People in Laramie often complain about there being nothing to do. The real problem is people don’t know about what’s going on. As a musician that naturally knows many other musicians, I know there is live music in this town. So a few weeks ago I started a new twitter account, @musicinlaramie.
I must admit, I’m surprised.
For the month of January (including New Years Eve), I’ve posted 11 events so far. I’ve got at least 7 more to post in the next few weeks. That’s not bad for a small Wyoming town. The more interesting part is the eclecticism of the events I’m posting… The shows range from folk to reggae to metal to classical to funk to bluegrass. Anybody can find something entertaining to listen to.
I’m encouraging even friends that don’t have Twitter to check out the page and let me know if they know of an event. Many people still don’t get Twitter and say “I care about what you had for breakfast.” @musicinlaramie is a perfect example of Twitter used right.
If I’m at the Buckhorn on Tuesday night and some random touring band stopped by to play a show, I can shoot a txt to Twitter from my phone about the gig. You’re sitting at home watching TV. If you’re wise you’re following @musicinlaramie and have SMS notifications on. Now you know there really is something to do tonight.
Twitter is an excellent platform for staying in the know about local community events. If you’re in another community, I highly suggest you setup something similar. If you’re in Laramie, sign up for Twitter, and follow @musicinlaramie with SMS notifications.
Update: I added a Facebook page that imports the Twitter feed here for all of you non-tweeting Facebook lovers.