The Possibilities of Twitter.....

Shawn and I had an interesting discussion yesterday about TWITTER and the possibility of using it here in the 19th ward - and, with amazing speed, Shawn has integrated twitter into Location19! GREAT WORK Shawn......
So, what's the potential for using TWITTER in this community???
Imagine this: 100's of 19th ward residents are 'connected' in real time (via computer and/or cell phone) and can receive a real time message about something that needs an immediate community response: crime, a serious neighbor in need issue, etc......
Imagine if someone was robbed or sees something suspicious and is able to get information out to a broad group of concerned citizens....
or imagine that there is a lost child who has wandered away from home....
IMAGINE that concerned citizens will respond to issues in real time when they have the information needed to do so!
I am sure that Shawn will set up some guidelines for how we might use Twitter to benefit the community, but in the meantime, please do consider participating and see what happens!!

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Permalink Reply by Shawn on August 3, 2009 at 1:17pm

I have to give you credit margy, sometimes I have a hard time imagining ideas so simple, like using Twitter. I will admit, Twitter can be a little confusing at first, but with a little time you realize, that it's like using Facebook, but without all the extras. All your seeing is the status of the user.

Like you talked about yesterday, there are communities that have used Twitter to keep up on the latest news and information. The example that comes to my mind was the "reporting" that was coming out of Iran after their presidential election. Twitter can be a powerful tool, and that is why I have chosen to incorporate it into Location19. It is a work in progress, and I need to tweak it, so it fits into the layout. But please everyone feel free to start taking advantage of it.

How to use the Location19 Twitter feature in 3 easy steps!
1. You will need a Twitter account. (It is free at Twitter.com)
2. You will need to “Follow” Location19 on Twitter
3. To have a “Tweet” show up in the feed, just mention Location19 anywhere in the message. It will automatically find its way to the feed.

If anyone has a question, please drop me an email, and I will help you figure it out.
Happy Tweeting!
-Shawn

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Permalink Reply by MacClurg Vivian on August 3, 2009 at 10:32pm

how do I follow location 19, I signed up for twitter tonight....aargh, and they gave me 20 or more people to follow, like rachel maddow, who I really like, but I don't ahve time to follow any of these people, i tried to follow Loc 19, but it said no such person.....blah, blah,this stuff is not easy to use and yes I looked at the how to video, which didn't explain following. tx
Macclurg

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Permalink Reply by Margy Meath on August 4, 2009 at 8:05am

MacClurg-
I am not a twitter expert by any means, but I think that you need to do the following (after creating your account):
Send a 'tweet' - (this step is required as part of activating your account) INCLUDE LOCATION19 in the text
When you do this (I think) Location19 picks you up and starts 'following' you - likewise, you can then log into your activated account and choose to follow location19.....I hope this helps but know it's not nearly as clear as it could be if i was more proficient with tweeting!

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Permalink Reply by MacClurg Vivian on August 4, 2009 at 2:10pm

Margy, thanks, this new technology is killing me, that is, confusing the heck out of me....but I should at least try....it may be useful in some unforeseen future.

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Permalink Reply by Shawn on August 4, 2009 at 3:39pm

I posted a new forum discussion with how to get started with twitter. When I first started using it, it was very confusing. But I think these instructions will help.
http://location19.ning.com/forum/topics/using-the-location19-twitter