We are automatically collecting and mapping tweets that use our Tweak the Tweet (TtT) format.

Example Tweet:

#oilreport #oil tarballs on the beach here at Pensacola beach today #oilspill #lat 30.332 #long -87.14

Tweak the Tweet is meant to be a dynamic format, allowing it to change as this environmental disaster changes, to meet the needs of those along the Gulf Coast. So, the format presented below is what we have right now. If you think we're missing something or have ideas on how to improve the format, please contact @oilreport.

#1 Include 1 of the following tags: #oilreport, #oilspill, #BPSpillMap.

We prefer #oilreport, because we fear that the #oilspill hashtag is being used so much, that our search software will miss some tweets.

#2 Include 1 of the following tags: #oil, #wildlife, #smell, #volunteer, #response, #protest, #no_oil

We need at least one of these terms to determine what type of report you are tweeting.

#3 Include Geo-location information.

There are two methods for doing this.

A) Within the tweet, add #lat (then give the decimal latitude) #long (decimal longitude)

Click here to find lat, long for a location.

B) Enable geo-tagging through Twitter and through your mobile client to automatically geo-tag your tweets. This is ideal for #oil, #smell, and #wildlife reports

To turn on geo-tagging for #oilreport reporting, go to your Twitter Profile, hit settings, and select the checkbox next to Tweet Location - Add a location to your tweets. You also need to turn on geo-tagging within your mobile phone Twitter client. For instance, if you're using Tweetdeck, go to Settings. Again go to General->Settings. Scroll down to the bottom and switch the GeoTagging Enabled slider to On.

Also see our spreadsheet with more information for each record.

Follow @OilReport for more instructions and retweeted reports