This is a case study about social media usage by the very tall.

To the coverage of H&R Block, Dell, Comcast, Southwest, Papa John’s, Whole Foods and other brands for their successful use of social media, I offer another: The Phoenix Suns.

Led by Suns’ Director of Digital Media Amy Martin (@phoenixsunsgirl) the NBA team has launched an array of social media initiatives designed to create intense loyalty among fans, and to turn casual sports enthusiasts into Suns patrons.

The Suns’ social media effort has been building for years, but has hit a crescendo with the addition of Shaquille O’Neal to Twitter. Considered by most to be one of the Top 10 players in history (and 2nd best ever at his position), the goofy but insightful Shaq has more than 34,000 followers to his Twitter account, making him one of the most popular Twitter users globally. This after a Phoenix-area fan created an ultra-believable faux Shaq account that was covered by the New York Times, among others.

Amy Martin says that Shaq’s Twitter embrace dramatically increa