Live Tweeting Your Event

Below is an article I wrote that was published on the Blue State Digital blog this week.

Attend a conference these days and you’re likely to find a bigger conversation about the keynote speaker online than in the lobby.

And I’m not just talking about SXSW or a techie expo. In the past five years, there’s been an explosion in real-time coverage of all sorts of events via Facebook, blogs, and, most important, Twitter. Last fall, for example, the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly inspired nearly 6,000 tweets, covering everything from official announcements to follow-up discussions.

But quality online discourse via social media isn’t an automatic phenomenon. It will require some planning and legwork, of course, but here are some tips to help you pull off a great Twitter presence at your next event.

Click here for my five tips.

Win Tickets To Driving Miss Daisy

1/27 5:30PM Update: Thanks to everyone who entered. The contest is now closed. I'll announce the winner later tonight!

I'm seeing Driving Miss Daisy on Monday, February 7th. It's a special benefit performance for The Actor's Fund, "a nationwide human services organization that helps all professionals in performing arts and entertainment. The Fund is a safety net, providing programs and services for those who are in need, crisis or transition."

I'm looking forward to seeing James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave together on stage.

Today over Twitter, I'm giving away a pair of tickets to Monday, February 7th's special performance.

To enter to win, all you need to do is Tweet between 10am and 5pm: "Enter to win a pair of tickets to see @theactorsfund's benefit perf of @DaisyOnBroadway, via @RyanNewYork at http://ryanjdavis.blogspot.com"

I'll draw and announce the winner late tonight. More information on the show below. Remember, if you don't win, you can still buy tickets here. It's a great cause.

From the press release:

The Broadway company of "Driving Miss Daisy" has announced that their Special Benefit Performance for The Actors Fund will be dedicated to the memory of Lynn and Corin Redgrave. The benefit performance is scheduled for Monday, February 7 at 8pm. All proceeds will go to The Actors Fund.
...

"Driving Miss Daisy" stars James Earl Jones, Vanessa Redgrave and Boyd Gaines. The performance will be at the Golden Theatre, 252 West 45th Street in New York City. Premium seating is available for $226.50 and regular seats from $66.50 to $126.50.

To purchase tickets, visit https://www.store.actorsfund.org, call 212.221.7300 ext. 133, or email tickets@actorsfund.org. Tickets can also be purchased at www.telecharge.com or through the Golden Theatre box office.

About The Actors Fund

The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that helps everyone – performers and those behind the scenes – who works in performing arts and entertainment, helping nearly 12,000 people directly each year, and hundreds of thousands online. Serving professionals in film, theatre, television, music, opera, radio and dance, The Fund's programs include social services and emergency assistance, health care and insurance, housing, and employment and training services. With offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, The Actors Fund has – for over 125 years – been a safety net for those in need, crisis or transition. Visit www.actorsfund.org.

Win Tickets To The Broadway Beauty Pageant!

Contest over, congrats @StevenCirillo on winning a pair of tickets. Remember - If you don't win, you can still buy great $25 tickets using the discount code RAC102 by clicking here.

The pageant is coming up on Monday and I'm giving a pair of tickets away today on Twitter!

To enter to win, all you need to do is Tweet; "Just entered to win a pair of tickets to see Broadway Beauty Pageant, via @RyanNewYork at http://ryanjdavis.blogspot.com." I'll draw and announce the winners late tonight. Please be in the New York City area.

If you don't win, you can buy great $25 tickets using the discount code RAC102 by clicking here.

Win Tickets To "Fuerza Bruta: Look Up" over Twitter

I'm giving away a pair of tickets to Fuerza Bruta: Look Up's special Twitter night on Thursday. It's sure to be a fun night and you're encouraged to live-tweet with pictures and video. More from the show's website.

FUERZA BRUTA: LOOK UP is a non-stop collision of dynamic music, visceral emotion, and kinetic aerial imagery.

Featuring mind – blowing visual effects that must be seen to be believed – a man running full throttle through a series of moving walls, women frolicking in a watery world suspended just inches above the audience – FUERZA BRUTA: LOOK UP is a theatrical experience that floods the senses. Come experience a 360° heart-pounding theatrical experience!

