By Liz Chang
The social media revolution has gained more notice from Caps fans as of late. Notably, Twitter (http://www.twitter.com) is at the forefront. Fans have discovered that Twitter is a great source of information about the team at any time of day, and a veritable Caps Twitter community has sprung up as a result.
According to the website, Twitter is "a real-time short messaging service that works over multiple networks and devices. In countries all around the world, people follow the sources most relevant to them and access information via Twitter as it happens—from breaking world news to updates from friends." Twitterers are limited to 140 characters for each Tweet, but they utilize creative abbreviations and punctuation to get the point across. People from all walks of life- from celebrities to sports stars to the guy down the street- use Twitter to communicate their thoughts or information. Twitter is often the first place where many people get their news.
Caps Twackle (http://capitals.nhl.com/twackle) is a program that has all of the Capitals-related Tweets in one place. Twitter also has a feature where you can set up a list based on certain people you follow, so to see the Tweets from your Caps-related contacts, click on the list you've created. (Here's an example of a list: http://twitter.com/OnFrozenBlog/capstweets).
Another way of keeping up with what’s going on is to follow @NHLTweetup (http://nhltweetup.com). It started with a message posted to Twitter by an NHL employee about a viewing party in New York. Then, fans in other cities expressed their interest in holding their own events. @NHLTweetup was started as a result, containing locations and information about how to RSVP for the various local parties. Caps fans have organized several events via @NHLTweetup.
For a Caps fan with a Twitter account, the basic folks to follow include @washcaps, @cmasisak22, @CapitalsInsider, @VogsCaps, @TarikElBashir, @EricFehr16, and @GreenLife52. Others I'd recommend are @OnFrozenBlog, @emcerlain, @dchesnokov, @JapersRink, @dcsportsbog, @wyshinski, @CapsNewsNetwork, @tedLeonsis, @ThePeerless, @hockeymomva, @love_the_game, @RockTheRed, @robyunich, and @Emfrank123.
However, if you want to see what female fans are saying, check out: @lorirusso, @jmu_capsgirl, @hmabb, @lauriewrites, @cnichols14, @Punch_InTheFace, @KellyInDC, @DCCheapSeats, @DChi606, @Love4Greenie, and many others who are fun to read but I don't have the room to list. And, of course, be sure to add @ScarletCaps.
Twitter is a great way to find out new information in real-time and talk to other Caps fans. Check it out!
Thanks to @lauriewrites, @Caps_Girl, @drewsheltie, and other Twitterers for their input.
Liz Chang (DC Sports Chick) writes for On Frozen Blog (http://www.onfrozenblog.com) and can be found on Twitter as @dcsportschick.