How can we better promote our city around the world? By launching
a collective Twitter account for all Las Vegans
Last December, in a stroke of marketing genius, the tourism bureau in Sweden tried something new. Instead of using their Twitter account to link to press releases about lobster fests and the Stockholm furniture fair, they decided to hand the account’s reins over to a new Swede every week. They call it Curators of Sweden, “the world’s most democratic Twitter account.”
So far, curators have included a lamb farmer, a teacher and a lesbian truck driver. Topics have ranged from butter shortages and Swedish crime novels to David Bowie and suicide rates. They’ve shared Spotify playlists of music that sounds nothing like ABBA and compared their own tattoos to those of Lisbeth Salander of “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” No wonder the number of @Sweden followers doubled in the first five weeks of the experiment. Not surprisingly, others are stealing their idea: @PeopleofLeeds, @TweetweekUSA and @WeAreAustralia all now exist — though none have taken off the way @Sweden has. This could be simply because nobody likes a rip-off, or it could be that nobody is really that fascinated by Leeds or Australia. Neither of those places can offer a window into the country that you couldn’t find on your own — and, let’s face it, neither has much mystique.
What city does have that mystique that lends itself to a natural curiosity? Ours. Turn on your TV and consider TruTV’s “Las Vegas Jailhouse” and “Vegas Strip,” History Channel’s “Pawn Stars,” two seasons of MTV’s “Real World” and E’s “Holly’s World.” The same goes for social media outlets like Twitter. Search for the hashtag #OnlyInVegas on the micro-blogging site and you’ll find dozens of tweets relaying the absurd or entertaining sights and experiences of tourists and locals alike. You’ll also notice something else: They’re generally positive. People like watching and talking about Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority operates @Vegas and Vegas.com runs @VegasCom. With 110k followers between them, both do a serviceable job promoting travel deals, guides and quickie contests. But we could do better.
As Las Vegas awakens to the idea of diversification — economic and otherwise — we need to embrace all aspects of our city: our dedicated arts scene, our tech entrepreneurs, our activists, our hiking enthusiasts, our minority voices and our thinkers. Showing the world that, yes, people actually do live here won’t break the allure of “what happens here, stays here” for those seeking that fantasy, but it could attract someone who might not have considered Vegas as a destination before. A populist Vegas Twitter feed offers unlimited potential with minimal effort.
After all, the city has no shortage of interesting people. A scan of the 50 most-followed Las Vegans, according to WeFollow.com, shows an interesting mix of locals: reality TV stars, cupcake bakers, social media consultants, professors, tech geeks and sports moguls. Beyond those, think of the dozens of people with jobs that are more interesting because they’re in Vegas: hotel maids, police and ministers. (Ministers? In Sin City? Let the gasps begin.)
Ask any local who’s moved away. Strangers are often intrigued by the idea of living in a place nicknamed The Entertainment Capital of the World. They want to know how close you lived to the Strip, whether you gamble and if you’ve ever seen Wayne Newton. Whether they like it or not, being a Las Vegan means being an unofficial curator and tour guide to outsiders, anyway. Why not make it more official?
We need a marketable platform for the voices of Vegas to speak, an account where populist opinions, not just those with the deepest pockets, are heard. Give @Vegas to the people!
April Corbin is a writer and editor who tweets about the pop culture, her dogs and missing those #OnlyInVegas moments. Follow along at @aprilcore.