Here’s an interesting new trending hashtag feature inaugurated by The Guardian on twitter: #GdnGig. It’s being used as the defining hashtag to accompany one of the newspaper’s ‘mapping’ projects.
It enables people going out to or who are already at gigs to share content, location and images to the twitter stream, simultaneously building a music map of the UK.
Already, there are some diverse acts appearing next to the #GdnGig hashtag. Wide-ranging tastes in music and even more scattered locations should provide the marketing gurus with a very broad picture of who’s listening to what, where.
The Cut Throat Razors appearing in Glasgow and in the #gdngig stream on twitter via @NotRock
It looks like Saturday night is going to be the trending night for the #GdnGig hashtag. There were a few tweets last night and a trickle of twits appeared to be using it last weekend. Tonight, however (Saturday 15th December), has seen an unusual amount of activity in the twitter stream.
According to Matt McAlister, ‘momentum is building’ for the hashtag. As of 12th December, 800 posts had been populated with #GdnGig. That’s twice as many as the #localshopping project hashtag that The Guardian is also mapping.
#GdnGig – keeping it cool in the stream
Now, call me slow to catch on, but yes, I can understand why people would want to let their followers know if they’re in the crowd for:
The ‘Madness’ that is the mammoth line up of The Cut Throat Razors @stereoglasgow #gdngig #glasgow twitter.com/NotRock/status…
— *The*Lucy Brouwer (@NotRock) December 15, 2012
But with #localshopping? What’s that gonna be like, then?
Just bought a pound of sprouts @Asda – £2 – Do they know it’s Christmas, Ada?
– The Blue Rinser (@DeathsDoor) December 15, 2012
But it is quite fascinating watching the stream. The majority of tweets have an instagram image associated with them. Now that’s a good call.
You can imagine some attention-seeking prick at the local Karaoke bar. Someone half decent starts singing ‘Angels’, aforementioned A.S.P. records it and says that he “is there watching Robbie sang it live.”
You can now ask them straight out, “Okay, where’s you photo proof, buddy? Send your locale and pics to #GdnGig and let everyone know.” When it all goes quiet over there, he’s either feigning bad reception or someone murdering Wonderwall’s just got on stage.
Bullshitters aside, tonight for example you’ve got Ian Shaw & the Millennium Choir at the Lancaster Jazz Fest. Bad for Lazarus are bringing the curtain down on events at Wolverhampton’s Royal London. Our school reunion pub, as it happens. Samuel Litherland (@03amlit) is watching that one.
The Spilt Festival was on Thursday night at Sunderland Minster, with tickets a tenner a pop. Lancaster makes yet another appearance tonight as @PeteRawlinson is off to the Yorkshire House to watch Three Dimensional Tanx.
If you’re looking for a local gig to go to (and you’ve checked out FeckTV’s Recommendations, of course), here’s the official instruction from The Guardian. You could use it to either search for local music events on twitter or for announcing to the world which gig you’re at/going to:
Going to a gig tonight? If you post any tweets/pics about it, include the #GdnGig hashtag, turn on location & we’ll add it to our music map
— Guardian music (@guardianmusic) December 15, 2012
Have Your Say: What gigs have you got lined up over the Christmas period? Why not tweet them at me and I’ll share them with my followers and @guardianmusic into their #GdnGig stream?
Let’s get you a mention and get this trending hashtag viral!
the flying feck 