Twitter fans around the country will meet for a day of discussions. But it’s for a cause: Proceeds will go to charity.
On 12 February, more than 175 cities around the world will host a festival for members of the micro-blogging site Twitter.com. Christened ‘Twestival’, it is slated to be an evening of fun, games and discussions that will also raise money for a cause: water conservation.
In India, while Mumbai is still getting its act together — as of now it has a website, Mumbai.twestival.com — it is Bangalore that has taken the lead in organising a twestival. A small group of twitter users is trying to bring netizens together for the Bangalore edition of the twestival.
Offline meet-ups of twitter users (or twitterati) are common and are generally called ‘tweet-ups.’ But a twestival is different — it takes team effort to make one happen. Funds generated by the event will go to an international NGO called Charity:Water.
The man who initiated it in Bangalore, Chaitanya K, a graphic designer, came across news of the event “just 10 days back” and decided to hold one in his city. “When I registered for the event, I didn’t know I was the first person to do so from Bangalore. I came to be in charge of the city event by default,” he said. Soon, he was joined by his colleagues and another twitterati, Hrish Thota, who agreed to help out.
In other countries, one is required to pay a token amount to participate in the event. But in Bangalore, considering that time is short, the organisers are employing innovative methods to bring in the funds. They have, for instance, developed a flash game with in-game ad support. “The flash game, chi-chi, will keep the revenue flowing even after the event concludes. The game will live as long as such events do,” he said. The team has other sources of revenue in mind too. “We plan to sell raffle tickets and are also looking for sponsors,” said Hrish. “We’re looking at holding a Nintendo Wii gaming tournament and also selling customised artefacts,” Chaitanya said.
The Bangalore event is one of the few twestivals happening in the country, the other venues being Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Nizamabad, and if it works out, Mumbai as well.
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