So you'd like to host @WeRWorld? This page should tell you what you need to know 😀 Please read in conjunction with the general community guidelines.
Note that this section is being revised to make things run smoother for everyone, and also account security purposes. (2019-01-30)
Signing Up
We are in the process of getting a form set up to sign up through this site but, whilst we sort through some security/privacy issues: Send an email to werworld@protonmail.com giving:
- Your name (for security only - won't be tweeted unless you do)
- Your Twitter handle
- What country you will be tweeting from (and, optionally, where you are from, If it's not the same place.)
Note that you can do this anonymously - we still need to know who you are, but just ask if you don't want your Twitter handle known.
What happens next? We do a quick check of your account (because, yes, there are bad guys out there who want to get their hands on even little social accounts like this,) and then offer you some possible dates. Note: if you have only just opened your account, or have unusual usage, we may wait a couple of months, and review again before offering dates. This is for the safety of the community, so thank you for your understanding.
Once you have accepted an offered date, and accepted to bide by the community and host guidelines, the next you will hear from us will be when we send you the login details 😀
Handover
Handover is on a SUNDAY, at noon Sydney/Melbourne time (this account is run from Australia.) This time may, of course vary, due to the outgoing/incoming hosts likely being in different time-zones. We will work on whatever works for the hosts. There is a brief period where we change the password (please do NOT change the password yourself!) and do a couple of [admin] tweets, so please be patient 😀
This should be easy, but sometimes Twitter has other ideas. At the time of (or possibly before) handover, we will send an email, or possibly DM, with login details.
- Twitter may ask for an email address; if it does, the address is werworld@protonmail.com
- Twitter may say that unusual behaviour has been spotted - generally you will need to do a CAPTCHA, or something similar. DM @smiffy if this doesn't work, or starts getting weird.
- Twitter may ask for a phone number - DM @smiffy if this happens.
Once past all of that, update the profile:
- Change avatar
- Change background
- Update profile text; text should read:
Global rotation/curation (RoCur) account. This week: YOUR_TWITTER_HANDLE Hosting details & community guidelines: https://werworld.org Email: admin@werworld.org
Note: if you are tweeting anonymously, YOUR_TWITTER_HANDLE will be whatever pseudonym you have chosen to go with. - Please do not change anything other than avatar, profile text, and background.
- It's nice to start with an acknowledgement of the previous host, but not mandatory.
- All yours!
What should I talk about?
As long as it is within the guidelines, whatever you want! What its like to live where you are (photos are great!) your interests, what makes you you. As you will be seeing what is likely to be a very different timeline from what you are used to, feel free to RT (using discretion) anything you find interesting.
Interaction is good. Some of the best weeks in the account's history have seen strong interaction with followers. Interacting with hosts of other RoCur accounts on the timeline (a few of the admins have hosted @WeRWorld) is always fun, and broadens the community.
Following and interacting with the account prior to your hosting week can give you a good feel for the community, and what to expect.
In terms of time and energy commitment, as a general rule, you should plan on tweeting at least 10 to 15 tweets per day.
What's Acceptable?
The community guidelines cover the basics but, for hosts:
- No commercial content, this isn't an advertising platform, UNLESS you are a sole operator, in which case you are more than welcome to mention your business, providing that's not all you're doing. Likewise, if you have a Patreon or similar, feel free to tell us! (We are considering having a separate page for this, if there is sufficient interest.)
- The primary language of this account is English. Hosts are most welcome to tweet in other languages, provided that there is an English translation. If replying to a non-English tweet, no translation required. (If you want to teach the audience any non-English words, go for it 👍🏽)
Following
As a community, we like to grow, so hosts are encouraged to follow anyone engaging with the account, or whom they feel will add value to the timeline (please use discretion.) Please do NOT:
- unfollow (feel free to mute,)
- soft-block (block then unblock to stop an account from following)
- report tweets from
...anyone unless they are being abusive, in which case please take a screenshot, mute, and notify admin.
Accessibility
When posting images (including gifs), please consider visually impaired/blind users by adding a description, either using whatever your Twitter client makes avaiable, or in tne text itself, which could be a follow-up tweet. Some guidance for describing images may be found below. (Links open in new tab/window).
- American Anthropological Society - Guidelines for Creating Image Descriptions
- Veronica With Four Eyes - How To Write Alt Text and Image Descriptions for the Visually Impaired (From the perspective of someone who is visiually impaired).
Signing Out
At the end of the hosting period, please sign out of all devices. If you enjoyed the experience, or felt that you didn't have enough time to say what you wanted, then just sign up again 😀
Questions? Suggestions? Feedback on our guidelines is always welcome, just contact us.