A new Twitter feed devoted to information on suicide prevention in New Zealand has been launched.

SPINZ (Suicide Prevention Information New Zealand) intends to use Twitter to make an important contribution towards improving distribution of research and information on suicide prevention activities.

"The huge increase in popularity of social networking sites like Twitter is rapidly changing the way we access information," says Merryn Statham, Director of SPINZ. "SPINZ has access to a wealth of quality data. Social networking platforms give us a vital opportunity for disseminating this information to a large and diverse audience, on a timely and regular basis."

The Twitter feed has been launched in the run-up to the SPINZ biennual symposium on September 10-11, "Culture and Suicide Prevention in Aotearoa".

"Our programme reflects the huge amount of valuable work and research going on in the suicide prevention sector, and Twitter will allow us to draw attention to that for audiences that are unable to attend our symposium in person," Statham says.

In acknowledgment of the increasingly important role that Twitter is playing in breaking news coverage around the world, SPINZ will be providing regular updates via Twitter throughout its 2-day symposium.

"Following the symposium, we will continue to use Twitter as part of our commitment to providing high quality information to promote safe and effective suicide prevention activities," Statham concludes.

The SPINZ Twitter feed can be found at www.twitter.com/suicidenz.