My Five Favorite Things about Twitter

This is kind of an introspective note to myself. Sometimes I sit back to evaluate things I’m doing, where my careers (plural, yes) are heading, and how I’m planning on keeping them both in forward motion. The last time I stopped to think about this, I found Twitter and the community I’ve found there near the top of both lists. Here are some reasons why:

1)   There is a crackling current of communication (love the alliteration) on Twitter that I’ve not found anywhere else. I have a regular circle of people I share ideas with, ask questions of, answer questions for, and it grows and fluctuates daily. I used to go straight to Google every time I needed an answer, but now it’s a mix. Google requires sifting – Twitter and your connections with their ideas, insights, and intelligence acts as that filter and more often than not provide answers almost as soon as questions are asked.

2)   The network I’ve built is a mashup of people I have connected with in the past, people I’ve never heard of until now, and a sort of gray area of people I was aware of but never connected with. In other words, the old ways I networked had me bouncing off walls in narrow passageways and small rooms, while Twitter provides a virtual amphitheater.

3)   People listen to me and genuinely enjoy my company on Twitter. If they don’t they move on and find people whose company they do enjoy and someone takes their place. As a writer, I have found a new audience, both for my non-fiction and thoughts and my fiction. I’ve found new readers, new critics, new collaborative opportunities – I’ve expanded my world. As an IT Director, I’ve found answers, potential partners, co-workers, and solutions…and provided the same.

4)   There is fun to be had. Twitter is like one giant RAVE where there are millions of participants. You can bounce from group to group, talk business, or share music, drink wine and find people drinking the SAME wine at the same time thousands of miles away. You can meet musicians and politicians and all of the (or most of them) are there to talk. Where else in the world would the dynamics of our society allow this type of interaction?

5)   The learning. I am a person who soaks in people, thoughts, ideas, events, and facts. I love to learn. I’m curious to the bone, and Twitter is a big seething mass of information. Sometimes there is so much available it’s overwhelming. Ideas, concepts, discussions, rants, arguments and minor gouts of flame, all to be found on Twitter. There is literally something new every minute or two, and if you get bored, you can hop over to that public timeline and watch. Something will come along to snag your attention.

These are just a few of the many thoughts I’ve had about Twitter as a community, a resource, and a connection point. I have plans to try and use the connections to share what I do, but I won’t skimp on the interaction and the friendships, because they are what build the magic. Can I become a best-selling author or CEO of industry on Twitter? Of course I can…the potential is as limitless as the population of the world. We’ll see if I ever fully realize that potential over time – in the meanwhile you’ll find me engaged in the conversation.

See you there.