One the things I wanted to do over Xmas, before jspace died and I got, uhm, unwell, was to set up a multiuser tweetr channel, if that’s possible, within which anyone who wanted to could tweet the rising of Zed. I was thinking of it as a lazy two or three day project, but kinda groundbreaking in a lit sense. A self producing, multi author novel, in effect.
Why dyou think?
Kinda like how are we’re seeing things as they unfold personally?.
Like if I was to text you, “Hey mate, long time no hear. Just saw the craziest thing at the bus stop”….type thing?.
or what…
Why do I think? I’ll wait to hear if you’re after a neurobiological, psychological or philosophical position.
In the meantime, though, I’ll observe that it seems like an interesting idea – I think I remember someone doing something similar with a LiveJournal entry plus comments. Your version sounds something like a group story or a roleplay-by-text exercise.
Those can be fun, but you may want to think about what level of co-ordination you want for it. There are a lot of group storytelling threads on one of the boards I help moderate, and I notice that the successful ones actually seem to need a fair bit of planning so people didn’t wildly contradict each other (although that might be a neat part of the overall effect) or derail the whole exercise.
Moko – yeah, I think that’s what he means, sort of like what the Japanese hacker was describing happening online in WWZ.
We may need it sooner than we think. Our Chief Zombie Hunter, Mr Harnes has been missing since the the Great JS Crash of ’08.
Me thinks the Zombies may have already got him. Either that or he is bunkered down in his Bolt Hole with no means of communication.
Ooh! Could we have zeds that assimilate Barnes’ zombie-hunting knowledge after eating his brainz, and use it against the survivors?
Exactly.
eg.
‘Just caught tram in from St K. Saw weirdest thing. Drunk guy in his fucking jammies by the tracks.’
But, you know, better.
Would we be doing it as ourselves?
Sounds cool. I’ll be in. Dreamt about kiling the missus off a coupla times. LMAO. jokes.
Except someone would have to be really new to St Kilda to be phased by a dude near the tram tracks in his jammies.
Oh and “Historical Tweets” is full of mirth
http://historicaltweets.com/
Man we get drunk dudes in their jammies round here all the time too. And Queanbeyan isn’t half the cosmopolitan destination that is St Kilda.
Sounds like a plan, go for it. Nothing to loose but what is left of our sanity.
Uh so those drunks in their jammies on the lawn aren’t drunks? Excuse me while I make double sure things are sharp.
PS are these the practice type Zed or the blink and they’re on you type? It’d be useful to before know is all.
PPS if I don’t check in then there’s a problem in that a) they weren’t drunks or b) they were and I need a lawyer.
Hoping to speak with you soon, Bangar.
This is starting to remind me of an episode of Dr Who.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/413338/review_of_dr_who_episode_11_blink.html?cat=39
excellent idea. Years ago when i was an international relations student we did a week long thing like that based on a foreign policy crisis (but with roles Ie Sec Def, Sov premiere etc- and no internet of course) Took on a dynamic and life of its own. but Matt F is right- do it as ourselves.
just got a scratch from some homeless guy, but strangly seem to be able to run faster…..
http://www.grouptweet.com/
If this ends up with a orson welles war of the worlds kind of following, my week would be made.
now I know why the weather went ta shite today,, not melb weather, but JB was in town..GOD DAM IT!.
Yeah count me in, I can think of a few I would like to ZOMBIFY…..CATS..Pettin pussy comes ta mind .
Geez, I have GOT to get the boyfriend onto this…
It may just be the thing to draw him into social networking sites… ;)
I’m in.
I’m not sure if you can have a multiple user twitter account I’m pretty sure you can’t, but if you had every participant/writer @reply to the main account or uses a specific #hashtag from their individual accounts for their 140 character submission you could easily enough aggregate those tweets on a site eg zombietwitlit.com . Problem you run into is that every fuck knuckle could @reply or use the hashtag to mess with the project, though I haven’t worked with the twitter api i’m guessing you could probably restrict tweets which get published at the site to only allowed users but that adds another level of stuff to develop. Alternatively you could just use WordPress with its bitchin twitter like system called Prologue (http://prologuedemo.wordpress.com) that is similar to running your own mini-twitter which would allow more control of who participates and less interference etc from dickheads but being much more closed you don’t benefit from twitter’s community and associated sizzle/crackle.
Yeah I’ll have a go.
If somone explains in short words & shorter sentances what a twitter is.
Seems to be some kind a glitch loading the N part of the list of Unusual Suspects on the left.
I think it would be a meaningful community service to raise awareness of the threat. I’m in.
