In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Fast & Furious star Vin Diesel joked that Facebook owes him billions of dollars.
The 45-year-old claimed he helped boost the social network’s profile when he signed on back in 2009, creating a maelstrom of online fans that have now swelled into a colossal page with over 41 million Likes.
“What Facebook didn’t realize is something very big was about to happen, and that was, for the first time in history, and it’s kind of a fluke they didn’t see this coming, when I jumped on that page in April 2009, I started talking to people. In the realest ways,” Diesel told the magazine.
Facebook pages for Rihanna, Lady Gaga, The Simpsons and other high profile pages have since eclipsed the actor, but in the early years of the social network, Diesel was on top. He attributes that social media success to fan engagement and personal involvement.
“My audience knows me so well on the page that if my producing partner’s in the room when I post, they’ll know somebody was around me. That’s kind of cool, that’s how sophisticated they are. Facebook really owes me billions of dollars. But whatever.”
According to Diesel, when he first signed up he was the only person whose Facebook page had more than a million fans, runner-up to President Barack Obama. Now, because of his intimate involvement on the network his online fandom has even surpassed Mr. President. Even Facebook headquarters originally didn’t understand how he was so popular on the new site.
“Facebook used to ask me to come up to their office to explain what the f–k I was doing, and why I had so many fans,” he reminisced. His secret, he believes, is that he decided to stick with a personal approach.
“I never let anyone do a post, I never let anyone post for me in the last four years,” he told the magazine.
“Imagine if you could’ve been a Facebook friend to Marlon Brando, or whoever your role models are. Imagine, if you were able to Facebook Elvis, and talk to him, and hear from him without the Hollywood of it all.”
Source: USmagazine
