On December 18, 2008 I wrote “Tweet! Judicial Branch Website! Tweet! . In that post, I argued:
The judicial branch can inform attorneys and the public of programs, changes in forms, updates in procedures, decisions, court closings and a variety of other information by creating a twitter feed.
Today, my dream has been realized. The Connecticut Judicial Branch has joined Twitter!
The Connecticut Judicial Branch is now using Twitter to broaden public access to information about the courts.
“Twitter is yet another way to get word out quickly about delays or closures due to inclement weather, news about events, revised court forms or procedures and a host of other developments,” Chief Court Administrator Barbara M. Quinn said. “Our account will link followers to new information posted on the Branch’s website, at www.jud.ct.gov, and we hope that users will find this ‘real-time’ service beneficial.”
The Branch’s Twitter account is at https://twitter.com/#!/search/CtStateCourts ; it may also be accessed through an icon on the Judicial Branch’s website.
Can a CT Judicial Branch Facebook page be far behind? As much as I love twitter, Facebook is probably the best “social media” forum to “….to get word out quickly about delays or closures due to inclement weather, news about events, revised court forms or procedures and a host of other developments…”
The first reaction for many people to twitter is “I don’t get it”. It’s text based and limited to 140 characters. If you expect twitter to be like Facebook – you’re going to be disappointed. Twitter limits of 140 characters make it the greatest market place of ideas ever created. It is part news feed and part chat room. Twitter forces users to be concise. Concise posts allow a reader to know almost instantly if a link is worth clicking on.
Facebook reaches a larger audience. It’s the only place on the net where one can reach my 85 year old grandfather and my 15 year old cousin and everyone in between. Twitter does not reach either of them. Twitter is incredibly useful and easy to use on phones. For many Connecticut residents, a phone is their only access to the internet. Twitter makes it easy for users of most phones to get access to information without having to web browse (which is very difficult on some phones). The ease of use on mobile devices is why Twitter has played such a large role in protests in Egypt and Iran where web access is very limited.
The Judicial Branch should embrace Facebook in addition to twitter.