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MTV gets its first Twitter Deejay

Looks like Video Deejays are as 80s as shoulder pads, big hair and a Commodore 64

Remember when MTV debuted in 1981 with VJs, the on-air music equivalent of record-spinning deejays?

If you do -- you child of the 80s with your leg warmers and Commodore 64 - then take note: After a three-month competition, MTV's viewers chose a 23-year-old woman to serve as the company's first Twitter Deejay, or TJ.

Gabi Gregg , a 2008 cum laude graduate of Mount Holyoke College, was named the network's first TJ Sunday night at the conclusion of the "Follow Me: The Search for the first MTV TJ" competition. The woman behind the popular blog "Young, Fat and Fabulous," Gregg will be focused on engaging MTV's young audience with tweets .

"I cannot express my gratitude in 140 characters. I love all of you so much. Follow me at @mtvtj!," Gregg tweeted Sunday night after her big win.

Gregg's job will be to tweet about MTV with behind-the-scenes information, as well as offer up music and celebrity links and answer followers' questions.

Today, the TJ tweeted about having to sign a lot of paperwork for her new job, the fact that she started her new job wearing "skinny jeans" and how her day has been filled with interviews.

Dan Olds, an analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group and a man who does remember the Commodore 64 and the advent of MTV videos, said this is a good experiment for MTV, a network trying not to show its age .

"We're going to see a lot of these types of experiments down the road," said Olds. "I don't know if it's going to catch on or not, but it's cheap and easy to try and definitely worth a shot. The name of the game is to attract eyeballs and hold on to them. With things like Twitter and Facebook , the cost of trying new things is very low -- so we're going to see a bunch of things thrown up against the wall to see what sticks."

Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at @sgaudin or subscribe to Sharon's RSS feed . Her e-mail address is sgaudin@computerworld.com .

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