Thanks to the efforts of an alumnus, Hillsdale College got its handle back.
Its Twitter handle, that is.
Before Jan. 31, Hillsdale’s Twitter handle, or username, was “Hillsdale1.” Someone else had already taken “Hillsdale” and the 15-letter limit on handles prevented the college from using “HillsdaleCollege.” So they added the one.
@Joshuamercer ’99 lives in Petoskey, Mich. He is the co-founder of Catholic Vote, a political activist group, and manages the organization’s Twitter account. He follows Hillsdale on Twitter and didn’t like the “1” tacked on to Hillsdale’s name.
“It was such a bummer,” Mercer said. “Every time I saw it, it got under my skin a little bit.”
Mercer decided to try to get the handle for his alma mater.
Who was using “Hillsdale” on Twitter? Hillsdale News, an internet publication from a neighborhood in Portland, Ore.
One phone call was all it took. Mercer called the publication’s editor, Rick Seifert, and eight hours after deciding to find “Hillsdale” for the college, Mercer was turning over the username to Joseph Cella ’91, a communication and marketing consultant for the school.
“We’re grateful to Josh for acquiring the Twitter name and donating it to his alma mater,” Cella said.
