Galway is one of more than 175 cities around the world hosting a Twestival today (Thursday ) to bring Twitter communities together for an evening of fun and raise money and awareness of global charity Charity: Water, which provides safe drinking water to communities around the world.
The Twestival is organised by volunteers and all the money raised from these events will go directly to support Charity: Water projects.
Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets ), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Updates are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them.
Several 2008 US presidential campaigns used Twitter as a publicity mechanism, including that of President Barack Obama.
Twitter is a cheap and viral means of marketing online. Various pop culture icons and celebrities, such as Lily Allen, Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross, John Cleese, Richard Bacon, Will Carling, Alan Carr, Shaquille O'Neal, John Mayer, Lupe Fiasco, Philip Schofield, Taylor Swift, Gregg "Opie" Hughes, Chris Moyles, Adam Ficek, Soleil Moon Frye, Ashton Kutcher, and Demi Moore use Twitter to communicate with fans. Sir Richard Branson has a Twitter account and advertises jobs for Virgin on it
The Twestival began in September 2008, when a group of Twitterers based in London decided to organise an event where the local Twitter community could socialise offline, meet the faces behind the avatars, enjoy some entertainment, have a few drinks, and tie this in with a food drive and fundraising effort for a local homeless charity. The bulk of the event was organised in under two weeks, via Twitter, using the talents and financial support of the local Twittersphere.
Twitter is a powerful communications tool. Like Facebook but different, it can connect, mobilise, and inform people around the world instantly. Those on Twitter know of its ability to organically create interesting communities from those people who find and follow each other. It is proven from the first Twestival that bringing the Twittersphere together for a special event is not only a memorable night; it has momentum to bring about social change. Around the world similar stories started appearing of local Twitter communities coming together and taking action for a great cause. Twestival was born out of the idea that if cities were able to collaborate on an international scale, but working from a local level, it could have a spectacular impact. By rallying together globally, under short timescales, for a single aim on the same day, the Twestival hopes to bring awareness to this global crisis.
There are currently over 60 Twitter users in Galway. Twestival Galway will be held tonight in the Quays Pub at 8pm. For more information visit www.twestivalgalway.blogspot.com
