Twitter helps during Hillsborough schools swine flu scare

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MAY 07, 2009

TAMPA - It was the week of Twitter for the Hillsborough County schools.

Within hours of the decision Sunday to close three schools over swine flu worries, the district was sending out news updates over its version of the social networking tool. Twitter - invented to allow friends to post innermost thoughts or idle musings in 140 characters or fewer - had become an emergency communications device.

Other school districts, including Pinellas, also have Twitter sites. But few have put them to such immediate use.

From zero followers on Sunday, the district now counts more than 400 followers at its site, twitter.com/HillsboroughSch. By Tuesday's School Board meeting, members Jennifer Faliero and April Griffin were posting messages from their own accounts and urging everyone to join up.

"I'm sure that we will twitter, tweet, whatever the lingo is," said superintendent MaryEllen Elia. "We will pull out all the stops to make sure parents know what is happening with this situation."

For more details, read tomorrow's St. Petersburg Times or visit tampabay.com.

Tom Marshall, Times staff writer
twitter.com/tomsptimes

Posted by Tony Marrero at 1:44:10 pm on May 07, 2009 in

Hillsborough County

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Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going in on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.

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THE TEAM

Rebecca Catalanello covers Pinellas County schools. E-mail her: rcatalanello@tampabay.com.

Tony Marrero covers Hernando County schools. E-mail him: tmarrero@tampabay.com.

Marlene Sokol covers Hillsborough County schools. E-mail her: sokol@tampabay.com.

Ron Matus covers Pinellas County schools. E-mail him: matus@tampabay.com.

Jeffrey S. Solochek covers Pasco County schools. E-mail him: solochek@tampabay.com.

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