To enter to win a pair of tickets to Thursday's performance, all you need to do is Tweet; "Just entered to win a pair of tickets to see @FuerzaBrutaNYC, via @RyanNewYork at http://ryanjdavis.blogspot.com." I'll draw and announce the winners late tonight. The tickets have to be used Thursday, so be in the New York City area.

If you don't win, there are discount tickets available.

Good luck!

Win Tixs To 'The Pride' Over Twitter (Contest Over)

Update: Contest Over - Congrats to Josh Scheer/@Joshscheer and Desi /@Immeblue on winning a pair of tickets over Twitter to MCC's The Pride.
I'm giving away two pairs of tickets to Alexi Kate Campbell's new play The Pride today. I'm seeing the show Saturday night, here are the details from MCC's website.

Oliver, Philip, and Sylvia are caught in a kind of erotic time warp. Their complex love triangle, replete with conflicting loyalties and passions, jumps from 1958 to the present and back in a maelstrom of fantasy, repression and rebellion in this innovative new drama. After taking London by storm last season in an Olivier Award-winning production at the Royal Court, The Pride now makes its American premiere at MCC Theater. Tony Award-winning director Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Blackbird) joins playwright Alexi Kaye Campbell (Apologia), to stage this alternately tough and touching look at love and betrayal. Four of Britain's most acclaimed young actors, Hugh Dancy (Adam, Journey's End), Adam James (Last Chance Harvey), Andrea Riseborough (Happy-Go-Lucky) and Ben Whishaw (Bright Star, Brideshead Revisited) will star.

To enter to win a pair of tickets to a preview performance this week, all you need to do is Tweet; "Just entered to win a pair of tickets to see The Pride, via @RyanNewYork at http://ryanjdavis.blogspot.com." I'll draw and announce the winners late tonight. The tickets have to be used this week, so be in the New York City area.

Good luck!

Is Megan McCain Dumb?

Megan complained on her Daily Beast column that Karl Rove was following her on Twitter and that she was being "Twitter stalked" by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

On Karl Rove: He follows over 40,000 people on Twitter - I promise you Megan he isn't paying any attention to your tweets about indie rock.

On Joe Arpaio: The account that's stalking you is clearly labeled "Faux Joe Arpaio." Faux means fake Megan, it's not the real sheriff. Take a minute to look at his profile, it's obviously a joke.

This sorta silliness makes me wonder if she's deliberately lying or just plain dumb. What do you think?

Remember, It's #TheaterThursday!

Last week's #TheaterThursday was a big hit! We had users participate from all over the country and I hope today is bigger!

It's easy to do - If you're on Twitter, give your favorite theater tweeters a shout-out, using the tag #TheaterThursday. Please spell theater with an "er" - a few people used "re" last time and that gets you lost in the search! Oh, and give me some love - @ryannewyork.

Also, don't forget the real life theater blogger meet up, hosted by Broadway's Ken Davenport on April 23rd in NYC.

Broadway Bloggers Unite! It's #TheaterThursday

Twitter follow days are a great way to connect with like minded people in the Twitterverse. It all began with #FollowFriday and grew into #SameSexSunday (for gays) and #MusicMonday(for music). Hash tags make organizing via Twitter easy.

If you're on Twitter and you Tweet about theater - give a #TheaterThursday shout-out to your favorite theater Tweeters! Hopefully, one of them will be me - @ryannewyork.

For real life organizing, theatrical producer Ken Davenport is hosting a theater blogger meet up at Planet Hollywood in New York City on April 23rd. You can find all the details on his blog.

Twitter Revolution

10,000 young protesters against the Communist in Moldova organized over Facebook and Twitter. This story is pretty amazing.

While people in the U.S. were twiddling their thumbs, Twittering about plans to see Fast and Furious or run to the grocery store yesterday, thousands of Moldovan youth were busy using the social messaging network to assemble a massive rally in response to Sunday's election results and the country's bust economy.

Protesters organized using Facebook and the Twitter tag #pman, which stands for Piata Marii Adunari Nationale, a large square in the capital city Chisinau, where the demonstrators gathered.

The protesters, some of whom pushed their way into government buildings, were reacting in part to the weekend's parliamentary elections, in which the Communist Party won half of the votes – enough to make changes to the constitution and select a president. The European Union recognized the election as legitimate, but some maintain that it was fixed. As the demonstration – and live Tweets – increased in fervor, Internet was cut off in the small eastern European country's capital Chisinau, and by this morning police there had re-established control of the major offices, according to The New York Times.

