Burlington Meets Bahrain: When Twitter Hashtags Collide

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As we noted on page 5 of this week's Seven Days, conversation on the #BTV "hashtag" on Twitter has been dominated by angry tweets directed at an unpopular broadcaster in recent days — and no, the local Twitter community hasn't directed its ire at Burlington Telecom.

#BTV has been the go-to hashtag for Burlington-area Tweeters for years now, derived from the airport code for Burlington International Airport. When someone tweets about something Burlington related, he or she adds #BTV at the end so that other locals can easily find the tweet. These tweets are usually about Vermont weather, pictures of lakefront sunsets, discussion of lunch plans, and other small-talky pleasantries that foster a sense of community. But this week, the #BTV stream has looked different than usual.

Note: I created this story using Storify, a tool that lets you mix tweets with commentary in a nicely formatted package.

Comments

[CB]

sorry- but it's a HASHTAG. really not getting the big deal. and years? what, two? is switching to BVT that hard?

And, uh, I think there was a whole lotta sarcasm in that tweet- not sympathy.

[Gahlord Dewald]

CB: The #BTV hashtag has been in use by Burlington since 2007. I think it has played a significant role in Burlington being recognized as a highly networked city, edging out our bigger cousin Portland OR.

Also, I was in direct contact with @RazanAbdulaal yesterday. She is not being sarcastic.

Certainly, hashtags really don't mean much in the grand scheme of things. But communication among a community of innovative and helpful people does mean something. Communication via the #BTV hashtag has helped numerous businesses and workers over the past years.

I am happy to hope that this will continue to be the case.

[Alex]

My thoughts have not changed over the last month. Simply a chance to learn something new. Embrace it - it won't last forever.

http://twitter.com/#!/kaufmanwithak/status/39381353958998016

[rcarter]

Yet another reason twitter is so utterly stupid.

[Razan Abdul Aal]

Thank you for your wishes, but I would also like to point out that violence is only being used on violent individuals, outlaws, and those inclined to incite destructive acts of insubordination and terror. It is neither agreeable nor disagreeable, but unfortunate, as the country is in a precarious situation; with many in support of the Regime, whilst many are -as you already know- in opposition. The most damage being done at this stage is to the country itself, for I fear that recovery will be extremely difficult within the social factions thrust unwillingly into the turmoil. We once had a beautiful social structure based on ethics rather than sect, where we were all simply Bahraini's. The majority of people are lost between the two sides and are in the process of attempting to #UniteBH because they are pro-reform, but against revolution.
Thank you for your patient understanding and I apologise on behalf of all the abuse heaped upon your unsuspecting town. Please pray for peace, prosperity and love for us all.

[Kristen Fiocco]

Awesome blog, Tyler. Although I'm not a resident of Burlington I follow the #BTV hashtag and am slightly envious of how well your city uses twitter. I wasn't actually entirely sure what was happening in Bahrain so thanks for covering it. I hope their issues are resolved quickly and peacefully.

[Meghan]

Bahrain TV hashtag is also #bhtv and many folks there seem to be using that already. Here is one link to twitter hashtag definitions: http://tagdef.com There may be others.

[Becky]

Hey using #bvt instead of #btv was my idea! Nice!

[Neil]

Were i on the twitterzone, I would use #BVT and #SOBU for our favorite dysfunctional cities.

(un?)fortunately, I am anti-the-social.