AWC to Obama: Tweet, Tweet! Come to Yuma!
Why Do These Tweets Look So Funny?
If you are new to Twitter but want to help out, don't be confused by the messages above. Here are some explanations for the strange language in these Tweets.
• POTUS – common Twitter nickname for the president of the United States
• @WhiteHouse – a way to mention the official White House Twitter account in a tweet so the tweet shows up on the White House Twitter wall. Organizations and companies regularly monitor their mentions as a measure of public feedback.
• #ObamaComeToYuma – any word or set of words with a # (pound sign) before it is called a hash tag. This punctuation indicates a common theme or a frequent message. In this case, AWC is trying to establish a common theme about Obama visiting Yuma.
• Abbreviation and spacing – Because tweets have to be 140 characters or less, tweeters use creative spellings, punctuation, abbreviations and spacing.
Twitter is free and easy to use. You do have to sign up, at Twitter.com, and you have to choose a name. AWC is @ArizonaWestern. The Yuma Sun is @YumaSun.
Arizona Western College is trying to get President Barack Obama's attention via Twitter, in an effort to bring the White House to the “Flip the Switch Celebration” for the new five-megawatt solar array.
The event, tentatively scheduled for the last week in October or the first week of November, will mark the completion of construction and the beginning of the array's use.
The community can help by tweeting the following four messages from their Twitter account:
@WhiteHouse #POTUS help FlipTheSwitch on 5MW #Solar Array @ArizonaWestern. Energy+ Workforce Dev+ Higher Ed #ObamaComeToYuma Please RT
@WhiteHouse AWC 5MW #Solar Array is 5 diff technologies, incubation, K-20 Ed, Workforce Dev/Training http://bit.ly/nSu6Zf #ObamaComeToYuma
@WhiteHouse AWC 5MW #Solar Array in Yuma, sunniest city in world & highest unemployment in US #TurningSunIntoJobs #ObamaComeToYuma
@WhiteHouse #Energy, Jobs, Higher Ed are issues for all Americans. #POTUS help celebrate 5MW#SolarArray #CountryBeforeParty #ObamaComeToYuma
By mentioning the official White House Twitter account (@WhiteHouse) the feedback will be sent directly to presidential representatives.
“The more people that tweet or share the message, the better,” AWC said in a news release.
The release added that Obama has called for a national movement to move toward new technologies including clean energy.
“A visit to Yuma and Arizona Western College by anybody from the White House or the President's Cabinet would garner national coverage for the AWC Solar Array, establishing it as a landmark renewable energy project, and perhaps leading to greater investment that could impact the entire region,” AWC said.
Bill Smith, director of facilities management and planning at AWC, explained the project will be built on over 23 acres of land surrounding the campus. It will benefit the campus in various ways, one of the most important being the significant amount of savings and reduced energy costs it will create for the school.
Smith said it has the potential to save AWC $3.5 million in 10 years and $15.4 million in 20 years, noting that the project is estimated to cost $30-40 million.
“The array will provide more than energy generation; it will also provide educational and demonstration opportunities and innovation for students, researchers and solar technology companies from around the world,” the release said.
Sarah Womer can be reached at swomer@yumasun.com or 539-6858.
