Global Neighbourhoods

Latest Comments

Hi Shel

For personal intimate microblogging conversations (specially blogging folks who tend to have 4 digit followers on Twitter) I find facebook status messages more appropriate.

What do you think?

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Fine post as always...

I am troubled of late by the "need for speed" in the acquisition of friends in Twitterville: I've noticed vanity sites springing up at light speed--sites that seem to be spurring people on to believe that sheer volume equals authority or authenticity in the community conversation. There now sites too that actually point you to people who will simply add you if you merely follow them; hence,you win the dubious distinction of being 1 in a 1000. The joke here in China is that being 1 in a 1000 means there are 1,300 others just like you.

You are not out hunting for supporters--followers come to you because you have some thing to say albeit sometimes not always what they want to hear...The beauty of dialectic dialogue--beauty your blocked brigade cannot appreciate--is the tacit agreement to not only talk, but listen and reflect on issues presented in a discussion...

You are at turns: a gifted writer, a hopeless romantic, an unparalleled curmudgeon, and, as your profile indicates, a nice guy.

Long fuses are over-rated. As a former officer trained in bomb disposal I can tell you that longer fuses only increase your margin of error...

I hope you log many conversations in the book with housewives, college students, recluses and average Jills and Joes in Twitterville. I would love to hear a few soloists--I can sing along with the choir pretty well these days...

I wait to read it...

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Thanks for this, Shel. the experience of what has sprung up, what is expanding with Twitter is for me somewhat like the experience in the 90s of discovering online forums, with former barriers of space and time being broken down. I do get distracted from time to time by the people who seem to see nothing useful in Twitter other than a way to promote my business - even insisting, as I read in one place the other day, that I should never post any tweet other than one that promotes my business directly. Not the way I choose to participate.

And as for the hatemongers, keep on blockin'.

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Loved this blog - felt it is a reflection of my own feelings regarding Twitter. My friends on Twitter and off are from every culture and background. Life is short - shouldn't they be?

I mean to say, shouldn't we all be questing to experience the most variety and beauty that we can?

Like you, I started blind into Twitter, without a realization that it would change my life. It has already expanded my business, my blogs, and my mindset about people.

My dream is to inspire the globe to be healthier and greener. Most importantly, I want to help people build better community so they might be more emotionally healthy.

When I started writing my book, I thought it would be easy to do. I see now, that while it looks like a simple request, it is quite difficult to get people to do even basic greening. They are all isolated in their homes, in front of their computers and game boys.

This quest of mine has become a giant testimony to my belief that we humans can become happier, healthier, and yes - dare I say - smarter, about the way we live here on the Earth. I hope Twitter will help me accomplish my dream...

I wish you lots of luck and hope you will spread some my way - I will need it to be certain!

Please feel free to follow me @shawnacoronado. I will be first on the list to buy your book - can't wait to see when it comes out!

Best wishes for success with your book!

Shawna Coronado, Author, Blogger - Believer.

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Interesting thoughts. As our footprint in Twitter grows, does our responsibility also grow to be useful/relevant? In some ways, the informal tool of Twitter is becoming the default "blog," complete with editorial mission.

I like to think of Twitter as more of a river of news. I dip in, see what I see, respond and then step back out. While 1,000s may follow a Twitter stream, only a fraction of that number are actually following at any given time. I would like to see what the half life of a Twitter post would be. I have seen that most activity around a given post, based on following click-throughs of a link, is about 3-4 hours.

Of course with @s and DMs, the system becomes a relationship tool, which I have found enormously helpful at times.

As for your philosophy of whom to block, it isn't too different from your living room philosophy that civility should reign, at least within your own space that you have carved out in Twitter.

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Shel, what I trust about your writing over others' is that it's never a popularity contest, nor is it a persistent list of Who's Who (consisting only of your buddies). I always learn from you because you skip the fluff (Lord knows the web has enough of that). I encourage you to continue your quest for diversity not only in location of users but of career, age, culture and more. Looking forward to the book!

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Shel:

Interesting perspective - I too feel like the technology side (or as I call it - the plumbing) is in. The interesting thing now is what we do with it.

Tom O'Brien

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

I'm usually a jump-in-first kinda person. I joined twitter because it was fun and fascinating. My inner thoughts could be universal thoughts, so to speak. It didn't dawn on me to post anything about my blog. I learned that from twitterers. I really don't know the lingo of "social media". Am part of it the revolution though. I keep my world peaceful and safe and am also quick to block those who would otherwise ruin the zen of my twitter place. Great article!

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Shel, thanks for sharing. I can't even imagine trying to write a book on Twitter, it moves so quickly, but as a grad student digging into the issues journalism and the media currently face, I appreciate it greatly. The lack of peer reviewed research on Twitter (or a thoughtful account such as what you are compiling) has proved to be a great frustration for me the last few weeks as I have been working on a thesis proposal, so I just want to say thank you for the time and care you are so obviously investing in this endeavor.

