By Jessica Camerato
CSNNE.com
What does Paul Pierce have in common with New York Yankee outfielder Nick Swisher and pro skateboarder Ryan Sheckler?
Theyre all on Twitter . . . and theyre all good at it.
Pierce was named the second-most influential athlete on Twitter this week by Ad.ly, a company that runs celebrity endorsements in social media. According to the Ad.ly press release, the list is based on the Q1 Ad.ly Consumer Influence Index which measures athletes who drive the most consumer visit to brands sites, videos, apps, and more.
Sheckler ranked number one, while Los Angeles Lakers Sixth Man of the Year Lamar Odom ranked third behind Pierce.
Twitters dramatic growth over the past 12 months is due in large part to its adoption by athletes and artistswho bring millions of passionate fans with them to the social web, said Arnie Gullov-Singh, CEO, Ad.ly, Inc in the release. These celebrities create the lions share of the content people want on Twitter. They're the Prime Time in social media.
Ad.lys list of top 10 most influential athletes in Twitter features (as of May 4, 2011):
Boston Celtics
1.Ryan Sheckler (@RyanSheckler) -- Professional Skateboarder -- 1,825,676 followers
2.Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) -- Boston Celtics, NBA -- 1,818,226 followers
3.Lamar Odom (@RealLamarOdom) -- LA Lakers, NBA -- 1,427,831 followers
4.Apolo Anton Ohno (@ApoloOhno) -- Olympic Speedskater, USA252,889 followers
5.Nick Swisher (@NickSwisher) -- New York Yankees, MLB -- 1,319,996 followers
6.Jalen Rose (@JALENROSE) - Phoenix Suns, Retired, NBA - 296,382 followers
7.Steven Jackson (@sj39) -- St. Louis Rams, NFL68,688 followers
8.Kirk Morrison (@kirkmorrison55) -- Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL363,962 followers
9.Darnell Dockett (@ddockett) -- Arizona Cardinals, NFL66,341 followers
10.Shaun Phillips (@ShaunPhillips95) -- San Diego Chargers, NFL424,864 followers
Jessica Camerato is on Twitter at http:twitter.com!JCamerato.