Kids today may not know this, but there used to be these things called “books.” They were kind of like iPads, only they were made from dead trees and a liquid dye called “ink.” There was even a show on PBS devoted to them called Reading Rainbow, hosted by Star Trek’s LeVar Burton.
The show has been off the air since 2006, but it looks like the Reading Rainbow brand may finally be coming to the digital age in the form of an app.
But first, Burton had to stake his claim on a prime piece of Twitter real estate: the @ReadingRainbow Twitter handle.
Burton wrote:
Dear @twitter I’m trying to contact the individual who’s sitting on @ReadingRainbow but he hasn’t Tweeted in #3YEARS Can you help? Thanks!
Within two hours, Burton had regained control of the account from a user named @Loclif who was more than happy to relinquish the handle:
@readingrainbow For the record, I’m not a Twitterbot, and I will proudly follow Reading Rainbow now that it’s in the proper hands! Hi LeVar!
There don’t appear to be any hard feelings from Burton’s end either. Here is the first tweet sent under @ReadingRainbow’s new ownership:
@Loclif Hi… #bydhttmwfi
The hashtag is an acronym for “But you don’t have to take my word for it,” the catchphrase Burton would use to introduce a segment where children reviewed their favorite books.
Hey, that sounds a bit like “crowdsourcing” and “user-generated content,” doesn’t it? I’m pretty sure Reading Rainbow will adapt just fine to the digital world. Take my word for it.