If you haven’t figured out what Twitter is by now, you’re not alone. If you’re not familiar with it, you should know that we are witnessing an amazing example of how Internet technology is being used to stimulate community activism on a national level. If this election is Twitter’s first big test of whether it has social value, I think it is passing with flying colors. Ross Perot once wanted to create a national town hall on the Internet. Twitter is moving us one step closer.

What this means for community activists is that you need to understand these emerging technologies and not write them off as a kids’ fad. Anyone interested in civic engagement should become more familiar with Twitter and other social media websites. What’s geeky today could become essential tomorrow.

As for Twitter, it’s being used in a big way right now in the presidential election. Earlier this afternoon, I was looking at my Twitter feed, where I see short messages from people I choose to follow. I have chosen to follow both major-party presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain. The Obama campaign sent a message that said the candidate was speaking live In Grand Rapids, MI and included a hotlink. I clicked on it, and seconds later a live video begins showing his event. What this means is that at anytime during his campaign, anyone with a Twitter account can see his public rallies live.

Street activists have used e-mail in the past, and now they use Twitter to create smart emissaries that they can instruct in real time. The lesson here is that you want to get your civic association members on a Twitter account, because at a moment’s notice you could alert them to late-breaking developments.

So if you get a chance, sign up for a Twitter account and follow It’s Our City. I’ll keep you in the loop on great examples of civic engagement around Philadelphia as well as useful ways you can use the Web to further your organizations’ goals.

Useful links:

John McCain Twitter page 748 followers   

Barack Obama Twitter page 90,419 followers

Twitterholic is a website that shows the members with the most followers

Twist is a website that graphs keywords that appear on Twitter

Twitter 101 video

Twitter background story