we have been grounded (landed??!) lately as the weather has not been very nice to us and so we have not been able to do a lot of diving.
marty and i were supposed to be up north diving the Rainbow Warrior but due to adverse weather conditions, thus Noel and Jo were in Auckland, we went out for dinner and a show instead.
cue Shikoku Restaurant in Takapuna …..
i signed up to twitter a couple of months ago but have not really starting using it until just recently.
at first use, it appeared to be a bunch of random thoughts and postings just thrown out there – which in some cases it is – but it is also a pretty powerful tool to support internet presence and online marketing.
not marketing in the spam sense, but with a little thought and creativity there can be a point to a seemingly inane 140 character “tweet”.
a tweet or a message is supposed to answer the relatively simple question of “What are you doing – right now?”
Dan Hollings has written a poem that discusses this sweet style of tweet : Twittering Tweeter Twit Tweeting Tweets Upon Twitter
aside from marketing and communication, twitter has become a method of delivering news. and not by traditional media.
in the last week, the world has seen the bombings in jakarta and the earthquake in the south island of new zealand being broadcast via the “twittersphere” before online news had their articles and images ready. people all over the world are sending messages and photos from these locations as soon as the event has occured.
previously this year, elections in iran and the clashes between opposition and government forces were communicated via twitter. whilst websites were being shut down, students and writers and commentators were able to send out short news – limited only by the 140 character limit – or submit videos to youtube.
the recent Attitude New Zealand survey found that 6% of new zealanders use twitter (58% use facebook).
this is a greater percentage than the United States of America where twitter usage is at 5%.
with that in mind, it is strange to read (and see and hear) that many people have a violent objection to twitter. and to those that tweet/twit/randomly announce events in their lives.
i fail to see where the pain to someone who does not use twitter comes from.
many of the flames i have seen thrown at twitter seem to focus on the new words that describe functions or actions of those using the application – for example;
- tweet – to post a message on twitter
- retweet – to repost a message that someone else has already posted on twitter
communication is changing – it is evolving. social media and social networking are enabling us to find the news we want to hear the way and the time we want to hear it.
reporting will change too. the old adage that the media is controlled by the politicians should disappear with todays media now compromising of those who want to post the stories and those who want to read and debate them.
aside from news (and virtual friends) i am using twitter to make contacts and to hopefully increase the work that i want to do – so i can quit the job that i don’t want to do anymore.
in the last couple of months i have found an instructor in Los Angeles to take one of my dive students through her Advanced Open Water Course, had PADI feature my Enter the Dive Mistress video and therefore seen the traffic to my site steadily increase.
i am currently researching successful social media campaigns and seeing how i can use these examples to further increase my own traffic and that of Global Dive – my friendly neighbourhood dive centre and the latest site that I have completed.
i think the key is not to treat twitter as an advertising or marketing avenue but rather timely targeted communications. and the more interesting those communications are to your followers, the more likely they are to tell their friends. and the end goal really – to get them on the phone or even better in the door (so to speak).
how fast can i don my dry suit and scuba gear?
can napoleon breathe if i stuff him inside my dry suit?
ESTIMATED INITIAL TSUNAMI WAVE ARRIVAL TIMES AT FORECAST POINTS
WITHIN THE WARNING AND WATCH AREAS ARE GIVEN BELOW. ACTUAL
ARRIVAL TIMES MAY DIFFER AND THE INITIAL WAVE MAY NOT BE THE
LARGEST. A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF WAVES AND THE TIME BETWEEN
SUCCESSIVE WAVES CAN BE FIVE MINUTES TO ONE HOUR.
LOCATION FORECAST POINT COORDINATES ARRIVAL TIME
-------------------------------- ------------ ------------
NEW ZEALAND MILFORD SOUND 44.6S 167.9E 0951Z 15 JUL
BLUFF 46.6S 168.3E 1031Z 15 JUL
WESTPORT 41.8S 171.6E 1116Z 15 JUL
DUNEDIN 45.9S 170.5E 1157Z 15 JUL
AUCKLAND(W) 37.1S 174.2E 1217Z 15 JUL
NEW PLYMOUTH 39.1S 174.1E 1233Z 15 JUL
NELSON 41.3S 173.3E 1241Z 15 JUL
WELLINGTON 41.3S 174.8E 1329Z 15 JUL
LYTTELTON 43.6S 172.7E 1345Z 15 JUL
NAPIER 39.5S 176.9E 1427Z 15 JUL
source >>
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/messages/pacific/2009/pacific.2009.07.15.094021_eta.txt
South Island quake prompts "potential tsunami warning"
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009jcap.html
baby Floss is home!
maresa and jackson came home from the hospital this morning and are getting settled in.
jackson is already snug in his new bassinet and hand knitted blankets.
Vital Statistics;
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- Arrival date : Sunday 05 July
- Arrival Time : 10:48am
- Weight : 8lb, 8oz
- Height : 54cm
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i’m looking forward to some nice photographs of the entire family.
congratulations Cosgroves!
cossie has posted some photographs of jackson settling in >> Picasa Web Albums – Jackson – Jackson.
