Connecting Bengaluru through rotation curation on Twitter

Brand Bengaluru had conquered the hyper-active social media space a long time ago. But to keep that brand connected to real-time issues faced by the City could be a tough task.

The message could easily get lost in the cacophony of a thousand voices competing for attention. Twitterati has now found a way out: Rotation Curation, a concept designed to bring a semblance of order and yes, purpose!

Simply put, Rotation Curation is about giving control of a brand-specific twitter handle to a person or group for a short period. So, Bengaluru now has a twitter handle, @WeAreBangalore, where citizens take turns to talk about the City to the world.

A different person or group from the City takes over the twitter handle for a week, to be changed every Monday. 

Avid tweeter, Tinu Cherian Abraham with an enviable follower base of 1.66 lakh was the first curator for @WeAreBangalore. Started by Sandeep Saini, the account is currently managed by six administrators, including Abraham, Saini, Jeroz Nishanth Coelho, Gaurav, RJ Pallavi and Subbu Reddy.

“We are one of the most active and consistent Rotation Curation teams in India. Over 60 curators have handled the account ever since we started on October 14, 2013,” Abraham explained. 

This team of six keeps a watch on tweeters who are articulate on issues, and invites them to take over the handle for a week.

“People generally grab the offer, and tweet about issues as varied as food, urban problems, travel or work-life balance,” said Reddy.

The administrators stay in constant touch through WhatsApp group chat, keeping tabs on the curators. Coelho elaborated, “They can choose any topic, even if they are not strictly related to Bengaluru. But we ask them to avoid contentious issues, particularly on religion and political parties.”

Over the last 18 months, about 70 curators including social workers, writers, bloggers, authors, working mothers and runners have taken over the @WeAreBangalore handle, tweeting with passion about their city.

As Reddy recalled, even Bengalureans settled abroad had found the Rotation Curation experiment a perfect tool to reconnect with the City and its people. “We have had people from the US, UK, Middle East and Philippines turning curators. Their insights have enriched everyone.”

For tweeters searching for Bengaluru, the handle @WeAreBangalore would provide City-specific content, filtering out tweets that he / she may not be interested in if the curator were to use his / her own account.

The curator benefits by earning a lot more followers in the process.