Where Do You Get Your News?

The Pew Research Center has been doing studies to figure out whether adults are turning to social sites like Facebook and Twitter to get news.  They found that 8% of US adults use Twitter to get their news while 30% use Facebook.  Several interesting conclusions were made from the study including, “Twitter news consumers stand out for being younger and more educated than both the population overall and Facebook news consumers.”    

If you are looking for a place to get started with reading news on Twitter, check out The Blimp's news list, featuring Twitter feeds of top news sources.

One thing missing from these two studies is information on where kids under eighteen get their news.  So whether your demographic is included or not, tell us in the comments where you get your news!

Celebrate Poetry Month on Twitter

April is national poetry month, and there are many ways to celebrate!  Put a poem in your pocket on April 18, come in to the library to browse our extensive poetry section, or head to Twitter where there are several organizations discussing and celebrating poetry all month long.  

NPR’s Tell Me More is running a poetry series, Muses and Metaphor, featuring poetry that has been shared on Twitter.  To participate, post your original poetry on Twitter using the hashtag #TMMPoetry.  Read more about this and see past examples at NPR.

The Atlantic runs a Twitter bookclub, and because April is poetry month, they are reading The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry.  Follow this conversation at @1book140 or join in using the hashtag #1book140.

For more information about Poem in Your Pocket Day, check out poets.org run by the Academy of American Poets.  On April 18th, share the poem in your pocket on Twitter using the hastag #pocketpoem

Celebrate poetry this month on Twitter, and while you are there, remember to follow us at @DEBlimp for access to additional current events news.

Twitter-Based Book Club

Jeff Howe announced the Atlantic will be repeating their online book club this summer with 1book140, previously called One Book, One Twitter.  This year the first book that has been chosen for the month of June is Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin.  Follow @1book40 or join the conversation by tweeting with hashtag #1book140.  Check out the Atlantic for more specifics on discussion schedules and what hashtags to use when.

What if you don’t like the book chosen for June?  Starting mid-June, you can vote for the next book that will become the July discussion.