We hope that you’ve had a chance to watch Truthland, a movie that explores the real facts about hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania and other states with large plays of natural gas-producing shale underfoot. If you haven’t, we encourage you to go back and read Tuesday’s post and watch the 34-minute film, because today we’re featuring @TruthlandMovie as our #FF.Why we follow @TruthlandMoviePlain and simple, we follow the Truthland handle because we want to help spread the truth about hydraulic fracturing, the natural gas industry and oil and gas companies. Gasland’s claims are blatantly false, unsupported by science and contain misleading visuals, not to mention Josh Fox omitted important data from the film. We’re just happy that other people are beginning to see both sides of the “fracing” story and are trying to make educated and well-balanced decisions about what we do.@TruthlandMovie has only been tweeting for less than a month, and they already have 184 followers and have tweeted 130 times. We follow them for their consistent updates about Truthland screenings, media coverage and natural gas resources.The account is constantly linking to new material. Whether a radio interview with Shelly, an interview featured in the film, or a fact about hydraulic fracturing, our twitter handle is a great way to learn more about both the film and the facts of natural gas development in Pennsylvania and the nation.Q & A with @TruthlandMovieIn today’s feature, we spoke to the team of people who manage the Truthland handle to learn more about the movie and the effort behind the social media campaign.Q: So tell us, how have you grown so many followers in less than two weeks? Working with our Energy In Depth platforms, Truthland’s team worked to target potential interested parties by following a wide array of Twitter handles that focus on issues related to natural gas development. We have also tweeted at different individuals to spark their interest in our twitter handle. We also cross-post a link to our twitter page on Truthland’s Facebook page every few days.Q:What has been the greatest challenge when tweeting from the account?Shelly, the star of Truthland, is such a great woman. We have tried our hardest to let her voice shine through on Truthland’s Twitter handle, but with only 140 letters it can be hard to do her justice! Q:And the most gratifying experience? Even Josh Fox himself has taken notice of Truthland via twitter. The active engagement of supporters, antis, media and others has been a rewarding experience. Every engagement brings increased attention to the Truthland movie and the important messages it portrays.Q: So you’ve received some negative tweets to the account? Yes. Some individuals are skeptical of Truthland because its filming was funded by Energy in Depth and the Independent Petroleum Association of America. The reality is that neither Shelly nor any expert in the film–environmentalists, academics, or farmer–was paid to appear in the film. All they were asked was to tell the truth. There will always be pushback from the anti-community. While that is frustrating, it provides a dialogue and a place for education, even if some refuse to listen to the facts.Q: For how long do you anticipate the handle to operate, and how will you adapt the content accordingly? Currently, the Truthland Twitter handle is primarily used to connect individuals with the movie, its highlights, the facts it portrays and screenings of the film around the nation. Overtime, the twitter handle will likely move towards one of increased advocacy for safe and responsible natural gas development and away from direct support of the film itself.Thanks for taking the time to talk with us @TruthlandMovie! Readers, stay tuned every Friday for a new handle to follow.
Bill serves as an External Affairs Coordinator for Coterra Energy. He is focused on building community knowledge and support for the organization and industry at large.
Before his time with Coterra Energy, Bill was the original Field Director for Energy in Depth’s Northeast Marcellus campaign. Within this two-year position, Bill worked to engage, educate, and mobilize supporters of Marcellus Shale development across New York and Pennsylvania. Bill received his B.S. in Management, a B.A. in History, and an MBA from Misericordia University.