Twitter and the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament
To support the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce Annual Golf Tournament, Vital Design is helping to facilitate the use of Twitter during the tourney. (If you’re not familiar with Twitter and want to get set up right away with an account or on your phone, click here.) If you’ll be tweeting from the tournament, include hashtag: #NHGolf in your tweets and register your Twitter name here so we know to follow you.
Golf and Twitter may seem at odds – people often turn off mobile phones on the course – but there are a lot of reasons Twitter is good for a community-oriented golf outing.
1. Real-time info
This is a scramble format and it’s mostly for fun, but teams are serious about winning. People remember your company or organization name more if you win. Having real-time scores from your competition will help you plot your strategy. (Do you go for the green in two on 17? Heck yeah, you’re three strokes back.) We also plan to display Tweets on a large screen at the clubhouse, so even if you’re not on Twitter, you’ll be able to see top scores and decide if it’s go time. Or Miller time.
Real-time info will also help tournament organizers respond quickly to any issues, such as if play is slow in a particular area or if people are confused about rules. Or if certain pasty members of the business community need sunblock stat. Anything like that.
2. Smack talk
Smack talk – good-natured ribbing of your opponents – is a part of golf, at least at our amateur level. Anytime you have a new way to poke fun at your your competition and business associates, life’s better. Feel free to use Twitter to bust on your friends, your competition, and your boss. We’re joking a bit, but these types of tweets can show a new side – for the better – of the real culture and relationships that exist in the Portsmouth business community.
2. Exposure
Tweeting about the tournament adds real-time communication to help folks who are stuck in the office to be involved in this event. Last year, Vital Design tweeted scores from the hole we sponsored and were surprised that so many people were paying attention online that they sent us direct messages days later on Twitter to find out who won. Also, each time someone tweets about the tournament, it’s like a little shout-out to the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce. Each tweet helps spread the message that the Chamber is a fun way to stay connected with your local business community and friends and helps build the brand and identity of the Chamber as well as the city of Portsmouth.
4. Building connections
The whole point of these types of events is to establish and strengthen our business relationships and networks. While there is limited time to mingle, Twitter offers another way to connect with other members of the business community throughout the event. Is there someone you want to meet but didn’t have time to catch up with at breakfast? Let them know on Twitter. Or search for the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce hashtag: #NHGolf on Twitter to catch up with them after the event.
Get started with Twitter
By now, you’re probably either on Twitter or you’re never getting on Twitter. But if you’re still on the fence, here are a few simple ways to get started and a few apps you can use for your phone.
To set up your account, visit Twitter.com. Choose a username and password. You’ll want to use your real name if possible or something close to it. Be sure to fill out your bio and add a picture of yourself. If you’re having trouble, check out how to get started with Twitter.
To use Twitter with a smart phone:
If you have an Android, iPhone, BlackBerry or other smart phone, there are lots of free applications you can use. You probably have a Twitter app that comes with your phone. If not, here are a few that we suggest. You’ll want to visit the sites on your smartphone or go to iTunes or Android Market to download the apps.
BlackBerry: UberTwitter
Android: Touiteur, Seesmic, or HootSuite
To use Twitter from a cell phone:
Twitter was created to be used via text messages. So if your phone can text, you can use it to send and receive tweets.
1. sign in to your twitter account
2. click Settings, then Devices, enter your cell phone number.
3. text the code/word that Twitter supplies to 40404.
You can choose which people to receive updates from if you like. Once you’ve set up your phone with the steps above, simply text your 140-character tweet to 40404 and you’ll be tweeting from your account.
