Sunday, April 18, 2010

Twitter Etiquette for ANZAC Day

ANZAC Day is fast approaching - 25 April the day when Australians and New Zealanders commemorate their countrymen and women who died in conflict.

With the increasing popularity of Twitter many of us will be sharing our experiences online as we attend dawn services, parades and get togethers around the country. But when symbolic ceremonies meet new technologies a few simple protocols can help determine what is acceptable and what might cause offence.  

On ANZAC Day Twitter can be a powerful tool to:
  • Share family ANZAC stories online. 
  • Ask others about a particular campaign or research a loved one's service history (A good place to start is www.awm.gov.au).
  • Swap details of the services, ceremonies and marches in your area.
  • Arrange to meet with friends.
  • Tweetpic our ANZAC images.
  • Share recipes for gunfire breakfasts and ANZAC cookies.
  • Tell mates where the Two Up is. 
  • Report on veterans and their units as they march proudly through our towns, suburbs and cities.

But please leave your mobile in your purse or pocket and turn off the tweets during:
  • The dawn service (between 5:30am and 6:00am on 25 April).  This is the time for quiet reflection on the deeds of those who stormed Gallipoli's beaches 95 years ago and the fallen who followed.  Tweeting is likely to annoy others if  the LCD screens of Blackberries and Iphone light up the pre-dawn skies.
  • During the bugle calls of Last Post and Reveille.

This ANZAC Day please tweet in the spirit of Lest We Forget.

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