Props to any reading this that have a Twitter account. Many of my friends out west are (finally) starting to sign up. But my friends here in the Midwest are a little slower on the uptake. That’s fine, you can’t rush things like this. I remember when my cousins from LA sent us “Pogs” back in the 90s…
My sister and I opened the package, read their instructions, and looked at each other like “WTF?” – we thought it was just another crazy Californian thing, like the word “like” they sprinkled throughout their sentences, flip flops and capris that eventually breezed into KC. Thinking they might come in handy, we put them in a drawer and continued playing with whatever we were into at the time.
Years later, people at school started talking about Pogs. Turns out, it was a stroke of genius to keep those strange non-toys stashed away in a drawer (thanks, Mom). Overnight, my sister and I had the largest Pog collection this side of the Mississippi. Ok, slight exaggeration…but we – and our pogs – were pretty cool. We had so many slammers we needed carriers just for those. It was nuts, like Vegas in the 70s must have been. Anyhow, thanks to Pogs, I’ve always kept a keen eye on things coming to KC from the West. We may not “get it” immediately here, but after a few years, the trend will make its way over the river and through the woods, and soon become “the next big thing” here in Kansas City. Meanwhile, the newness to us is becoming passe in California. And so the cycle begins.
Back to Twitter. Twitter is like Pogs. Popular in larger cities and with the younger crowds, written up in NY Times, used by Obama’s campaign, referenced in CNN, etc, etc. It does have an application in life – keep your “followers” abreast of your latest happenings through short and pithy 140 character text messages. It’s fun, addictive, and come on, oh-so-trendy. You really can learn about news, events, parties, happy hours, friend gatherings, all that good stuff – from your friends and others in your community or areas of interest. But there is a tactful way to use Twitter. Below is my Guide to Twitter Newcomers on Twitter Etiquette…
Top 3 Ways NOT to use Twitter (read: 3 things that will quickly get you “unfollowed” by carfry):
1. Tell me what you’re eating for dinner. I really don’t care what you’re eating for dinner, unless, of course, you’re at a restaurant on an incredibly awful date or (insert hot actor’s name here) is dining there next to you. In either case, I’ll hustle down to take a look. But if you’re having meatloaf, enjoy your meatloaf and don’t Tweet about the tasty sauce.
2. Cyber flirt/PDA. Enough cutsie-wootsie goes down in real life. That’s cute. Sharing your cutsie-wootsie with your Twitter network is not necessary; that’s a quick unfollow. Facebook flirting is bad enough – get a room, folks. Your friends may not mind the PDA in public (real life), but there’s no place for it online – unless, of course, it’s via email. That’s like getting a room on the Internet. Don’t send Tweets through your entire network of followers that could and should be sent just to your love; spare us all the deets.
3. Send @(insert Twitter follower name here) with one word responses. The @ in Twitter is used to send a Tweet to your entire network, but one that is directed to the “@” follower. So, if a friend shares a funny video link via Twitter, I may respond to them “@olbessy: great story! have you seen the youtube similar to that about texting for love? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX3ws6OnGuE.” See, this is relevant. And interesting. And funny. My whole Twitter network will receive the message and olbessy will feel special b/c my @ is a nod to them. Whereas, “@olbessy: ha!” – is this relevant? No. Interesting? No. Insightful? No. Funny? No. Then don’t share it. Good litmus test on what qualifies as a reputable Tweet.
Happy Tweeting!