Follow-up: I Twitter, Therefore I am not a Twit but a Savvy Chick!
“LinkedIn is for the people you know. Facebook is for the people you used to know. Twitter is for people you want to know.” ~ Source unknown
Follow-up: I’m on Twitter; therefore, I am not a Twit …
My initial foray into the world of Twitter, or “twittering and/or sending tweets,” began with some trepidation and confusion about this popular digital social medium. I had reservations because it simply did not strike me as an effective way to hold quick chats; something, I believed, instant messaging was purported to do quite well for the attention-span-of-a-gnat crowd.
What was the method to this madness of sending out seemingly random thoughts? What compelled total strangers to share the inane contents of the short-circuits popping off their brains? Why was “everyone” catching the wave of dispensing with much flourish, their @whatever Twitter handles at the drop of a hat, with the exhortation: “Tweet me?”
“Given a limit of 140 characters, people consistently reaffirm that creativity is a renewable resource.” – Biz Stone
Follow-up: I Twitter, therefore I am not a Twit… Biz and Ev
I was curious and wanted logical, not pat, answers to my questions. So I signed up anyway because some of my friends, people I love and respect, were on it, loving it, and regaling me with stories about how some elusive marketing/business/creative/ridiculously successful whiz had just responded to their tweets and was now a follower and/or vice versa.
What the heck, I figured, at least I should give it a test drive before writing it all off as some trendy, juvenile shit! If you read part 1 of this blog post on my other blog account – Positive Kismet– you know what happened, right? I signed up, logged on, and selected a small group of 23 personal/professional connections from my email contact list to follow instantly. No one was following me, but no worries, I sent a quick tweet to them to reconnect – a few did… and then some new, pretty impressive people connected with me. Cool!
“We’re living at a time when attention is the new currency: With hundreds of TV channels, billions of websites, podcasts, radio shows, music downloads, and social networking, our attention is more fragmented than ever before.” –Pete Cashmore
Follow-up: I Twitter, therefore I am not a Twit… Twitter town hall w/ Pres Obama and Jack Dorsey
It was at this point that I decided to suspend my judgment and take a closer look, perhaps because I was so eager to “get it”, and that was when I started to see the genius of Twitter unfold.
Oh sure, some digital stalkers on Twitter periodically get blocked for “strange behavior or activity”; however, most Twitterers are hardworking, focused, and savvy business people who use the medium daily to share valuable, hot-topic, life-enriching/life-saving messages.
During his campaign, President Obama used it to update voters on the progress of his historic race regularly. Evan Williams, CEO of Twitter, is on it, giving his dose of tweets and inside scoops on himself and the company.
“Things that help others are what get the most shares.” – @chrisbrogan
Follow-Up: I Twitter; therefore, I am not a Twit… Content value
Recently, I read an article by Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, in which he discusses the tremendous value Twitter brings to his business. More apropos was his story, also linked above, of being stuck on a hotel balcony in Mexico for 45 minutes and using his cellphone to get help and to tweet his story in real time on Twitter.
Guy Kawasaki, VC and entrepreneur extraordinaire, offers an excellent, information-rich blog post on how to expand your Twitter landscape. Check it out and increase your traffic (if that’s your game), or follow his suggestions for connecting with some of the best minds in social media today.
“Twitter is not a technology. It’s a conversation. And it’s happening with or without you.” – @charleneli
Follow-up: I Twitter, therefore I am not a Twit … Twitter Tweet
Some time ago, the notion of sending a 140-character microblog, instant message, with pithy pronouncements of grave or no importance over the Internet, in real time, seemed trite to me… but, in reality, it isn’t trite! Twitter gives us the space/place to answer the question, “What are you doing?” succinctly, sincerely, and openly. You can tweet instead of making some of those long-winded phone calls and still be on point. What’s not to love?
If you have any doubts about the future of Twitter, or how it is used to get the message out on a variety of issues, including good causes, listen to what Evan Williams has to say in this TED Talk… he should know.
Me? I’m in… tweet me, will ya? @elizobihfrank
POSTSCRIPT: Twitter is no longer known by that name. It is now X, and a lot has changed. I am rarely on the platform, but I keep my accounts for old times’ sake. I no longer join new social media platforms; I am jaded, overwhelmed, bored, and terrified at how our data is being used by the platforms and potentially by nefarious interlopers.
Stay Inspired. Have a blessed day, and thank you for stopping by!
Positive Motivation Tip: Put on your Twitter game face… You never know who’s watching. Start today!
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos: Twitter collage by The Next Web via Flickr, Biz and Ev, Jack Dorsey and Pres Obama, Content of Tweets, via Wikipedia,
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
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nice twitter tips and liked the link…keep writing on this subject!!!
Found you via Problogger.net. Twitter? Of course! I’m now following you. 🙂 @lostcheerio
Thanks Lydia for stopping by and adding a comment. I will read your blog and follow back on twitter too! Have a great week and do stop by again!
WordPressdotCom is enough for a twit like me 😉
It works for me too. TY! 🙂
I like your twitter so much! so much time passed but this post is till nice to read and enjoy. Just wanted you to know: you are great!
Thank you and so are you!
I actually like twitter a lot, it s a fun place and it also helps you to use words more wisely
Funny how something that seemed pointless at first can turn out to be pretty useful! Twitter really changed the way people connect and share ideas. I’m still active in Twitter/X every now and then.
Yes, it seemed pointless at first, gained momentum, and then became pointless again for so many… such is the cycle of life and popular trends.
Connecting with people through short updates felt weird at first, but figuring out new social platforms is always a bit tricky. Building an online network takes time when everything feels so fragmented.
Right. I look back at that post and chuckle. I was quite enamored with social media in the early days. Now, I avoid a lot of it and rarely join new ones. Why? It can be a huge time suck, and while it has benefits, it can be all-consuming.
I immediately knew this was an older post because of the hopeful tone of it. Twitter is not a fun place anymore, IMO.
Hahaha! I agree. It is over 10+ years old, and even my opinion of it has shifted. I added a postscript at the end. Such is life with trends
I completely relate to the initial sentiment and the post script afterward. That’s exactly the trajectory my Twitter experience took, as well. I actually NEVER go on there now. It’s a cesspool.
LOL! A cesspool!? I hear you. It is definitely different from what it used to be, and I miss the old one. Anyway, I visit now and then to keep my accounts alive, as some friends said that their accounts were shut down after several years of inactivity
I don’t use twitter much, but maybe I should. Might get more traction on my posts.
It has changed a lot, but go for it!
I am still on Twitter, but I see it’s not as popular as it once was. Probably because of who owns it now. It’s a shame, because I remember how popular it once was.
Yep, I remember back in the day; you and I go back far to the popular days of big groups and tons of activity. It has changed, just like so many things… the tyranny of changing trends