For those about to flock...

to Nationals, sign up for a Twitter account, and let's keep each other notified on the happenings in Chico via text messaging on your cell phone, IM, or PDA.

Twitter is a web based web site that makes it easy to communicate with your friends. The basic idea is you have 140 characters to be able to tell everybody what your doing or thinking at any time. Ordinarily it's not the strongest branch of the new web2.o, but it is perfect for events like this, especially since it works so well with cell phones and most of us get free weekends (right?).

The first step is to go to Twitter.com and register your account, then go to http://twitter.com/devices to add your device (cell phone, IM, PDA, whatever). Once your device is registered text "track NYYC" to 40404 and you will be automatically notified whenever someone posts a Twitter containing NYYC (which stands for National yo-yo Contest... "NYYC" does not have to appear in all caps btw). This process is also described on http://twitter.com/blog/2007/09/tracking-twitter.html

Again; login to twitter, set up your mobile device, then send "track nyyc" to Twitter's text number (40404). Afterwards, feel free to find friends to follow or send a test NYYC message.

This is a big event, at times we are all at the park, other times we are scattered around, but if we use Twitter to communicate what's going on, we can make sure we don't miss a thing.

For example, "NYYC triple A throwdown going down now in the parking lot at H.I." or "OMG, @DocPop is the new NYYC champion in every single division!!!1!".

To send a message or reply to a specific Twitterer, just type the "@" in front of their name. Mine would be @DocPop or you can also check out my Twitter page http://twitter.com/DocPop

If you are Twittering any National Yo-Yo stuff, be sure to type NYYC in the message somewhere, otherwise it won't go out to everyone's Twitter Tracker.

BTW, in combination with my flickr updating, this might be a good way to keep track of what's happening in Chico this weekend.