To our astonishment, we read last week that the first Judicial District of Pennsylvania has adopted the use of Twitter. And it appears that they are enjoying it. They have clearly drunk the Kool Aid.
The first Judicial District of Pennsylvania recently used the Twitter service to communicate with volunteers of the fugitive safe surrender program. The Twitter service was selected by the court as the method to deliver program updates to volunteers because of the cost (read free), and the availability for each follower to best choose how they receive the updates. Users can receive Twitter updates in a variety of methods such as on Twitter’s web site, via SMS (text messages for you neophytes), RSS and e-mail.
Since the safe surrender program wrapped up, the court has continued the use of the Twitter service to provide news and announcement updates to its followers, all of which can also be found on the court’s web site. The court’s use of the service is expected to evolve as updates and feedback are received from its followers. So far, a few dozen people have signed up to follow the court’s updates through Twitter, and it’s believed that the number will increase.
Will the court’s Twitter program become a success? Only if the court uses the service as a secondary means to providing updates, because Twitter cannot yet be trusted as a reliable delivery service. We are perplexed at the rationale for the adoption of this edgy albeit hip new technology. But then, we haven’t drunk the Kool Aid. Don’t expect to see Twitter anytime soon at a courthouse near you.
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