It has arrived! This week’s episode is the much-anticipated nineteenth of the season. Like season two’s Brown Betty, and season three’s Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, season four’s Letters of Transit is sure to be innovative and a primer for the next season.

I don’t want to discuss the episode too much, but let’s just say the future is not looking bright for our two universes, and the Observers are involved. Plus, LOST fans will be thrilled to see guest star Henry Ian Cusick. It is fitting to see “Desmond” playing a role in “another life” on Fringe.

This week’s Twitter event hashtag is:

 #FightTheFuture

There are several reasons this was chosen. One is to fit the episode, of course. Fringe fans also know what it is like to struggle with an unknown future for the show. Another good reason is because FOX Broadcasting is celebrating their 25th anniversary!  We’d like to honor The X-Files, one of FOX’s most well-known shows. (Fight the Future was the title of the first X-Files movie.)

Today, FOX announced that they’d be displaying hashtags for Bones and Glee. This is encouraging news because it means they like what they have seen from the Fringe fan Twitter events. They are still going to display the Fringe fan hashtags for the rest of the season. I’ve said this before, but want to reiterate:

As we await renewal news, please keep in mind that FOX wants what we want. They have worked with Fringe fans and they support our hashtag events. This network has listened to us, and they care very much for Fringe.

FOX is doing everything they can to keep Fringe on the air. But they are a business, and things may or may not work out. No matter what happens w/Fringe’s future – we’ve done our part by using our creativity & willpower to not just accept the world as it is. We can clearly see that our voices have been heard. It is something for all of us to be proud of.

Let that positivity and empowerment be the legacy that Fringe leaves us. Fringe has made us better human beings.

Speaking of being better human beings, this week (April 16-20) is Earth Week! What better way for Fringe fans to take part than to thank show sponsor, Nissan Leaf. If you could take a moment to head over to their Facebook page. Give them some props for their innovation in ecologically responsible vehicles. Let them know how much their support means to Fringe fans.

All right then. Even if you are a veteran of the Twitter events, please carefully read the event details below. We need everyone focused this week. No matter what.

Please check out instruction #9. Let’s make it our goal to thoroughly thank the Fringe sponsors and advertisers.

TWITTER EVENT PROTOCOL

1) Don’t use #FightTheFuture before the designated time: 1 HOUR before Fringe airs.

The event will take place 1 hour before Fringe airs – 8pm EST. As these events become larger, we are gaining more new Fringies in the effort. Gently remind others that use the tag before the event to wait until the right time, and tell them that using the tag too much beforehand will lessen trending impact. This happened when Fringe fans tried to trend #WhereIsPeterBishop for the season four premiere. The # had been used all summer long, was not anything new on the Twitter radar, so it did not trend. Trending happens with terms that are relatively new, and many people tweet about them at the same time. Terms break out onto the scene, but trending becomes more difficult the more they are used. Be nice! We want everyone to feel welcome.

2) One # term per Tweet. Use only #FightTheFuture (What Are Hashtags?)

3) Lots of people tweeting matters more than the number of tweets.

Tell everyone Fringie about the event. There is strength in numbers – remember that the more unique tweeters we have, the more likely we are to trend, and for a longer duration of time. Send your tweets out fast – but remember to pace yourself. You want to avoid “Twitter Jail.”

We know we can hit worldwide trending now, so sustained tweeting matters. Trending can be a distraction, but we need you to keep those wonderful tweets coming. You may have also noticed that the # will drop off the charts after a while, only to trend again when Fringe airs. This is due to other viewers joining in by tweeting the hashtag on the bottom of the screen.

4) Those with lots of followers help out a lot!

Alternate accounts with few followers do not have as much “influence” towards trending. But tweets from accounts like @JWFringe, @FringeOnFox and @VancityJax make a big impact.

Let’s try to build our Fringe fan follower networks. One easy way is to follow people on fan Twitter lists. Here is my Cortexifan list. Follow some Fringies!

Another way is to follow some folks on Twitter “Follow Fridays.” You may have seen tweets that are tagged #FF – followed by a bunch of twitter names. This is because they are recommended people to follow.

5) We want to pique the interest of non-Fringe fans.

This is the key to our trending duration success. It gives a chance to get our message about Fringe out to another audience.

Try to construct a list of thoughtful and informative tweets before the event. These can be copied and pasted for easy tweets. Use some witty Fringe sayings – link some of the official promo videos – make statements about the Observers – speculate about the plans of David Robert Jones. Cool tweets are more likely to earn re-tweets, and this immensely helps trending.

6) We can discuss aspects of the show in our tweets.

TRY to include the word FRINGE (with no #) in your tweet if possible. Talk about the characters and the actors. Maybe we can also trend Observers, Henry Ian Cusick, etc.

7) Private accounts must have their locked status removed, as the tweets from locked accounts do not count toward the trend tally.

8) Retweets are the easiest way to help out the trending effort.

Just search for the hashtag, and retweet the ones that are interesting to you. If you know how to use a Twitter application suite like TweetDeck or HootSuite, this is made even easier.

9) Remember – once again – the second phase of the social media plan is equally important.

Using @Getglue to promote Fringe and the show’s advertisers.

We are asking that Fringe fans to make their first tweet of the night a check-in to GetGlue that is a thank you to sponsor, @NissanLeaf.

An example: Thanks @NissanLeaf for sponsoring Fringe!  Driving an eco-friendly Leaf is a great way to #FightTheFuture!

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