Piano Lessons with Chris Barnes aka @FixWMATA, Tuesday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m.

Looking to improve your Twitter presence? Want to learn how to increase online support for your cause? Want to talk about how WMATA is (mis)managed?

Come meet the person behind one of the metro area's most prolific and well-known Twitter profiles at the next edition of the Young Members Committee's Piano Lessons, Tuesday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the McClendon Room.

Chris Barnes, aka @FixWMATA, is a citizen watchdog activist who has been profiled by WUSA9 and quoted in the Washington Examiner and Washingtonian. Barnes, arguably the leader among WMATA critics on Twitter, is a thought leader and conversation driver when it comes to WMATA issues.

Barnes caught attention from WUSA9 after he was blocked by @wmata following the Silver Spring train fire in early May. Watch the segment here:

http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=259468

Simply put, as he said in the WUSA9 segment, Barnes is the guy who answers customers when WMATA won't.

Barnes is a former traffic reporter for KHOU-TV in Houston, who in his downtime regularly uses his journalism skills to hold WMATA accountable. He is currently the systems, database, and network administrator for TV One. Barnes also used to be a part-time producer for Metro Networks, formerly of Westwood One.

What makes Barnes special is that he figured out how to utilize the uniqueness of the Twitter platform to drive and channel digital attention to his causes. WMATA’s questionable public expenditures, failure to communicate properly with riders, instances of disregarding customer complaints, and issues that place riders at risk are just some of the topics Barnes uses @FixWMATA to highlight.

This edition of Piano Lessons is ideally suited to communications professionals interested in how they can learn to better use Twitter to galvanize support for social movements. Reporters interested in covering public transportation systems and government agency bureaucracies and regular WMATA customers will also find value in this event.

Questions? Contact Pat Host at [email protected]