Twitter inspires street name in Palestinian refugee camp

Twitter, the microblogging site that recently raised $100 million and once inspired an opera based on lyrical tweets, has spawned a street name.

A Dutch-Palestinian man, Arjanel El Fassed, has turned his Twitter account, @arjanelfassed, into the first Twitter-inspired street. The street, @arjanelfassed tweetstreet, is located in Askar, a Palestinian refugee camp.

But don't get too excited about naming your local streets after your Twitter account just yet.

The street name Mr. El Fassed purchased at the Askar Refugee Camp was all an act of charity. For $146, the Dutch website Jouw Eigen Straatnam, sells street names in the Askar camp (they have around 200 to choose from by the way). All the proceeds are given to the Palestinian Child Care Society (PCCS) to fund youth activities in the camp. But the street names are also only temporary.

“Since a refugee camp by definition should not remain permanent, selling street names of the camp is a creative way to connect people and support these children after school,” says El Fassed told Wired Magazine. “Naming the street to my Twitter account is a symbolic way to connect both online and offline with the children of Askar.”

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We may not have a Twitter street name, but you can still follow us. We’re @CSMHorizonsBlog.