“Tweetchatting” Really IS A Word.

I have been on Twitter for a few months @StrategicMonk.  I was skeptical about twitter before that.  It seemed quite self-absorbed from the outside: a lot of people interrupting me to tell me that they were going to eat lunch or dinner; people on TV trying to attract even more attention; lunch trucks telling me they had moved three blocks.  It was a challenge to see the practical benefits.

It might be fun to be able to get a bunch of people to sing Handel’s Messiah in a food court at a mall, but I did not really see how it made any difference to me.

I have to admit that I was also nervous that I would get hooked on Twitter, too.  I do not really need yet another way to distract myself.

Now, I see some of the value.  I enjoy tweeting, and appreciate the unique combination of timing, conciseness, insight, and directness that fit into a good tweet.  Some tweets are poetic, or mystical.  I enjoy the challenge of saying something meaningful in 140 characters or less.  I am absolutely hooked on tweetchatting with a bunch of people at the same time; following the conversation and crafting contributions at the same time.  I remember the first time anyone ever re-tweeted something I said.

I like the fact that you cannot tell the whole story in 140 characters.  There is a need for nuance, for pointing the way, for active listening and story telling.

I think, though, that for me the greatest attraction of Twitter is the connection it offers.  I have met people around the world through Twitter; people I would never have met in person, people I probably never will meet in person.  I have regular, significant conversations with people all over the world.  People across North America and Europe have asked me questions and I have shared ideas with people in Africa, Australia, and Asia.

I do appreciate the fact that I have followers, though not necessarily in the sense that Karl Marx and Justin Bieber have followers.  I appreciate it more in the way that someone listening is following the story.   They are following the narrative, and so am I.

You really should consider joining Twitter, if you haven’t yet.  Follow me and I’ll teach you how to use it!

[ Twitter image by xotoko ]