Friday, March 18, 2011

Cold Case Twitter Chats

Another cold case Twitter chat just ended ~ and it was fabulous!

Chats are hosted by @Vidocq_CC (of "Defrosting Cold Cases" blog) and @ColdCaseSquad ("The Cold Case Squad" blog) on Fridays, between 12 noon - 1 p.m. EST. They began on February 25; this was our fourth chat.

This is a wonderful opportunity for cold case bloggers, cops, media, the families of victims, lawyers, and many other like-minded folks to converse. It's beneficial to writers, also, who can pose questions.

The hope we have for cold cases is that someone with information becomes willing to come forward. The incentive varies, of course, but a person may be persuaded to come forward if certain relationships change; it might be for reward money; a promise of anonymity; the person has matured or his/her conscience is getting the better of him/her. It might very well be to simply "do the right thing." If a shift in a relationship occurs -- which might include divorce, death, a break-up, a renewed friendship -- police usually benefit when it comes to solving cold cases. It is important to keep the dialogue open. The families of the victims should know that the police don't forget; the memory of their loved ones live on as we promote awareness of his/her case.

The hashtag is #cclivechat (short for cold case live chat). If you're not familiar with Tweetchat.com, now's the perfect time to get to know it. You enter a hashtag, and it's the only Twitter stream you see -- and another bonus, it automatically adds the hashtag for you ~ no need to retype it!

@Vidocq_CC has been recapping the chats if you'd like to scroll through the old ones.

Joe Giacalone has recently published The Criminal Investigative Function: A Guide for New Investigators. I ordered a Kindle edition through Amazon for my Mac, and I'm enjoying it tremendously.


If I'm near a computer at 12 noon EST on Fridays, I will join in. Hope to see you there -- and bring questions or certain cases you'd like to discuss. 

4 comments:

  1. Interesting to see the many ways twitter can be used. I know that I know nothing yet, but yesterday I got in touch with a German journalist who could help me with information about a German-based e-book platform! So you never know when you´ll stumble on new contacts - or when these ´contacts´ turn into interesting people you begin to care about :D

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  2. Hi Vidster,
    It is my pleasure ~ you do phenomenal work when it comes to defrosting cold cases, my friend!

    Hi Dorte,
    The uses of Twitter are almost too numerous to list! It is an information-sharing device ~ and those utilizing Twitter are communicating with those they would most likely NOT be able to communicate with if Twitter didn't exist! I think it is fabulous! So glad you have come around to Twitter & are getting your feet wet! I think you'll enjoy the pool ~ stick around! Keep up the great work!

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  3. Hi Kathy,
    The Cold Case Live Chats are more popular then I imagined. Vidster does a great job putting them together. Thanks for getting the word out.
    Joe

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  4. I'm glad to participate, and it is exciting to see so many other like-minded individuals coming together for the sake of promoting cold cases!

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