The Race
On Feb. 2, 2011, each of the four Tweet Race teams embarked from their assigned city — New York, Tampa, Chicago or Los Angeles — on a 3-day, 1400-mile driving challenge with Dallas at the finish line. But this race was different. It was not about speed, but rather about generating the most Twitter activity around a dedicated team hashtag.
The game-like nature of the race and the high levels of online engagement generated by teams created a wave that swept across the social media world. In the end, participants emerged with a strong and ongoing sense of community, hours of content with which to relive the race and the feeling that they had been part of something truly historic.