Twitter has yet to figure out how to authenticate users; you just never know if you’re really talking to the right person.  While we’re pretty sure that @fakelarryharvey is a real Fake Larry Harvey, we have no idea whether @larryharvey is a fake Real Larry Harvey.   (Rc’d message from @quellybeep that Larry Harvey isn’t on Twitter at all.)

The Internet and Burning Man are two environments where alter-ego identities are especially well suited, perhaps especially when combined. However, it would still be nice if the community could verify who’s who.

This list is our first stab at trying to sort things out; we aim to eventually include all burner related accounts as folks volunteer them, or as we discover them.  We’ll update it as we learn more.  To do that, we’ll need your help.

Like the Playa, we’ll work to ensure the list is all-inclusive. Fake, real or psuedo-real. No discrimination.  Complete as we can possibly muster. And ultimately, a useful resource for discovering other fellow burners on Twitter. And for that, we’ll need your help!

Please post your submissions, suggestions or error corrections in the comments below from your Twitter account so we can verify the origin of the udpates.  Please reply or direct message @playapower

List of confirmed “real” Burning Man Twits:

UPDATED: 8-21-2009

Official Burning Man Account:
The following two accounts are owned and operated by BMHQ:

Burning Man @burningman
Black Rock City @blackrockcity

Ok, first burning question: What is the difference between the @burningman and @burning_man @burningmannews and @blackrockcity accounts?  Which is official-ish?

• Tweet from Andie Grace: re: @burningmannews
  “Note: @burningmannews is NOT an official Burning Man account. I don’t even believe it’s a human being.”
• Rcd Tweet from Andie Grace clarifying account status:
  “@playapower the use of @blackrockcity or @burningman have not been actively rolled out by BMHQ so the difference if any isn’t yet defined.”
• Rcd Tweet from Andie Grace
  “RTing my DM to @playapower: @hazmattDPW is a person, not the DPW; @burning_man and @burningmannews aren’t affiliated with Burning Man.”

Burning Man Staffers, Founders and other de facto heads of state:

• Larry Harvey (is not on Twitter)
• Marian Goodell @mariangoodell
• Andie Grace @Actiongrl
• Will Chase @willpants
• Danger Ranger @danger_ranger
• Will Roger @willroger
• John Law @johnwlaw
• Joseph Pred @josephpred Emergency Services Operations Chief

Organizations
The Burning Man Crew (builds the man!) @theburningman
Black Rock Arts Foundation @BRAF
Black Rock Solar @blackrocksolar
BRC Emergency Services @brc911
Burning Opera @burningopera
Friends of Black Rock @blackrockdesert

Burner related blogs, websites & lists

• http://wwww.playapower.org @playapower
• BURNcast @burncast
• San Francisco Announce (Mailing List) @BMSFAnnounce

Theme Camps, Collectives (official accounts)

• Flaming Lotus Girls @flaminglotu
• Dr. Carls Department of Collections @drcarlscamp
• Camp Oobleck (SoCal desert party crew) @tastynoodles (@jhkurtz and @reavis are the noodle founders)

Burning Personalities:

• Chicken John @chickenjohn
• Scott Beale @laughingsquid
• John Halcyon Styn @halcyon
• Aaron Mszalski @sfslim
• Reverend Billy @reverendbillytalen
• Daniel Terdiman @GreeterDan

Black Rock Citizens & Playa People

• hazmattDPW @hazmattDPW
• jamieMK @jamieMK
• John Kurtz @jhkurtz
  
• Reavis Sutphin-Gray @reavis
  

Burner Friendly “Default World” Vendors

• n/a

Burning Music (Bands)

• Drinking With Bukowski @Drinkwbukowski

Known Imposters

• Fake Larry Harvey @fakelarryharvey
• The other Fake Larry Harvey? @larryharvey

Suspected Imposters

• n/a

Suspected automated “bots”:

• @burningmannews

Other/Unknown/Unexplained

• @burning_man is not associated with any official entity related to BMHQ or Black Rock City. Unknown origin.

More?
Know of other burners that sould be on this list?  See any errors or ommissions?  Please reply or direct message @playapower from your own Twitter account, so that we can verify the origin of the udpates.

Until then, we’re keeping a lid on it until more of the data rolls in and the illustrations are wrapped up.  But don’t let that stop you from wondering out loud; what do you think it is?

Submit your guess in the comments; sumbissions that guess correctly before our announcements are made will be receive some shockingly electric schwag on the Playa this year. (C’mon, you think you know, don’t you?)

And just what could it be?

Soon we’ll be rolling out a series of articles exploring the science behind what could become an underground movement on the Playa: using a less obvious, untapped and abundant power source.  On a dark, windless night.  (That’s right, we’re not talking about the wind, the sun, or even the moon.)

And the kicker: it would be difficult to replicate it anwhere except for Black Rock City.

Interested?  Subscribe, dear reader, subscribe.  And be a part of something electrifying.