TwHistory: TTIX 2010

Historical Reenactments
with Twitter Free status update service
"What's happening?" in 140 characters
Messages called "tweets"
19% of American Internet users use Twitter
Followers/Spectators:
Experience history in bite-sized, micro-updates
Gain a sense for the actual timing of events

Participants/Content Creators:
Evaluate primary sources from individual historical figures
Represent historical personae using social media tools
Collaboratively simulate historical events through individual characters

Cold War History course implementation: Cuban Missile Crisis Marion Jensen
Tom Caswell
Rob Barton
Dr. Victor Lee
Dr. Brett Shelton
Utah State University Marion Jensen (@marionjensen)
Tom Caswell (@tom4cam)
Rob Barton (@robmba)
Dr. Victor Lee (@vicariouslee)
Dr. Brett Shelton (@beshelton) What is ? TwHistory Twitter + History Questions? Learning Objectives Photo credit: msun523 Waterloo photo credit: jf1234 Setting up a TwHistory Reenactment
Currently involves multiple tools
4-step process @TwHistory
http://TwHistory.org/ Step 3. Combine All Character Tweets
Create a Master Google Spreadsheet
Check timing and sequence Step 2. Research & Write Tweets
Used Google Spreadsheets to collaborate
One character per sheet
Estimate time of events
Shorten to tweet length
Step 1. Establish Community & Communication
Used Google Groups
Find/share online historical sources
Collaborators select historical figures Step 4. Schedule & Send Character Tweets
Pre-schedule tweets to be sent at specific time/date using SocialOomph.com
1-5 tweets sent per Twitter account per day
All tweets appear together on Twitter list Future Ideas for
Reenactments:
Lewis & Clark
expedition
Apollo 14-17 missions (40th anniversaries, 2011-12)
Titanic 100th anniversary (2012)

Future development of TwHistory.org:
Thanks to a generous grant from the Talis Foundation
Provide all tools via TwHistory.org
Allow reuse with varied timelines & start times
Link locations/maps with tweets Future
Directions 1847 Pioneer Trek (In progress)
Battle of Gettysburg
Cuban Missile Crisis


Recent Projects The Big Idea Began in Spring 2009 while attending a conference remotely
Hundreds of people in the Twitter channel
Idea: Real-time, virtual, historical reenactments using Twitter Photo credit: jf1234 =LEN(C61)