We have @kajangTV too!!!!!

Having read the article below, I too registered for an account for Kajang. I hope it can be a place where information on the ongoings and happenings in Kajang can be disseminated quickly. This can include events, meetings, shows, concerts, makan places, etc, etc. The more the better actually. So, I look forward to support from all and please spread the news.

Until the next time, cheers.

The Star, Wednesday November 9, 2011

Twitter vision for neighbourhood

THE spirit of neighbourliness, with a dose of volunteerism added in, has created a new breed of Twitterers in the Klang Valley.

They prefer to remain anonymous but tweet from neighbourhood-based accounts to act as the eyes and ears of the community.

Their influence spreads fast; it started with @ttdiTV, soon followed by @bandarutamaTV, @TropicanaTV, @KepongTV and lately @MuarTV and many more have been created independently by residents of the respective areas to the delightful surprise of the pioneers. TV stands for ‘Twitter Vision’.

The creators of this new trend were four friends in their 30s from Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) who felt that they could and should do something for their community.

Youth appeal: The younger generation who are usually lukewarm about local goings-on are intrigued by this latest trend.

 

One of them, nicknamed Hafiz, works in the telecommunications industry, felt the vibrancy and potential of Twitter in engaging people in a community as compared with online forum that was much more time-consuming.

“It is like a minimalist platform. You have succinct discussions about things in your community and the updates are real-time,” he told StarMetro at Mukha Café in TTDI, recently.

“At the same time, there was a lot of political discussions going on and we hope to offer something different that allows people to touch base with the community, in a non-political way,” he added.

Hafiz and his two friends who turned up for the interview preferred to keep their anonymity and be represented only as @ttdiTV, so that their identities and backgrounds would not impose any influence.

Common platform: With neighbourhood-based Twitter accounts created, those who live, work, run business or simply care about the area can share real-time updates, info and queries on Twittersphere.

 

“It is also better to retain the element of curiosity, that’s part of the attraction!” Hafiz said with a chuckle.

Started in November last year, the group had to do a little bit of “promotion” such as tweeting about important telephone numbers of the community, searching for people who tweeted about TTDI to get @ttdiTV seen.

Within a month, it had garnered about 200 followers and now more than 2,200 are actively contributing and exchanging tweets about their neighbourhood.

“We did not expect the residents to be so hungry for information,” added Jai who is in the property industry.

The followers include both young and old, who are not only TTDI residents, but also those who work, run business or have moved out from here.

On the chosen acronym TV, Hafiz said people spent more time on Twitter than TV nowadays!

It is a colourful and interesting interactive platform for all the people who care about the area, with topics ranging far and wide.

There are the common information that neighbours love to share, such as where’s the best place for roti canai, how’s the traffic or weather and utility service disruptions, not forgetting an update that’s unexpectedly popular among the parents — report card day.

Sometimes, the followers make good use of the platform.

“There are lost pet searches, job recruitments, even match-making and spell check! Instead of Google, they ask @ttdiTV,” Hafiz said.

But they don’t have to be a Mr Know-it-all. They simply retweet the questions and others who know will answer.

“That’s crowd wisdom,” Zu quipped.

The four have brought the platform a notch up by introducing fun and simple things. One of it is the regular contests with prizes sponsored by businesses that benefited from the neighbourhood tweeting.

With a geographically-connected online community formed, Twitters poll is easy, too.

Some of the findings are: 91% of TTDI residents want a McDonald’s outlet there and 68% think curry is Maggi’s best flavour.

They also keep residents updated on the latest news by live tweeting from townhall meetings and at the same time explore into the past by tweeting about history of the area and leaders represented by the street names.

Businesses in the area have also successfully leveraged on the new platform, so much so that @ttdiTV founders were invited to speak at a SME forum recently.

Sayid Abdul Rahman and Liyana Ferdaus from the three-month-old Mukha Cafe shared that @ttdiTV had almost single-handedly brought customers streaming in as the followers started discussing about the restaurant.

“The followers discuss actively about the businesses and services in the neighbourhood. Even if the comments are negative, we welcome them,” Sayid said.

However, when suggested by some to organise activities for followers to meet, they prefer to leave that to the residents’ association that has been very supportive.

Undoubtedly, the effort has made the younger generation, who are commonly lukewarm about the goings-on in their neighbouhood to bind closer.

“Community is a state of mind, when you have a platform to get them involved, they become part of it,” Hafiz said.

The four, on the other hand, are rewarded by contentment.

“With urban living, many don’t really know what’s going on around them but this makes me feel like I am part of something.

“It feels like in the old kampung days when the neighbourhood is so closely knitted, just that this is happening on cyberspace,” said Jai.

The group has inspired many to create a Twitter account for their respective communities in an attempt to give back to the place they live in and @KepongTV that was created in August was one of them.

The crew behind the scene are three friends who grew up together in Kepong since kindergarten. They are marketing coordinator Roshita Azlia Ahmad Zailani and architect Safuan Basiran, a couple with a two-year-old, as well as engineer consultant Nik Gaddafi Kamil. They are all 31.

“@kepongTV is still a baby and we have only about 70 followers now but we are nevertheless happy to receive feedback from unknown neighbours,” said Roshita.

“We grew up in Kepong, and must do something for it so when Roshita suggested the idea, we agreed at once,” said Nik.