Chad Ochocinco isn’t just a two-sport athlete, playing football for the Bengals and soccer for Sporting Kansas City. He’s also the most influential American on Twitter.
David Leonhardt of the New York Times reports that the researchers at Twitalyzer rank Ochocinco second, behind only to Brazilian comedian Rafinha Bastos, in terms of worldwide Twitter influence.
Twitalyzer measures influence by how people shape the conversation on Twitter, in terms of being mentioned and having their own tweets re-tweeted, and not just how many followers a tweeter reaches. So Ochocinco, whose Twitter account features breaking stories from the Ochocinco News Network, is more influential on Twitter than celebrities like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, who have far more followers than he does.
Ochocinco checks in one spot ahead of Conan O’Brien in the Twitter influence rankings. The other Americans in the Top 10 are No. 5. Ryan Seacrest, No. 6. Snoop Dogg, No. 7. Barack Obama, No. 8. Rainn Wilson and No. 9. Kim Kardashian.