TA #118: 💧Why this sewer district is the best thing on Twitter; Update on my new book!

Hey, you. You're doing great. Click here to read this on the web.

Source: Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District Twitter feed

Welcome to the 118th issue of Total Annarchy, a fortnightly newsletter by me, Ann Handley, with a focus on writing, marketing, living your best life. I'm glad you're here. If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you need your own: Subscribe here.

Boston, Sunday, July 31, 2022

Hi, Sunshine.

Three things I do every morning before email and meetings hijack my day:

Write in my diary.
Solve Wordle.
Check Twitter to see what's up with the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.

The obvious question is... You play Wordle?

LOL. JK.

The obvious question is: Uhhhh... an Ohio sewer company?

I don't live in greater Cleveland.

I have zero interest in regional stormwater management or wastewater treatment. (You could say I don't give a dam. << That pun wrote itself.)

BUT! There I am. Every morning. Checking on the infrastructure in a city I don't live in.

It's not just me. NEORD's Twitter account has a national following. It's full of useful info, warmth, humor, puns, life advice, and warnings. Like: "Flushable" wipes are your plumbing's worst nightmare!

Mmm okay... But why is it special? I have theories.

* * *

"We're glad we've found a way to better connect people with the unseen systems they rely on every day," said John Gonzalez, the sewer district's communication manager who launched its Twitter account in 2010.

I like that John (who's been at the sewer district for almost 23 years!) writes and manages it himself—not through an agency.

I have questions, John. How did NEORD get a national following of 33K followers? How is it so compelling? Why do we care about an Ohio sewer district? And why the hate for flushable wipes?

So I asked him.

* * *

Me: Has your Twitter approach always been quirky?

John: We established a social media presence to build trust, raise awareness, and connect with customers. [W]e used [Twitter and Facebook] to communicate basic aspects of our work: project updates, meeting details, event announcements, and customer service.

But as the social platforms changed... so have their users' expectations.

We found that a more conversational and informal approach to Twitter...helped build trust with followers.

In our work, humor and even some unexpected emotional honesty helped people see the human side of infrastructure.

Me: Why trust?

John: We want our customers to know us and trust us as a service provider. Our voice on Twitter has accomplished both of those for sure.

Our Twitter followers talk to us like a friend because they feel as though they know us personally.

Me: How do you/did you get buy-in from execs?

John: We started by creating online accounts with our Cleveland newspaper so we could jump into the comments sections of stories. When news about us hit the papers, our presence was there to provide relevant links and additional context.

That kind of presence, transparency, and responsiveness allowed us to explore Twitter and Facebook because leadership trusted our ability to be responsive and responsible.

I worked with a member of our IT team to develop social media guidelines to show leadership we understood the opportunities and could manage the risk.

They bought in and we got started.

Me: Yes but the poop jokes? The poetry...? Trolling flushable wipes?

John: It wasn't a day-one decision. We started to take a more conversational tone over time. And since we were already open to making jokes and puns in other campaign messaging and materials, it was an easy transition to commit to that same creativity on our social.

We can balance sentiment and service, helpfulness and humor....

Our expansion to poetry, comedy, and "life advice" content fit into comms strategy by capturing the attention with our audience in a way that allows us to open conversations with people about our work.

Me: What do you personally love most about your social presence?

John: I love that our Twitter offers people something of value.

Even people well outside of our service area, from cities all across the country, say they follow us and see infrastructure differently because of our Twitter.

Me: You have other followers like me, from outside Ohio? You make me feel less special when you say that... But fine. So what else stands out for you?

John: Two new employees told me directly that our Twitter presence was a key factor in applying for their jobs. They said they felt like it represented something they wanted to be a part of.

(That interview ^^ was edited for length and clarity.)

* * *

Let's get back to the original question I asked at the start of this newsletter: What's special about NEORD's Twitter account?

The more social media ages and evolves, the more the major platforms start to look and act alike—twinning like old marriage couples. (But less wholesome.)

Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn have rolled out newsletter publishing capabilities.

The tone and vibe of LinkedIn are starting to feel more like Facebook's.

My Instagram Reels is full of TikTok reposts.

Twitter Communities mimics Facebook Groups.

In 2022, there's something wholesome about a Twitter account that is just a simple Twitter account. Celebrating invisible infrastructure we rely on every day but never think about.

And trolling flushable wipes without mercy.

(They really are lying to us. They are not flushable. NEORD shows the clogs to prove it.)

* * *

There's not a lot to unpack with the Twitter account. It's just chugging along, curating local news like a beast. Cracking jokes. Doing its thing.

And that's why it works.

Our social feeds are stuffed to the seams with heartbreaking news and anger and hot takes.

Twitter itself is wrapped in this warped Elon Musk/Twitter love/hate melodrama. The two feel like that twisted couple who keep dating even though everyone knows they are a terrible match who will someday light their mattress on fire.

