On March 17, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City temporarily shut its doors because of the coronavirus pandemic. The same day it gave over its Twitter account to its director of security Tim Send because non-essential staff were no longer supposed to be in the building. The rest is history.
On March 17, the museum had just under 10,000 Twitter followers. Now two-and-a-half weeks later, it has more than 275,000.
"I think it's my 15 minutes," Tim told FOX23 Friday.
No doubt Tim Send is Twitter famous. His first tweet for the National Cowboy Museum has about 53,000 likes and more than 6,000 retweets.
Hello, my name is Tim and I am the head of security for The Cowboy. I have been asked to take on the additional duty of social media management while the museum is closed. I’m new to this but excited. My team will also continue to protect and monitor the museum. Thanks, Tim Send pic.twitter.com/bPiXD9DoAd
— Nat'l Cowboy Museum (@ncwhm) March 17, 2020
He's getting attention from celebrities like Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, and Toby Keith. Not bad for a Twitter novice.
"Never done Twitter before this, absolutely,” Tim said. "It shows. Ya, it definitely shows."
When this is all over the first place I want to go is The National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma to meet my new hero, Tim. Thanks, Tim https://t.co/hqQuboMqYz
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) March 25, 2020
The best streaming show right now is called “Watch Head of Security Tim Learn To Use Twitter.” Charming, informative and hilarious. https://t.co/Dsp6hBLvRQ
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) March 25, 2020
Should've learned to rope and ride. #hashtagShouldveBeenACowboy https://t.co/ajzaSvffXi
— Toby Keith (@tobykeith) March 25, 2020
It’s that Twitter inexperience that seems to be connecting with people.
Like when he tweeted out a picture of the hat and eye patch John Wayne wore in True Grit, and it said "hashtag John Wayne" with the word hashtag written out ... instead of just the symbol.
"You know, it was kind of a joke," he said.
This is the hat and eyepatch the Duke wore in the movie True Grit. They are part of our Exhibition about the 2 True Grit. Lots of interesting props and clothes. I’m told I can’t try it on. Hashtag John Wayne. Lucas, my grandson, told me to use hashtags. Thanks, Tim pic.twitter.com/yNO3RP4uA4
— Nat'l Cowboy Museum (@ncwhm) March 17, 2020
There are lots of tongue-in-cheek jokes in the National Cowboy Museum twitter feed now. When New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art -- the Met -- tweeted at him, Tim's response was "Nice to met you."
"They can call them dad jokes or whatever makes them happy,” Tim said. “They're just fun."
But not everything on the Twitter feed is a joke. This March 18 tweet is a picture of people trying to get unemployment benefits in San Francisco in 1937.
This is one of her photos of people lined up at a social security office in San Francisco trying to get unemployment benefits in 1937. It was a tough time then. And it looks like it’s going to be a tough time now. But we get through these times together, don’t we? Thanks, Tim pic.twitter.com/UUXUlCiS2H
— Nat'l Cowboy Museum (@ncwhm) March 18, 2020
“It’s tough,” Tim said. “But ya, I would like everybody to try to keep a positive attitude as much as they can about all this.”
Tim and the National Cowboy Museum Twitter feed are trying to do their best to help with that positive attitude.
"I think people are looking for something to brighten their day as a distraction to what is going on around them,” Tim said. “And I think that's what we've created here."
Tim told FOX23 the tweets are a collaborative effort with the museum’s marketing team. He said they do a lot of work on them, but he definitely gives his input too.
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