Twitter crashed today.  It’s working again now.

We just had a seminar yesterday here at FOX Toledo, taught by one of our reporters who’s very skilled at electronic networking and other tech stuff. It was aimed at helping us all to figure out ways to interact more with viewers.

It seems all broadcasters and print media are trying to figure out what to do with things like Twitter and Facebook. Depending on the type of phone/mobile device you have, you can receive and send updates wherever you are. It’s not just about writing to comment on a story from your computer anymore.

One place we’ve seen some real usefulness of Twitter recently is in Iran. During the disputed political election and ongoing protests there, it’s a way people could communicate with words, still pictures and video what’s happening in a place where reporters are often not welcome. I think we can expect to see more of this in countries like China, Burma, North Korea, any place people want their voices heard but are facing censorship or government opression.

I’m keeping an open mind about the usefulness of Twitter and Facebook for our local news operation. Sometimes a viewer uses them to comment or ask a question or give us a story idea.  That’s good.

The impression I get from reading broadcasting industry websites and magazines is that some of this is a bit trendy, but everyone’s doing it because they don’t want to be left behind.  Sometimes trends pass.

After the Twitter/Facebook seminar we talked about these electronic communication tools in our newsroom. In our little internal, informal survey, some believe this is a glimpse into the future of immediate, customized news delivery. Some weren’t sure of their value. One person chimed in that they remember when everyone said AOL Instant Messenger would revolutionize the way we interact with people.