Stop Genocide

Tweeting the Holocaust Museum

by Martha Heinemann Bixby

Published June 04, 2009 @ 01:55PM PT

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to go on a "live tweet" architectural tour of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (@holocaustmuseum).  For those unfamiliar with the "live-tweet" genre, this means that a group of us showed up at the museum, blackberries, iPhones and cell phones in hand, ready to send brief messages out about what we were seeing, learning and feeling as we went along.

We used the "hashtag" #ushmm so that people who couldn't be there in person could follow along.  For the virtual sense of the tour, check out the feed of tweets from participants.

A "live-tweet" tour is a pretty new concept, and it's hard to tell how many people knew about it or followed.  But, those who participated (both online and offline) seemed to get a lot out of it.

Many of us took photos on the tour, to give more of a sense of the space than twitter's 140 characters can provide.

For thoughtful analysis of the experience and suggestions on how similar tours can be structured check out this post from @boxednoise.

"It was great to learn more about the Architect James Ingo Freed and his desire for the Holocaust Museum’s architecture to serve as a “resonator of memory.” The multitude of narratives that exist in terms of the space, exhibits and history provide a rich amount of content for such an effort. The concept is tremendous; a guided tour of a space or exhibits in which participants Twitter their thoughts, reflections and questions using a common hashtag (e.g., #USHMM)."

I highlighy recommend following the Holocaust Museum's work in the social media sphere.  From podcasts to online-offline exhibits to Twitter and Facebook, they give you the opportunity to learn and remember in new communities and new ways.