And then there's @NEOSD. Showing up with useful info, puns, poetry, and comedy. Celebrating city infrastructure and the role it plays in our lives.

It's so simple.

But in 2022, it feels subversive.

* * *

THE ACCESSIBLE HULK

"Speckled across both portions is a starfield, showing innumerable stars of many sizes. The smallest of these are small, distant, and faint points of light. The largest of these appear larger, closer, brighter, and more fully resolved with 8-point diffraction spikes."

That's one of the beautifully written, thoughtful descriptions that accompanied the stunning images NASA shared earlier this month, as captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.

The extra love and attention given to the alt text did not go unnoticed.

"It's clear that the NASA digital team put a lot of thought and care into how they described the Webb Telescope images, and their descriptions feel like a love letter to space exploration and the infinite marvels of the universe," Alexa Heinrich, of Accessible Social, wrote. [via the Washington Post]

The alt text feature describes an image through words so that someone who is visually impaired or blind can use screen-reader technology to know what is being shown.

In the last issue of this newsletter we unpacked the beauty and glory of Stranger Things subtitles.

And here we are with more accessibility badassery from NASA.

What I love: The modern web is often obsessed with brevity. Cutting words, trimming copy.

But what if the goal is not brevity?

What if a better goal is about imagination, art, access in the broadest sense?

What if the better approach is to take as long as you need to tell the story with care and craft?

How does that change the work?

You can see all the NASA images here.

(Thanks to Pam Pulizzi and Andy Crestodina for flagging this for me.)

🚨 NEW BOOK UPDATE! 🚨

I've been heads-down in the final proofs for Everybody Writes 2!

In this late stage of publishing, the book has been laid out. I'm checking in my (very) controlling way that everything looks and reads as it should.

I'm also getting some early feedback and blurbs from colleagues, readers, friends. Authors collect blurbs like these to include in the final book for two reasons:

To prove the book's value to others; and
Because at this last stage most authors and their books are sick of each other and need intervention/outside counseling. Feedback reminds us both of what's good about our author/book relationship, and how we really do love each other.

Andrew Davis sent me some feedback this morning. (He's an author and a speaker, and he publishes a fantastic newsletter.)

"I love the book! Love love love.

"Funny, insightful, and profoundly transformational. You can't say that about any other book about the craft of becoming a better writer and a more brilliant marketer. —Andrew Davis

If you have ever appreciated my work and can afford to, please consider buying your own copy. It would mean a lot to me.

Buy Everybody Writes 2 from Amazon.

Buy Everybody Writes 2 from Bookshop.org.

BACK IN BOSTON: 10/12-14!

Heyoooooo! The MarketingProfs B2B Forum is back in Boston this October 12-14.

If you have budget for only 1 event a year... this is the one to be at. And not just because I will be there. And not just because I have a sweet discount for you (more in a sec).

But because it's the one event that tells you what you need now and what's next in B2B Marketing. See the agenda. And plan to join us.

This is the sweet discount exclusive to Total Annarchy readers: Code ANNLIKESME saves newsletter subscribers an *additional* $350 off the street price.

DEPARTMENT OF SHENANIGANS

The latest subscriber is hilarious. 🍑

* * *

Thanks for reading this far.

Thanks for your kindness and generosity.

Stay sane. Stay healthy. See you again on August 14.

P.S. If you like this newsletter and want to support it, you can:

1) buy the new book. Or get the OG while you still can.
2) Get yourself some $WORD coin. (Read more about creator coins here.)
3) Forward this newsletter to a friend with an invitation to subscribe right here: www.annhandley.com/newsletter.

SPECIAL THANKS to AWeber for being the provider of choice for Total Annarchy. If you are looking to up your email game, I highly recommend.

Ann Handley is the author of Everybody Writes and other books.
Subscribe to this newsletter.

Follow her elsewhere:

Ann Handley

9 Bartlett St., #313, Andover, MA 01810

Unsubscribe | Change Subscriber Options

TA #118: 💧Why this sewer district is the best thing on Twitter; Update on my new book!

Older messages

TA #117: 🍿 Writing inspo from the best thing on Netflix

TA #116: 🍑 Why You Need to Park Your Peach on a Beach; Standout Sentence of the Week

TA #115: 📚 Summer reading list; Brave enough to suck at something new.

TA #114: 🐈 Write like Morning Brew. And: Have you seen this cat?

TA #113: 😎 Some big news!

You Might Also Like

🔮 $320B investments by Meta, Amazon, & Google!

✍🏼 Why founders are using Playbookz

Is AI going to help or hurt your SEO?

Our marketing playbook revealed

Connect one-on-one with programmatic marketing leaders

Outsmart Your SaaS Competitors with These SEO Strategies 🚀

Temu and Shein's Dominance Is Over [Roundup]

"Agencies are dying."

Is GEO replacing SEO?

🌁#87: Why DeepResearch Should Be Your New Hire