But another thing you said strikes me. That you consider yourself to be a journalist, as you define it. I am grappling with just this question as I'm looking into the idea of media transparency in the current media state in the U.S. - of trying to define just what and whom a journalist is. It strikes me that the issues of process (what you do when you write) and product (what your writing produces) had been at the center of the blogger/journalist divide for a long time, but now the question seems to evolve into something deeper and more philosophical.

So as new journalist as you describe it, do you feel there are ethics and standards upholding your definition and practice of journalism, or is that even a relevant question to you?

Jane B. Singer's piece on a journalist as a socially responsible existentialist http://tr.im/30mi (abstract) is a great background on my current perspective and the questions I'm grappling with here.

Anyway, looking forward to any insight you may have.

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Hi, I think you are so right in this post. I just followed you on twitter when found from MrTweet. You are in top of recommendation list, may be because you are followed by some most followed people. I also agree with your last two points about distributing hatred and personal insult and doing same with such tweople. Since I am from India I noticed so much rubbish thoughts about Pakistan, some even talk about nuclear war. But what surprised me most is those tweets are retweeted so much. Hope tweople like you and me carry on with good work and make twitterverse a better place.

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

"Twitterville is traveling faster than I can write it." True.

I remember when Twitter first came out and I ignored it. I am not the one who jumps in the bandwagon of tech so early. I let others test the water first.

Then I saw how many of my bloggy friends are enjoying it. I jumped in a about a month or two ago. I am never the same.

I like this post. You expressed it so well. I will buy your book when it comes out. I am following you too.

Thanks and Aloha!
Liza

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

I am fascinated by the challenge before you. I have worked on the web for a long time, and have lived myself the rapid transformation the Internet has performed on business-as-we-used-to-know-it. But my two years on Twitter, and especially the last six months there, beat the pants off anything else I've ever seen.

I am interested to see how you will pin down a moment in time, and how you'll analyze the continuing transformation we're all a part of there.

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Well written, hear hear!

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Your Twitterville link is bad. Remove "." at the end of it.

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

I'm in agreement about using the Starbucks logo, not the kid behind the logo. He's transparent in his communication style, which is good. I could never see his photo and link in my mind to my image of Starbucks.
BTW, I talk to inanimate objects all the time and, although on meds, haven't been hospitalized. ;-)
You know how you feel when a good book is made into a movie and it doesn't fit your mind's eye of what the person or scenery looks like? I think using someone' mug shot instead of the logo would be a similar feeling.
I recognize the location of the photo in this blog. We made a side trip from Alaska to the "mother shop" a few years ago. I bought great coffee machine to stop hubby from expensive morning Starbucks stops on way to work. I gave up & bought Starbucks stock. Which promptly tanked. Oh, well.
His most appreciated Christmas gift? The Starbucks gold card.

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Thanks for writing this! I tweet for my company and do my best to make it me, but useful and interesting to the people who want to know what's happening with the company. I keep hearing people say companies should get engaged more on a personal level. If people want to talk to me about me or even about the company, they can follow my personal twitter account at @seeking_balance. If they have questions about Grouse Mountain or want to know what's happening at their neighborhood ski area, how much snow we have, when and where the events are, find out about special closures or operational changes, they should follow @grousemountain. I have a 10 year history with my company. I love it, promote it and visit it as a customer too. Despite tweeting for a brand, I'm a real person. Nice to see other great companies are taking the same approach.

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

great article! I like it.

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Outstanding insights & advice. Thanks to both of you. I'll send this to PR colleagues who wonder why they should engage in social media. (There are a few out there)

@BarbChamberlain

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Beth recently resolved a minor concern I had about @carlsjr (see http://tr.im/carlsjr). She was very gracious and accomodating. Kudos to @bethmansfield -- it's nice to put a face to the tweets!

Matthew Gilbert
@doctorious
http://doctorious.org

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Thank you for sharing this information.

Jocelyn

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Thanks for the insight. I've been been working on my first book on growing a business from the inside out on a budget. I have the proposal and one chapter done. I haven't found a publisher yet. I'm hoping to continue generating interest for the book on Twitter and turn that interest into a contract. Your tips and insights here give me more ideas and I thank you for it.

All the best!
Jared
twitter.com/originalquill

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Shel - this info on your process is awesome. Certain learners (here comes the designer in me) comprehend best when you draw back the curtain and reveal the steps of the process.

Thanks and have a wonderful new year.

~Eric http://twitter.com/tweric

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

I left out one point. Retweets are very important. They tell me what other people want to share.

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Shel - Thanks for including me in this important series.

Not only do I think social media transcends marketing but that it changes business dynamics. However, if I were forced to have one place within an enterprise where social resides it would still be marketing. Okay .. now should we find the foils again ;-)

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet

Shel, thanks for writing this post and sharing your processes and experiences. The notion of writing a book has always intrigued me. It's something that I want to do someday.

Happy New Year!

Reply | Original | Permalink | Share | Tweet