It all started on July 3, 2008, when 10TV launched the station's Twitter presence. 

"We noticed other television stations were using Twitter and social media, but we wanted to make it different for the Web community," the Bot said.

Initially, @10TV started sending out the Web site's RSS headlines on Twitter, but it clearly wasn't enough for the savvy Columbus social media scene.

"We started getting replies on Twitter from people who said that they did not just want to read our headlines," the Bot said.  "So I decided to reply.  Some Twitter users were rude about it.  They started asking me questions about my favorite color, favorite movie and ice cream flavor and I replied.  They were floored!"

@10TV quickly turned into a bot -- with a personality.

"People were kind of surprised by my snarky-ness," the Bot said.  "A lot of Web users say things over a computer that they might not normally say in person.  I would kind of put them in their place."

It quickly became an Internet sensation.  Twitter users soon "followed."  The Twitter community embraced the Bot and started following in droves.  A Facebook fan page just for the Bot later cropped up. 

By year's end, 10TV News anchors and reporters began tweeting. 

" Kurt Ludlow, 10TV's 5:30 p.m. anchorman, started sending tweets from the news set," the Bot said.  "Our viewers loved seeing his comments he would write on Twitter when he wasn't talking on TV.  We reached out to a whole new audience."

10TV News HD anchors Andrea Cambern and Jerry Revish joined in on the Twitter parade.  Reporters were sending tweets from their mobile devices while they were out covering news stories.  Chris Bradley and the Doppler 10 weather team started sending out forecasts and updated weather conditions.

Many 10TV News producers, photographers, assignment editors and news managers created their own Twitter accounts.

As Twitter became more mainstream in 2009, the Bot's followers grew too. 

"I am floored that I have nearly 5,000 followers," the Bot said.  "There were 1,000 followers at the start of the year, but our loyal viewers are commenting on our stories, sending us breaking news tips and even giving us story ideas through our page."

Several events were planned to celebrate the Bot's birthday.  Weekend fireworks were planned and the City of Columbus decided to have its fireworks on Friday night to coincide with the Bot's first birthday.

10TV thanks you for following Central Ohio's News Leader on Twitter and let's all hope for another successful year interacting with the people that matter most, you.

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