NowhereBob,
Twitter http://twitter.com is a micro-blogging platform where posts are restricted to 140 characters. The posts, referred to as “tweets”, can be added via the web or txt message and your updates are restricted to being seen by only your list of followers and viceversa. Is basically like IRC chat slash social network. ’tis all the rage.
Sounds like fun.
You mean Barnes M – last seen moping around a closed hamburger joint on Wellington Point before Christmas? He was mumbling something incoherently but it sounded like ‘hottest.. burger… closed… mumble… mumble… weapons… useless… brainzzzzzz…’
Bob ~ roflmao. Bet that ain’[t far from the truth.
HAVOCK. Leave the pussy alone.
Hey, see JS is going for 2600 and a bit at the mo. Someone’s looking to buy it.
The stars of the awesome Left 4 Dead have their own Twitter pages…
http://twitter.com/francis_l4d
http://twitter.com/zoey_l4d
http://twitter.com/bill_l4d
http://twitter.com/louis_l4d
They’re automated ‘bots’ that play out scenarios from the game.
In terms of your idea, JB, I think it could be cool. You’d probably need some ‘set pieces’ to coordinate the action.
eg, you could let those in on it know that, for example, at 1100 AEST, a passenger jet slams into City Hall. Stuff like that.
Then, you could have coordinated responses to certain events.
1. Yay, zombies.
2. Yay, breakfast (you can decide for yourself whether this is related to point 1)
3. I’m kind of envisioning a cross between Dracula (multiple viewpoints) and The Lost Tape: Andy’s Terrifying Last Days Revealed, with a bit of modern technology thrown in.
4. I started a blog a while back to jot down ideas about a Z-related graphic novel I want to write a script for. While doing so, I had the idea of just publishing the story in serial form as a blog, but sadly, I lack the time, motivation, and possibly literary talent.
Sounds like it could be funny. I read somewhere that the best way to keep up to day during the Indian troubles was through Twitter.
It could become the modern version of War of the Worlds.
I suppose I could be pursuaded..
Only kidding I’m in like Flint
Cats, as they were once gods cannot become Zombies, dogs on the other hand can. Imagine zombie maltese crosses ha ha ha!
Yeah I’ll have a go.
If somone explains in short words & shorter sentances what a twitter is.
I’m the same, what the fuck* is a twitter?
*Are we allowed to drop F bombs on this site, or has the Ruddbots new corps of fun killing got their meaty hands around our throat already?
LOBES is aiming for the head.
-less than 5 seconds ago from web
follow me on Twitter
11.55am EST Hai,any u giz c flsh in sky? WTF??
will it be this type of thing.
Looks like the zombies got http://twitter.com/zombie_uprising already.
Brigadier Barnes is alive and well and activating the alpha site.
that wasn’t supposed to do that.
in any case, follow zombie-uprising. After it is also following you, you can post to the account by typing “d zombie_uprising [tweet]”
It takes a while to go through though is the only thing
It sounds really good, my only concern would be to have a shared definition of the zombie parameters – are they shambling or running, are head shots the only way to kill them, what about burning etc? Dao they keep any semblance of intelligence or not? Just so that different entries don’t contradict each other too much.
you will here me yell for a reload.. that is all the warning you are gonna get from me…
survival of the fittest, fastest and the well-armed with a valid documented plan in place.
GB’s right we need an agreed canon so that things don’t get out of hand…
It looks like http://twittbot.com would probably be the best group twitter service to run things through because you can have either open or closed accounts with just selected authors so so that it doesn’t get fucked with.
We’d be lookin’ at trad zombie parametres bob. Shamblers. Headshots. Solanum virus.
AD’s twittbot suggestion looks the go. I reckon we might do this while I’m in the US. Give me something to play with on the road.
Is this what you mean?
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/12/22/081222fa_fact_goodyear?currentPage=all
Sorry – need a translation. WTF is a twitter? (d slumps forward dejectedly on walking frame).
And I hope that none of that B.S. of zed yelling ‘brains’ or any such thing is in the canon as well … I prefer the good book of Mr. Romero and not that rip-off series that came later.
I’m in … really enjoyed doing the zombie passages for the Tench story last year (which, by the way, I finally got to read a couple of weeks ago).
R.
Send more cops…
Send more paramedics….
pass me my c-mags
Stop moaning or I’ll shoot ya
Thats the problem with mortarmen they need bigger barrels as their aim is so shite!
I get it – stuff like “Running low on tinned corned beef. Will swap beans for beef. I’ll even throw in two shottie shells! Twitter me now” .
Or “Hi! Do you love shambling along the beach at night looking for live meat? Do you feel something is missing? Some of my body may look rotten, but I’m not Johnnie! lol! Looking for fellow zed, SOH, n/s, broadminded, moaners preferred.”