I was talking with my colleague Steve last week and he made an interesting observation about the state of electronic communication. He said he found a Twitter Direct Message was more personal and meaningful than an e-mail because you opt-in to receive their DM, whereas you can email just about anybody – they have no choice in receiving your message. In essence, by following someone, you make a firm statement that yes, you are interested in what he or she has to say.
I agree with this statement in part, but I don’t feel it applies entirely to me and the way in which I use Twitter. Like any tool, it can and should be used in a way that best suits your needs. Depending on who you are, your ratio of followers to following can vary immensely. Some have roughly the same figure in each bucket, others (especially experts or notable thinkers on specific topics or subjects) only follow a small population while maintaining a following in the tens of thousands range. Take Conan O’Brien for example. At the time I write this, Conan is following 1 person and has over 1.37 million followers.
For those “experts” I think Steve’s assertion rings true – DM is a filtering system giving a Twitter user the ability to opt-in to a two-way communication. There is mutual consent between recipient and sender.
I follow people that I don’t know. My filters for following someone are:
- I know them.
- I respect their opinion.
- The entertain me (once again – see Conan).
If I follow you, you fit into at least one of these categories (hopefully more than one).
If you’re following me, why? Twitter is pretty weird when you think about it. I’m going to go Tweet about this post now.
My Cozy Void
My blog is a cozy place. I use it as a platform for reflection. Sometimes I give my opinion on others’ideas. Occasionally I myself possess that diamond in the rough thought that just needs a bit of polish to shine. I like that I can make a post as long or as short as I want. I can ask WordPress to crunch some pretty images to break up my text. I can embed video. Or just link to someone else’s post in lieu of my own.
It’s a fluid medium. But sometimes it’s tough to get the creative juices to flow. As my to do list sky rockets, blogging falls down my priority list. Actually – it tumbles. I feel guilty about not having posted in so long. To whom am I responsible?
Namely, myself. Torn Paige is a commitment to take the time to reflect on the industry I’ve found myself caught up in. Once I sit down to start writing, I actually enjoy it. It’s sort of like going to the gym in that respect. It’s the getting there that’s the hard part.
Why does my blogging become relegated to the bottom? Is the bar for entry set too high? Of course, there are other options. Twitter, for one. Micro-blogging on Twitter would enable me to capture those fleeting thoughts that tickle my attention as I’m walking to work, iPod on and coffee in hand. It’s so easy to publish on the go, and it seems that I’m more mobile than ever these days. What’s stopping me?
Well for one, you can’t stop Twittering once you begin. I have a fear of commitment. Whereas a formulated and articulated idea can have a longer shelf life in blog land, an old Tweet seems a bit stale and sad. Past its expiration date.
I also like the anonymity of blogging into the void. Not that I hide my identity, but rather I don’t know who’s reading these words. I write as if someone is listening, but I can’t see anyone’s face. Comments theoretically make blogs a two-way conversation, but most readers recoil from that type of commitment. Trying to sound witty, knowledgeable and provoke thought in a short comment is a tall order. I’m scared of them too.
I suppose the purpose of this blog is to defend why I’m not on Twitter. One size does not fit all, and for now Twitter just doesn’t look good on me.
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Posted in Blogging
Tagged Blogging, comments, gym, Twitter