Ukraine protests in 2004 and Belarus protests in 2006 were bulked up by cell phone messages, the Times notes, but texting seems to be giving way to social networking sites as the preferred method to distribute subversive communiqués. Moldova's current government – led by President Vladimir Voronin, who has been in office since 2001 – however, shows no signs of ceding to the opposition.

The Times reports that in a televised speech Voronin said the rally "well designed, well thought out, coordinated, planned and paid for." Viva la Twitter, indeed.

The authorities had to cut off the Internet!

One of the great things about Twitter is that it can be operated over your cell phone via text messaging, so the internet isn't even required.

Sunday Morning Odds & Ends

Looking at the ideas behind the new Facebook design. I'm quite a fan of the Twitterlization of Facebook and see why they did it. You don't want Facebook to fall behind and become Myspace or... Friendster already do you?

What is your neighborhood's Walk Score? Enter your address and find out. Mine, Bushwick, got 89 out of 100. (h/t Freakonomics Blog)

Barack Obama made a dumb joke about the Special Olympics on Jay Leno. Gov. Schwarzenegger defends him.

Defending Provigil: "And is modafinil the next cocaine? Probably not. It just doesn't have the powerful reinforcing and rewarding effects. Not only that, it's usually taken as a pill, and so highs resulting from it are more unlikely."

Californians in 2010 will likely have a pro-gay marriage initiative to vote on. The ballot initiative process could lead to some on-again, off-again marriages.

Rupert Murdoch purchases The Brooklyn Paper.

JFK & Civil Rights

Obama gave a shout-out this morning during his education speech to John F. Kennedy for his civil rights work. It struck Ezra as "a little weird to start crediting Kennedy with civil rights. Good speech, but the guy who "handled" that was undoubtedly Johnson." I agree.

I've been reading Taylor Branch's excellent book Pillar of Fire, a history of the civil rights movement, and have been disappointed in JFK's lack of serious commitment to that struggle. Johnson seems to always get shafted, even though the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts were both passed during his administration.

I twittered, "JFK had something to do with Civil Rights? That's news," in response to Obama's speech.

I was quickly sent a rather condescending reply from a reader:

Here's your newsflash, kid: June 6, 1963, Washington, DC. In a nationally televised address, President John F. Kennedy today urged the nation to take action toward guaranteeing equal treatment of every American regardless of race. Kennedy soon proposed legislation to Congress to outlaw public school segregation and discrimination in voting rights, public accommodations, federally assisted programs, and more. Following his assassination several months later, Kennedy's proposal was realized in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed segregation in businesses such as theaters, restaurants, and hotels and banned discriminatory practices in employment and ended segregation in public places such as swimming pools, libraries, and public schools.

Another reader came to my defense:

Candidate JFK promised to end discrimination in federal housing "with the stroke of a pen" when he became President and then nothing came of it for 3 years. The address that your reader is talking about, which was on June 11, was only given after George Wallace stole the spotlight by standing in the doorway of U of Alabama. JFK, in terms of legislation or executive action, did no more for civil rights than Eisenhower and did less than FDR, Truman, LBJ and Nixon.

Now, with all that said, he inspired a generation to get involved with the struggle and African Americans identified with him, so you can't judge on legislative achievement alone. And, who knows what would have happened had he not been assassinated? But, the sad fact is that the 1964 and 1965 acts as we know them would have never NEVER been passed if he had lived. LBJ's ties with the Southern Democrats in Senate and the cloak of JFK's legacy got those 2 acts passed.

I'd have to agree with the second reader- JFK, although inspirational, wasn't an entirely dedicated champion of civil rights.

It seems that many older people, who were young during JFK's era, have a tendency to mythologize JFK's policies. The same people tend to do the same with Bill Clinton, a lackluster President. We should always respect the history and look beyond the mythology.

Twitter Time

There is no doubt that it's time to join Twitter. The above Alexa graph, the best internet ranking site, demonstrates the amazing exponential growth of Twitter in the last year. I've just started getting into it myself, being the late adopter that I am, so I haven't figured out all the tricks. But, follow me and I'll follow you.

The revolution will be Twittered.