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Boston Marathon

Twitter IPO: Who rang the bell at NYSE?

Brett Molina
USA TODAY
From left, British actor Sir Patrick Stewart, Vivienne Harr and Cheryl Fiandaca, after the ringing of the opening bell to mark Twitter's highly anticipated initial public offering.

Microblogging service Twitter invited some special guests to help ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange, ushering in the era of Twitter as a publicly-traded company.

Sir Patrick Stewart -- better known as Jean-Luc Picard or Professor X to Star Trek and X-Men fans respectively -- joined 9-year-old Vivienne Harr and Cheryl Fiandaca, public information bureau chief with the Boston Police Department.

As expected, the trio were grouped together based on their connections to Twitter. Vivienne (@vivienneharr) used the service to spread awareness of child slavery through a lemonade stand she ran every day for one year, raising more than $100,000.

"Twitter helped her moment become a movement," said Eric Harr, Vivienne's father, in a statement. "We believe that Twitter makes good on the long-held promise that one person can change the world."

Fiandaca (@CherylFiandaca) leaned on Twitter to share critical updates during the bombing of the Boston Marathon in April using the @bostonpolice Twitter feed.

As Twitter explains it, Stewart (@sirpatstew) uses the service to give "the world a glimpse into himself, and his life," such as the time he dressed as a lobster for Halloween.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @bam923.

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