#ilovelondon: using Twitter to rebuild London’s reputation

The latest issue of Time Out London (n. 2138. 18-24 August 20110) features a white front cover, on which the hashtag “#ilovelondon” stands out boldly in bright red.  This clever initiative aims to encourage people to use the hashtag and tweet about what they like best about the city, in an effort to build London’s reputation again after the riots.  Amidst the furore over the role played by social media in organising the violence, here we find an alternative stance that shows us how Twitter (and the other social networking websites) can have a powerful impact in rekindling the nation’s spirits and showing the world that London is so much more than reckless gangs and out-of-control pillaging.

In the Twitterverse, the appeal did not go unnoticed. We counted 42 original tweets and 37 retweets in the past 24 hours, condemning the events of the past few days, celebrating the capital’s many attractions/restaurants/entertainment venues and expressing a fierce passion for all things London:

• Pauljohbarton: “Get the feeling London will be even better after the riots than it was before? Feel the love at bitly.com/mQ30zr #ilovelondon“
• SOLAR_Kate: “RT @LizzyRosser: is looking forward to seeing @SOLARSTATEmusic at the macbeth tonight. #ilovelondon“

The cause even resonated with non-UK nationals, who tweeted in foreign languages (we found German, Dutch and Portuguese), reflecting London’s cosmopolitan character:

• KleinesFeechen: “mit schönen gedanken vom ätzenden büro ablenken: bald gehts zum #shopping nach #LONDON oh #IloveLondon sooo much!! <3“
• Elissssaa: “”terug uit londen, was super! #ilovelondon“

And as for the initiative per se, it was recognised that it was unprecedented:

• MangaUK: “ @TimeOutLondon latest issue is the first magazine i’ve seen with a front cover hashtag #iloveLondon“

We really hope that the campaign will continue to grow after the initial hype – you can see recent activity below:

Personally, I am going to contribute with this tweet- Monipop84: “The beauty of Greenwich park, dancing in the Angel, walking around buzzing Soho and meeting friends from all over the world: #ilovelondon”

What’s yours? …