I’m not sure why it didn’t occur to me to do this sooner, but thanks to Google, I’ve got a list of local Twitterers:
- Chris Eller – 51 updates since June, with recent activity
- Jenn Fite – 3 updates, all in March
- Ben Fulton (blog) – 92 updates since June, with daily activity
- Brian Haberer (blog) – 160 updates since March, with recent activity
- Chantel Hazlewood (blog) – 92 updates since April, protected tweet stream
- William R. Hazlewood (blog) – 234 updates since April, with daily activity
- Pete Holiday (blog) – 57 updates since March, last came 22 days ago
- Aaron Houssian (blog) – 98 updates since July, with daily activity
- John Infante – 136 updates since October 2006, with recent activity
- Heekyoung Jung (blog) 54 updates since April, last came a month ago
- Mike Madison (blog) – 10 updates since April, last came 2 months ago
- Kevin Makice (blog) – 949 updates since March, with daily activity
- Paul Robertson (blog) – 1 update in March, protected tweet stream
- Michel Salim (blog) – 49 updates since November, 2006, with recent activity
- Martin A Siegel – 46 updates since June, last came 16 days ago
- Evil Spock (blog) – 69 updates since June, with recent activity
- Kevin Wormley (blog) – 300 updates since April, with daily activity
This isn’t an inclusive list. I know of a half dozen others who didn’t disclose their location or haven’t updated their profile to indicate Bloomington. I also had to do a second search with the state name spelled out. Some of the above clearly aren’t using Twitter, and others may be transitioning out of Bloomington as they graduate and move on. But being able to identify some early adopters in the area is the first step toward generating a viable local information stream.
The ongoing coverage of the Monroe County budget hearings is a good example. Imagine if Sophia Travis and other council members posted even one tweet during the day, or if James Boyd of the Herald-Times posted the occasional update as part of his online coverage. Or further into the future, what kind of marketing boon might the Lotus Music Festival get if tweets were showing the back channel for that event? What if these kinds of streams were available throughout the city on monitors, so passers-by can read them. The great thing about Twitter is the combination of many access points and low barrier to entry—a few thumb motions on a cell phone contributes to a broader identity.