twitter game · 2016–2020
The game, #DamOrNot, ran on Twitter from 2016 to 2020. The purpose of the game was to engage people about instream infrastructure (dams, weirs, and culverts), as well as to raise awareness of related research methods, current events, and how structures can modify waters and lands.
The topics were often sprinkled with humour (like the image of water on Saturn's moon), there were guest hosts to talk about structures in their regions, and nature's dam engineers – beavers – also made appearances.
how it worked
- At the same time and day (Tuesday) each week, I'd tweet a photo depicting instream infrastructure, or not.
- People had 40 minutes to tweet me their guesses about the infrastructure.
- At 40 minutes I'd reveal what the infrastructure was, where it's located, and how it related to my own research, others' research, or current events such as a recent dam failing or flooding.
- For the remaining five to ten minutes, we would chat about the image and content.
some observations
Engagement with content did not vary much with the time allocated for guesses. It was a learning space; people often noted that they learned something new, and so did I. People were interested in ways they could get involved with research and projects. Images from on the ground, rather than satellite images or beaver dams, had the most engagement.