Government Technology - January 2009 - (Page 42)

justice S TAT E | L O C A L | F E D E R A L Synopsis: Govern- ment agencies and officials are using Twitter, a free “microblogging” service, to disseminate public safety alerts and emergency notification, among other applications. j j Agencies: Los Angeles Fire Department; Portland (Ore.) Police Department; Roanoke County, Va. Governments discover that Twitter is more than a social media novelty. B Y M A T T W I L L I A M S | A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R Technology: Twitter message service. Contact: http://twitter.com. T here’s no middle ground in the court of public opinion about Twitter, a free “microblogging” site that a growing number of government agencies and officials are using to keep citizens informed about everything from press releases to car accidents and structural fires. People either love Twitter, or they just don’t get it. In short, Twitter lets users send and receive brief updates, which are capped at 140 characters of text. Users must sign up for a profile page on Twitter.com and then they can send text-based updates to subscribers, called “followers,” or receive Twitter messages from people they choose to follow. Twitter is multiplatform: The messages, called “tweets,” can be sent and received on Twitter.com, traditional e-mail accounts, mobile devices like smartphones, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) and Facebook. When Twitter’s founders launched the service in 2006, they advertised it as a way to keep abreast of friends’ everyday lives. The idea of “tweeting” in short bursts about mundane details — “I’m watching Dancing with the Stars!” — may seem narcissistic, or pointless. But a loyal following has found novel and unexpected applications for the service. This movement includes government agencies, which are use Twitter for various functions, such as real-time alerts about emergencies, election results and even science projects. Trick or number of responding firefighters, and injuries and casualties. A typical post is something like: “12126 Burbank Bl* No ‘formal’ evacuations; Firefighters maintaining 500’ exclusion zone pending LAFD Hazmat arrival.” When a commuter train derailed Sept. 12, 2008, in Chatsworth, Calif., killing dozens and injuring hundreds, the LAFD tweeted several times to update the public about rescue operations. And citizens near a wildfire in Griffith Park in 2007 tweeted to the LAFD about wind direction and smoldering hot spots, which helped firefighters control the 800-acre blaze. If a post exceeds Twitter’s 140-character limit, Brian Humphrey, an LAFD spokesman, posts the most critical snippet of the message with a Web address for TinyURL, a service that provides a short alias for long URL addresses. Tweet? Emergency Notification The most practical government applications for Twitter are in public safety and emergency notification. For example, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) updates its Twitter page with bulletins about structural fires, the That way, the LAFD’s more than 1,500 Twitter followers can go to the official LAFP communications blog for the unabridged message. The LAFD, like many government agencies, also uses TwitterMail, which lets users send e-mails that are also posted to Twitter. Police departments find value in Twitter, too. For instance, the Portland (Ore.) Police Department tweets about crime reports and sometimes asks the public for leads in cold cases: “Child abuse team seeks witnesses in continuing investigation. If you have any info plz contact detectives.” Unexpected Applications The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) updates its feed, JAN_09 42 http://www.Twitter.com http://www.Twitter.com http://www.Twitter.com http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - January 2009

Government Technology - January 2009 Contents Point of View On the Scene Big Picture Four Questions for... Stemming the Retirement Tide Getting the Picture Fact of Matter Money Trail Rays the Roof Trick or Tweet? The Modern Way to Vote Products signal:noise

Government Technology - January 2009

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