To Twitt or Not To Twitt: Covering Conventions via Twittering by Toysrevil
One of the main "features" I'd tried/attempted - in terms of "Live" coverage of the Singapore Toy & Comic Convention - was updating via my TWITTER-Stream (peep-left menu) via SMS (*Short Message Service*). Actually I set-up my Twitter-account a whiles back specifically in mind for this purpose, but have not been actively promoting it's existence on my blog (which also was another little online experiment of mine - and I have loads, for folks who notice the small details :p) - and in the end, I'm not too sure if folks ever got to read it at all! LOL
Plans for MMS image-feeds were thwarted by "technical problems" (will step-up if ever I get a chance to do coverage again -which may be a year laters perhaps STCC'09? LOL) ... Meanwhile CLICK THRU for some points to consider, if YOU are planning a "live" coverage via Twitter - specifically of Taipei Toy Festival or San Diego Comic Con - hey I don't mind sharing, since I won't be there physically (even tho some will NOT want to acknowledge nor credit me for this, yeh? Don't Lie.) and would love to be in the thick of things LOL
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TWITTER/ING:
QUICK & EASY:
The main thing about Twitter was that it was fast (instantaneous, actually) and hassle-free, and relatively cheap to use - and if done consistently, would be able to bring your readers along with you as you pound the Convention aisles. And this would be the predominant feature of "live-twittering" (Of coz this relates directly to Twittering via SMS).
TRE-NOTE: Twitter-SMS costs 10-cents per SMS, for Singapore charges anyways :p - check your own country's rates.
BE CONSISTENT:
My own lack of consistency was my twitter-'downfall'. Loadsa updates on Preview Night, then when the shitte hit the stress-fan, 28th and 29th became an after-thought. And inevitably spiraled down into whining (LOL) - which I doubt if any reader would be interested in hahahaha - If ever there were any "expectations", it would have been unfulfilled and disappointing.
TRE-NOTE: Do It Well, or Don't Bother At All. Spare everyone the disappointment of anticipation
WHAT TO TWITTER:
As this would be primarily text-based messages only, mayhap consider updating folks on:
(1) WHAT the next releases or surprise releases / reveals you are seeing / have seen.
(2) WHEN signings are happening, or updates on how long-ass the queues are.
(3) HOW to achieve a certain goal, or acquire a certain product etc.
(4) PRICES of items - altho I am somehow personally adverse to go on about prices of items (unless made know public) but it may help giving the headsup against flippers. Your judgment call.
(5) How a certain artist dissed you in front of everyone else, or how some hottie pinched your bum as you walked by - ya know, frivolous, irresponsible stuff that I would personally twitter about, that TRE is known for LOL (but only becoz my blog is such - don't go pretending if you're not), but doesn't get happened to me in real-life LOL
TRE-NOTE: No one will care about what you had for dinner - unless the burger-bun has a mysterious gravy-stain that looks like a silhouette of YOD or a pair of Dunny-ears LOL
LIVE VERSUS GEOGRAPHY:
Remember, the messages are for folks who may still be behind a PC-station and not necessarily on the Con-floor with a lappie. Or more importantly (for folks like me) are nowhere even remotely+geographically near the locales where you're at! LOL
TRE-NOTE: Value For Attention = if you've got nothing of value for me to sit thru waiting on your updates, don't waste my time.
TWITTER-MINUS:(1) text are limited to 140-words per entry - which may be a hassle, but it helps keep your message short and concise. I ended up reading like a 13 year-old wrote the messages, but hey, I missed out on both the ICQ and MSN-generation, so now I'm "catching up", innit? LOL
(2) it may be a hassle trying to juggle a camera, chatting with the folks and fingering your dial-buttons at the same time LOL - no joke this ... But it is not hard holding a cigarette in one hand while the other fondles the phone keypad. *cough*
(3) with all the sights and sounds surrounding you, one might tend to forget to SMS your thoughts - I certainly did :p
TWITTER-THEME I WOULD LIKE TO SEE (MAYBE):
(1) MULE-Twittering = a Convention-Mule updating his/her charges about product procurement status, so that folks can react accordingly and with haste if said item is unattainable.
(2) CELEB-STALKER Twitterer = "I just saw Kozik signing at his table!" ... "MAD is walking away from his table now!" ... "Simone is going into the bathroom, 3rd cubicle from the front door now!" - ya know the drill ... also known as CELEB-GROUPIE-Twitter
(3) The WHICH-QUEUE-I-AM-AT Twitter = "5mins and im still halfway queuing for Kozik's autograph" ... "am not sure if im queuing currently for JLed's toy?" ... "20mins and im still in queue. sux" = mundanity breeds interesting reads, in some dank corner of the multiverse ...
heh.
IN THE END-GAME:
It only "works" if anyone reads it, and if nobody does, then frankly you may as well concentrate on snapping photos and taking notes, which would both serve the readers a more satisfying post-mortem-meal, than a quick bite via novelty-twittering (but hell, I lurve me my junk-food LOL) ... but then again, I'm not too sure as I've not had feedback about my STCC-Twitter since the Con, innit? heh :p
For ARCHIVAL Purposes, here is the collection of STCC-related Twitter-messages for the days on the Con-floor:
/// Oh no! Molly bearbricks are gone! I am too late! Aaarrr 06:44 PM June 29, 2008
/// Multiple word frm the stcc conventn floor is: itz effin crowded! I'l knw soon enuff.. Last day of stcc folks! 05:03 PM June 29, 2008
/// 5mins pass 9pm n the crowd at stcc dun seem to wana leave! Lol 09:04 PM June 28, 2008
/// Sucks 2 be memorycard challengd. 11:14 PM June 27, 2008
///Pete fowler, mori chack, devilrobots, touma n tokidoki rawkng the murals n i juz had to max out my cam memory caaaard! *Poopie* 11:13 PM June 27, 2008
///15 to 11 n teh mural hvnt startd - man, if only i can blog in e club nw lol 10:44 PM June 27, 2008
/// Cheers for the kind support n time touma & yuki! Wil post pix of the touma pink bling peegee! 08:41 PM June 27, 2008
/// Great mtg u shuan, neonconvoy, alan, Marine, helmy! 08:22 PM June 27, 2008
/// Dinnr time. Need coffee bad. Buttr factory nxt thn eithr blog or sleep - stay tund! 08:20 PM June 27, 2008
/// Ixnay on takng stil pix of gotham knght screeng.. V.sad this :-@ ... But it stil looks effin awesome tho! 08:01 PM June 27, 2008
/// Gotham knight screeng now - effin missd the 1st few minutes! Urgh! Deadshot juz appeard... 07:53 PM June 27, 2008
/// No photograhy allowd at medicom toys booth... What the..? 06:39 PM June 27, 2008
/// Simone legno of tokidoki iz teh mobbd! Folks going insaneo ovr hez tees lol 06:38 PM June 27, 2008
/// Nada-one of madcap is a madman indeed! Muahaha 06:36 PM June 27, 2008
/// Play tofu mini chase is tokidoki n touma's! 06:35 PM June 27, 2008
/// Jled Teal hammrhd, touma bonga 3 variants, peegee, gamerita orange available! Oh my! 06:33 PM June 27, 2008
/// Seen@stcc - ttf tofu, ttf molly bearbrick, mollympics - for sale! 06:28 PM June 27, 2008
