Won't you be my Tweetie?
There are two pictures of Twitter cycling through the mainstream media these days. In one, the "microblogging" social network is the greatest thing since movable type. In the other, a columnist is scratching his or her graying head, saying, "I don't get it. This is dumb."
The truth, as you might imagine, is somewhere in the middle. Twitter can indeed be baffling to people who think that when you have something to say, you should move your lips or maybe pick up the phone. The idea of posting a text message—no more than 140 characters—on the internet does indeed sound pretty dumb.
And maybe it is. "What are you doing?" Twitter asks on its home page, above the window where you type your message, or "tweet." Millions answer, in a constant stream: Eatin' breakfast. ...Going shopping but not for myself. ...Really mad at my co-workers. And so on.
But here's where it helps to remember something: Twitter is only a tool. You can use a hammer to break a window or build a house. And Twitter can be a useful tool indeed.
As news organizations make the transition to online platforms, they're experimenting with Twitter, with a full range of results. Last year a Colorado newspaper used it to cover a child's funeral as it happened. Yes, really: people gathering at graveside...coffin lowered into ground...rabbi recites main hebrew prayer of death. And so on. Readers, it's fair to say, did not feel well-served.
But other organizations have been smarter, harnessing its power to connect tens or hundreds or thousands of eyes to a single event. Last week I found a site in Charleston, S.C., which set up a Twitter feed to watch a sprawling wildfire in nearby Myrtle Beach. Watching the tweets scroll by—individuals reporting everything from road closings to wind shifts to the directly observed movements of firefighters—was fascinating. It wasn't the same as reading a well-reported roundup story, the sort newspapers do so well, but it was certainly different. And different is what online news organizations are looking for—a different way to tell stories, a different business model, a different way to serve readers.
We added our Twitter feed a few days ago. You can find it on the right-hand side of our home page; we're calling it Seen/Scene. For now, we're using it to showcase micro-stories (the redbuds are in bloom), breaking stories (the Brownell school closing, on and then off), and stories from others we can condense to their GP-centric essence (White Sox second baseman and GP South grad Chris Getz stars in a win over the Rangers). In just a few days, we've picked up followers, other Twitter users who subscribe to our updates. And we're following a few of them, too. If you'd like to follow us, we're GPToday, and I check the feed regularly—so go ahead and tweet us a news tip or two, if you're so inclined.
Twitter isn't the future of journalism, but it's a handy little Swiss Army knife for journalists to keep in their back pockets. And now, Twitter-style, I'll conclude in precisely 140 characters:
Like birds in a tree, we tweet our messages: Storm coming, sidewalk sale in the Village, bad wreck on Mack. Grab a twig; we have room 4 you.
