Roger Federer aces impromptu Twitter Q&A

As smooth as he is on the tennis court, @rogerfederer may be even smoother on Twitter.

The tennis superstar held a Twitter Q&A back on October 8 and enjoyed it so much that he did another one on October 29. For this one, he asked the questions, and his fans answered.

Beginning with that impromptu Tweet, Federer exclusively used the hashtag #AskedRF, a subtle and clever variation of the #AskRF hashtag employed for the previous Q&A. He used Twitter as a platform to interact with fans, and his quirkily humorous questions sparked a surge of responses. Federer retweeted their answers liberally. Here’s how #AskedRF dialogue drove increased mentions of @rogerfederer.

Federer opened up the hour-long Q&A by asking fans what tennis rule they want changed.

He encouraged fans to tweet him images of the coolest tennis photos out there.

One of Federer’s most engaging Tweets was an answer to his own question. After asking fans which athlete they would like to see him play in a different sport, he suggested facing LeBron James (@KingJames).

Federer’s most retweeted and favorited Tweet came at the end of the Q&A with an open-ended question that inspired some creative and funny suggestions from his fans. One of the best responses he retweeted was among the simplest:

The #AskedRF session demonstrates the versatility of the Q&A format. Federer didn’t need a moderator or other accounts to promote it, and he didn’t even hold a traditional Q&A. All he needed was a unique hashtag and entertaining questions.

Do you know of other innovative uses of Twitter? Write to [email protected].