Only Twits Don't Tweet

I hear people all the time say, "I just don't get Twitter. Why would anyone care what I'm doing?" To be honest with you, I used to BE one of those people, and then one day it all clicked, and now I'm hooked.

You see, Twitter is really only worth getting into if you’re going to use it how it was meant to be used, to its full potential. If all you ever post to Twitter is what you’re eating or that you’re sitting at home reorganizing your closet AND especially if no one is “following” you, then you would be right in your perception that Twitter is stupid. I mean, really who cares about those things?

BUT…..

If you are using Twitter with the idea in mind that it is a social NETWORKING site, you are at least on the right track. Twitter was created so that people with shared ideas, likes, hobbies, career plans could connect, discuss, provide feedback, and even argue. In my case, I “follow” (in “Facebook talk” that means “I’m friends with”) a lot of librarians and even more cyclists. Anytime any of these people who I follow posts an update, it feeds to my timeline and I can reply to their posts if I choose too, thus kind of starting a conversation with them. While I use Twitter as career networking device that allows me to talk to other librarians about different issues affecting Library Land, I use it more to talk to other cyclists about the sport we all love.

To me, my “Tweeps*” are my friends. While I haven’t met but just a few of them, I talk to them so much that I feel like they are family. My cycling/triathlete friends are the ones that I talk to most often. We say hello in the morning, joke around during the day, and converse in the evening. When I really think about it, these people are kind of like my online support group. We encourage each other if one is struggling (usually it’s me that needs that), send well wishes if one of us is ill, laugh at jokes, and of course, talk bikes, races/rides, and gear….ALL things cycling. It’s our common interest of cycling that connects us all together.

For those of you reading this that think you might give Twitter a shot, I would encourage you strongly to seek out people to follow who share an interest of yours. Whether that’s a love for a certain sports team, hobby, profession, or a cause you feel strongly about, it’s these connections that you form that make being part of the Twitter universe fun and enjoyable……otherwise, all you’re doing is telling a world of randomness that you are making a grilled cheese sandwich…..and really, who the hell cares?

Happy Tweeting ;)

*I honestly could type most of my Tweep’s names out. For now I’ll just say that this post is for all of them, but especially for a certain cycling-Texan who has my heart and who I met on Twitter. ;)