TwitterLocal tells what everyone is talking about

For the past week, I’ve been watching the TwitterLocal Feed, recommended by Mark Hamilton. You subscribe to all the local tweets in your feed reader.

Back in the old days of some 15 years ago, I had a great editor who would make an effort to scour the town and find out what people were talking about in coffee shops and bars, around water coolers and parks.  He would constantly ask reporters, “What are people talking about.  That’s what where we ought to look for stories.”

With TwitterLocal, I can find out what people are talking about on my phone.  Every once in a while, they’re even talking about what we’re reporting.

We spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to use the new technology to serve our own purposes of disseminating information.  But I’m reminded we need to also take time to use it to learn more about the people we are hoping to reach.

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