So What's All This #EarlyRisers Thing About?

Most recently, I've been asked by several friends who follow me on Twitter, what all tweets are about with the hashtag #EarlyRisers. 

Our local ABC-TV affiliate WXYZ-TV has opened the doors to social media with the various newscasts throughout the day.  For those of us that wake early and watch the 5-7 a.m. news, it's the #EarlyRisers.  The 5, 6, 7 and 11 p.m. newscasts are the #backchannel and #7at7. 

The interaction with the anchors and producers while they are on the air has given new life to the news.  Instead of watching "the people in the box" talk to us, we can now talk to them, in near real time.  Nearly every anchor, meteorologist, and traffic reporter is on Twitter.  The true leader of the social media anchor pack is our evening anchor, Stephen Clark, who created the #backchannel.  You can read about the creation and evolution of the #backchannel on Stephen's blog. 

Because of my schedule, I've always been an early riser.  I start each day with my favorite morning coffee, the 5 a.m. Action News, and my computer.  It's my time to check email, check the various blogs/websites I watch closely, and to catch up with Twitter friends as the coffee runs through my veins to jump start my day.

Twitter has afforded David and I the opportunity to not only communicate with our favorite news team, but to become friends.  Here is a short video from our pals, the morning news team,  after one of their morning broadcasts.    Meet Vic Faust, Anchor; Alicia Smith, anchor; Erin Nicole, Traffic Reporter; and Keenan Smith, Meteorologist.  How can you not love these people?!