Twitter turns 10, highlights 10 unique Canadian tweeters
Twitter is 10 years old today and to mark the occasion, they're highlighting 10 Canadian Twitter accounts and hashtags that are using the platform in unique ways.
"There was no ranking algorithm behind this one. It was just sort of a curation of things that we found interesting," said Rory Capern, managing director of Twitter Canada.
Capern says Twitter has come a long way in 10 years.
"We've seen this service go from a text base status update application ... we're now deep into photos and video and GIFs and several different kinds of applications and in this context we wanted to show really interesting uses," he said.
Here is the full list, from east to west.
1. Burke-Gaffney Observatory
The Burke-Gaffney Observatory (@smubgobs) at Saint Mary's University in Halifax takes space image requests from Twitter-users and tweets back pictures the next time there is a clear night.
"We couldn't find anything else like it," said Capern, "We think it's a first in the world for an observatory to have a Twitter-controlled application and we think that's special."
Dave Lane, the observatory director as Saint Mary's University, developed the page.
"I think it's pretty cool. I suspect they found out about us because one of their employees in California stumbled upon our site a couple of weeks ago and he called it really cool so he must have shared it with his colleagues," said Lane.
2. Nova Scotia RCMP
The police caught the attention of Twitter with the #CopCallsNS hashtag that documented what kind of calls RCMP members get on a Friday night.
In addition to giving a sample of the calls came in, police also offered tips on how best to use 911 and took questions from the public.
3. Major Midget Caps
Fredericton, N.B.'s Midget Major Caps, a AAA hockey team (@MajorAAACaps), caught Twitter's attention by live-tweeting games.
4. #Odinsbirthday
Ontario made Twitter's list three times.
The #Odinsbirthday hashtag out of Peterborough, Ont., ensured Odin Camus — a teen who has Asperger's syndrome — got birthday wishes after no one RSVP'd to his party.
That hashtag had everyone from actor Elijah Wood to the Toronto Blue Jays wishing Camus a happy birthday.
5. In the Air Tonight
Ryerson University's effort to raise awareness of homelessness with the @itatonight made the list. Twitter users could light up a building with tweets about #homelessness
6. #Farm365
This account belongs to Andrew Campbell (@FreshAirFarmer), a social-media savvy farmer in Middlesex County, Ont. He tweets about what goes on at his dairy and cash crop operation.
He tweeted a photo every day and gained 10,000 followers.
7. The Royal Saskatchewan Museum
When Royal Saskatchewan Museum (@royalsaskmuseum) staff found a teddy bear over the summer, they didn't just put it in the lost and found bin — they put it on social media with #lostbear.
The tweets showed off the museum while also trying to track down the owner.
8. Saskatoon Police Service
The Saskatoon Police Service (@SPSTraffic) polls its followers on Twitter to pick spots to set up speed traps.
Police tell CBC News they see the Twitter initiative as a way to engage the community on a larger scale.
9. The Foundations for Future Charter Academy
The Foundations for the Future Charter Academy (@ffcaewdu) in Calgary has teachers sharing classroom highlights with students and their families with the hashtag #ffcaedu and #ffcaworks.
10. #DontHave1Million
The #DontHave1Million hashtag was started by Eveline Xia (@eveline155) and went viral when others took to Twitter to share their frustration with the high cost of home ownership in the Vancouver-area.
