Last but not least: "Twitter addresses to give away!"
Javier Castaño used to be a graphic designer; today, the Spaniard is a shoe shiner. Somewhere in between—back in the early days of the online service Twitter—he had secured numerous valuable account names.
But instead of turning his exclusive Twitter addresses into money, he uses them to make gifts to cities and countries. The latest beneficiary is Rio de Janeiro.
With the signature @riodejaneiro, the Brazilian city can send its messages at the Summer Olympics in a year and a half.
The 50-year-old explained to the AFP news agency why Castaño is not turning his pension into money: "I'm a poor shoeshine boy, but I have the privilege of giving a gift to eight million people in Rio." Castaño sent the city administration the password for the Rio account after they confirmed their identity. Of course, there was also a little thank you: "We are happy that we can use the name of our city in the social network," explained the Copacabana metropolis' tourism officer, Antonio Pedro Figueira Mello. Especially in view of the upcoming Olympic Games, the new Twitter name is "of great value" for Rio.
Castaño secured the Twitter name back in 2007, when the short messaging service was still in its infancy. Twitter is now so well established that countless official bodies use it to spread their messages. Castaño has already handed over the @canada and @madrid addresses to the respective authorities. Now he only has @japan. (SDA/uma)
