In recognition of Ryan A. Conklin's 5000th follower on Twitter, it's time to look at what's been happening there. For one thing, it's clear that Ryan uses it as his primary means for letting his fans know every day that he's okay. (Thank you for that, Ryan!!) With his tweets, Ryan tells a little about what he's experiencing, what he's thinking, and what he's interested in, plus a hodgepodge of randomness to keep readers on their toes. By the time of his 5000th follower, Ryan had posted 91 tweets since June 15, or about 45 a month. As would be expected with his little down time, Ryan doesn't tweet as much as the more prolific RWB alumni like Scott Herman and Chet Cannon. Another difference between Ryan and those two is that Ryan doesn't do as many @replies to people, only 16 so far.
As one of the lucky people who has received one of those rare rewards, I can report to everyone that the sensation of finding something like that on your twitter page is akin to Charlie finding the golden ticket wrapped around his chocolate bar. Woot!
Looking at Ryan's status messages, the most pervasive theme is his distress from the oppressive heat and blowing sand. Ryan tries to make light of it by saying things like the sand stuck on his sweaty body has made him into an Iraqi sugar cookie. Considering the heat, he said that he sweated on patrol more than a Trekkie would at a Leonard Nimoy yard sale.
He also provides specific information about what's happening to him. For instance, when get got air conditioning in his Humvee, when he switched patrol areas, and when he got his promotion to sergeant.
On the kind of things that interest him, he mentions some of the music he listens to (e.g. The Decemberists, For the Foxes, The Lonely Island, Green day), and movies he watches (Garden State, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, Ace Ventura, Jr, No Country for Old Men).
Of the mundane, there are the things he eats: corn on the cob, S'mores Pop-Tarts, and M&Ms.
Then there is the random stuff that is off the wall, such as quotes like these: "I'm taking a piss on the cradle of civilization." or "Put the lotion in the basket." Okay.
Finally, there is fan appreciation that Ryan shows for the actor Fred Savage. One wonders if Ryan feels a connection with the character Kevin Arnold and his family from The Wonder Years, considering Ryan also has a sister and an older brother. In any case, Ryan expressed that he takes moral guidance from wondering "What would Fred Savage do?" To have a reason to spend time with him, Ryan stated he would like to play the game of Connect Four with him.
In conclusion, the only reasonable assessment that can be made about Ryan Conklin on Twitter is that Ryan is undeniably a tweetheart. ♥
http://twitter.com/RyanAConklin
