Get scanner alerts thru twitter

[Bill88]

I'd like to set up a scanner alert service for Chicagoland like they have in other areas.
If you have a twitter account you can follow 'scanchicagoland' to receive updates.
If you'd like to post something you are hearing you can send an email to scan@twittermail.com
It will be posted and sent out as a twitter update.
Note: You do not need a twitter account to post an alert using the email address.

This service is intended for breaking news, in-progress major or significant incidents, and events that are commonly broadcast by local media outlets.


Any (intelligent) suggestions are welcomed.



Here's an example scenario:

You have a twitter account and have been receiving 'tweets' from friends or whatever.
Now you start following scanchicagoland.
Later that day 'scannernut' hears about an interesting incident on his scanner and sends
an update via twitter.
You receive the update and turn on your scanner and listen in.
You may have missed the action if it weren't for that twitter notification.

I don't know of anything like this in the Chicago area so far.
If there is let me know.

Some guidelines:
Keep the posts clear and concise

Format:
1. Incident Type
2. Agency/Department
3. Radio Channel
4. General Location
5. #scanchicagoland ( hashtag - see explanation below )

Examples:

-Car Fire Hoffman Estates FD Ch.1 Golf and Higgins #scanchicagoland
-Structure Fire Streamwood FD Ops 2 Irving and Park #scanchicagoland
-Pursuit Elgin PD Ch. 1 Downtown area #scanchicagoland
-Shooting Hanover Park PD Ch.1 #scanchicagoland



-Hashtag #scanchicagoland
Many Twitter users are now using hashtags in their posts.
This "tag" assists in tracking and alerting other users to specific topics or keywords used in a Twitter post.
Each day a new website service or app allows users to search or track these tags called hashtags.
Read more about hashtags here
Hashtags


The hashtag for scanchicagoland is #scanchicagoland

Give it a try and tell me what you think about this?

 

[Bill88]

As an additional note:
This is not limited to any certain town, agency or dispatch system.
You can be in the suburbs listening to StarCom21 or out further in the sticks listening to the Sheriffs VHF repeater. It doesn't matter.
Just post when you hear something that may be of interest to others.
If this needs to be tweaked later we can suggest changes.
But for now it would be nice to get some alerts going so we all know where to tune in.
That's the whole idea of it.

 

[Bill88]

Everything seems to be up and running ok.
Give it a try and let's have fun with it.

http://twitter.com/ScanChicagoland

 

[Bill88]

Ok, so everything is working.

Tell us what you are hearing on your scanner right now.

Send an email to: scan@twittermail.com and watch it post on the twitter page Scan Chicagoland (ScanChicagoland) on Twitter





.

 

[timmins]

Great idea. Thanks for setting this up.

 

[Bill88]

I believe it has the potential to be very useful as we get more and more input from scanner listeners.

It's easy to send an email briefly describing what you are hearing to: scan@twittermail.com

and watch it post at Scan Chicagoland (ScanChicagoland) on Twitter

Try it whenever you hear something interesting.

 

[fredg]

Neat idea but I can barely read the posts with the background you have selected. Is that just my machine? I tried it in both ie and Firefox.... I have to scroll around until I find a somewhat less busy place in the background then I can sorta read the text...

 

[Bill88]

It looked fine here but I changed it.
Please let me know if it is better.

 

[fredg]

Much better! Totally readable now. Not as cool as the "antenna" background but now it's readable.

I still wonder if it was somehow just me as I don't know how you could not see how hard it was to read, the text was barely visible before. I wonder if it is some kind of special font that my system can't render correctly. Weird...