Twitter Fight Club, that is. Team Security Scholar is heavily involved in this year’s TFC event, with Nat being a part of the steering committee and a competitor, and yours truly as one of the judges for the competition. You can read about my part in the event (and my judging criteria) at my personal blog, The Rogue Adventurer. For the uninitiated, check out this introductory post over at the official home of Twitter Fight Club.

Twitter Fight Club began last year, initially as an extension of the sparring that seems to take place naturally within our extended circle of Natsec/Foreign Affairs/Security tweeps. That first competition was characterised by a series of elimination format ‘fights’ between pairs of Twitter users, seeded by their perceived chance of winning. These duels often featured competitors trading witty barbs, snarky quips, and other such delights. You can find the judgement results (which give you a feel for the competition) here, at the OLD website. Jeremy Scahill edged to victory over Andrew Exum, and won himself the coveted TFC trophy and a bobblehead fashioned in his likeness.

This year’s TFC promises a slightly different format. We have been asked by the organisers to think of this event as “awards for national security Twitter excellence rather than a fighting tournament”. Whilst the event will still feature two competitors facing off in a head-to-head elimination match, they will be judged on the overall content of their tweets within the 24hr time period of their ‘match’, rather than on how well they spar with each other. I have a sneaking suspicion there will still be a fair bit of the latter going on, but the emphasis is now firmly on the quality and content of what the participants have to say.

You’d be forgiven for thinking of TFC solely as a light-hearted banterfest for the NatSec types, however the calibre and diversity of the competitors, and the widespread interest in (and acceptance of) the competition within relevant online circles has shown that it can be a whole lot more. Whilst the spirit of fun will no doubt drive the competition, there is no question that TFC features some very talented individuals tweeting on subject areas they know an awful lot about. TFC is more than simply a competition, it is a showcase of some of Twitter’s finest security and defence accounts.

You can follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #TFC12. The games start at 0900 US EST (2200 WST / 0100 EST in AUS).