BW grad is Twitter sensation with the scoop on poop

You might think it a "crappy" job tweeting about sewage and stormwater, but the "can-doo-doo" attitude of one Baldwin Wallace University alumnus is resulting in ingenious tweets on what happens once you flush.

John Gonzalez '00, communications manager for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD), has earned notoriety and quite a following on social media by being relevant, witty and sharp with puns and jokes.

"Relevance definitely matters. How can we be relevant to the conversation," said Gonzalez in an interview with News 5 Cleveland.

Undergrad career connection

Gonzalez started with NEORSD in 2000 as an intern while studying English at BW.

"I wasn't completely sure where my English major would lead me once I declared it ... But my passion for writing and creativity led me from there to writing and editing for The Exponent [BW's student newspaper], which led me to a Career Center email invitation to apply for a communications internship with the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District," he said.

Engaging potty puns

In another news feature on the now Twitter sensation, FreshWater Cleveland noted that in a single 25-day period, NEORSD sent out 400 tweets which made a whopping 1.2 million impressions.

"Social media needs to be engaging, educational, or entertaining," Gonzalez told FreshWater. "We've found a niche focusing more on the entertainment value."

The NEORSD Twitter account has managed to tie sewage and stormwater to hot topics such as the Super Bowl, "Game of Thrones" and the live-action "The Lion King" movie.

Broader strategy

Gonzalez also noted that NEORSD is a "faceless entity" in many ways; therefore, people do not tend to recognize the impact of the organization.

He told the Water Environment Federation's "Words on Water" podcast that the fun and creative approach to social media is part of a broader NEORSD communication strategy to creatively "educate, entertain, and engage" with customers.

To see what else Gonzalez is doing and what new poop jokes are being tossed around, follow the NEORSD Twitter account.