen: @ROOTSPORTS_TR Will I get to see playoff baseball in my life? ( I am 44).”
You might want to add an LOL (laugh out loud) or a 🙂 to the end of what you wrote. I have no idea if you were kidding or not. I hope you were, but we have no way of knowing because you haven’t grasped the simple concept of sarcasm on social media. This poor bastard was asking you a real question that could have been handled a little better. Marc Moser (@AvalancheRadio) does a great job of pumping up Avs fans, disappointed by the last couple of seasons, on Twitter. Give his feed a once over and you may get it. Mark Kiszla (@markkiszla) is another one you can take a cue from. Hell, he’s still got a job working for a newspaper, so he has to be your hero in some regard right? He writes some outrageously unpopular stuff and manages to keep it civil on Twitter with a good nature that comes out in his tweets. I think he has the whole @ reply thing down too and ditched his AOL account years ago.
And that’s it really. Put a period before a follower’s name when you reply and everyone will be able to see it. #FF stands for Follow Friday and SMH stands for ‘shaking my head’. You probably do that a lot with some of these knucklehead Rockies fans upset about the crappy baseball being played that you can’t voice your real opinion of.
It’s great that someone of your era has embraced social media, and while I appreciate the tip you gave me, I think you’re really the one who needs it. Keep it coherent and keep it light. The Rockies are awful and we don’t want the Monforts mouthpiece bumming any more fans out via crusty FU’s to anyone who doesn’t agree. Twitter can be a scary, confusing place and if you need help, we’re there for you Cowboy. Just don’t forget to actually hit reply or no will know who you’re talking to.
