Nixle is a short message service similar to Twitter, but restricted to public entities and services as a means of providing rapid information to the community. I've subscribed for a couple months and routinely get updates from Nelsonville Fire and the Athens County Public Information Officer's group.
The Hocking College Police Department is now a user, and I'm recommending that all RAP/NRTI students, staff and instructional team members subscribe. It should provide close to real time information on campus events like closings, traffic issues or incidents.
As a subscriber I'm a little confused about all of the ins and outs of selecting locations, but at least visit the Nixle site and check it out. You can also subscribe through a link on Hocking's main webpage.
