The timelines of students active on Twitter and other social networks were filled with messages and media filled with Badger pride for 24 hours Wednesday.

Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday morning and ending the following midnight, the project aimed to capture what makes the University of Wisconsin special, including work, classes and other student events, in 24 hours.

Dennis Chaptman, news and media relations director for University Communications, said students, faculty and alumni participated in the event on Twitter by using the hashtag #UWRightNow and by submitting photos, videos and stories about their experiences through email.

“In addition to being an interesting project, this is a community-building exercise that people are really enjoying,” Chaptman said.

Chaptman said #UWRightNow is a social media experiment that received content on campus and around the world, even reaching UW researchers in the South Pole involved with the project IceCube and from Badgers studying abroad across the globe.

As of 10 p.m., the project’s website said said UW Communications had posted about 900 contributions.

He said the aim of the project was to create a complete view of the university and engage people so they can share what they are doing while making them feel like they are a part of a larger community.

“It is also very interesting because in our communications office, we tend to take a look at one facet of the university at a time, and this is a great opportunity for people to see how expansive the university really is and what effect it has on people’s lives,” Chaptman said.

Chaptman said he believes this project is engaging because it opens a window into parts of the university students and alumni might not otherwise experience. He said since many students might only interact with one part of campus related to their major or work, they might not always see what else goes on with other organizations or departments.

Chaptman characterized Madison as “a city within an city,” with a life, pace and culture all its own.

“It has been very busy and a little bit hectic, but it has been very gratifying to see the reaction,” Chaptman said.

UW journalism professor Katy Culver said she thinks #UWRightNow is an interesting use of social media to engage people with common interests and draw people together into a conversation about what is happening on campus over the course of a day.

Culver said the project has taken off tremendously and has gotten far more activity than she initially expected. She added she attributes the success to UW Communications for getting the word out early to let people know about the project.

“I think one of the things that pops most for me is the number of my students participating who are talking about the other things they are involved with,” said Culver. “It shows how broad students’ experiences are here.”

She added #UWRightNow used media in a “particularly social way,” and she believes the project is about engagement, bringing people together across UW and allowing for people to see how they are connected with each other.