Late last night I received an email from my boss regarding that bleeding edge Web 2.0 Social Media phenomena – Twitter. Email said something like “let’s get to know each other better so let’s twitter”. I’m actually watering this down a bit. I had an immediate reaction – and not the best kind. I struggle with Twitter. And when I try to figure out why, it's really around 2 issues – the importance of what I have to say and my privacy. And somehow, those two things get intertwined.
The first, the importance or non-importance of what I have to say, is the same challenge I have with blogging. I’m pretty sure I have been open about my personal challenges with blogging. Quite simply it comes down to whether what I have to say is meaningful, is impactful, to anyone other than just me. People who blog very regularly, astound me. They clearly have the self confidence that what they have to say, matters to folks. Is that the ‘journalism’ gene, the analyst gene, or a very healthy ego? Maybe all three? It astounds me that I find blogging challenging since my major in college was literature and creative writing – and I was good at it. So what’s the big deal? Another observation is that we have invited so many webexers to blog but almost none of them do. Oh they start by being really enthusiastic and saying ‘yes, can’t wait’, and “I have a list of topics to blog about’ but most of them never blog and those that do are sporadic at best. Hmmm.
Now layer Twitter on top of blogging. Twitter is just a short pithy content sound bite. It’s your chance to say something meaningful – or not – or funny – or an observation –succinctly – very succinctly. I’ve seen folks do some cool things with Twitter – links to presentations, or shows, or a book – but mostly, I see folks (including me) just say something because I want to. I might tweet about a great concert or a road trip (not many of those in 2008) or music. But here’s my point. The blog you are reading is my business blog. When it comes to Twitter and my business, how open do I want to be with folks about my interests and what I find fascinating? How much do I want to reveal? What do I want to keep private to share with my close friends, not the broader social media world? How much time do I have to follow everyone? To participate in yet another social media tool? Judging from the email chatter and hallway chat, I am far from alone on this.
Many of the folks I really respect, who are leaders in our social media space, love tweeting and do it regularly. Great! Have at it! But it’s not for everyone.
Tomorrow is the 4th of July, our nation’s birthday. I love that I live and work in a country that enables all of us the freedom to choose our career, our friends, our social groups, and to a large extent, our lifestyle and personal values. It is such a gift. Our nation has been good to me and almost everyone I know. So with a little humor - I just want to pick the social media tools that are right for me.
Now, for anyone who knows me really well – don’t be surprised if a blog appears somewhere down the road and starts with “Twitter – I finally get it!”
Happy 4th of July everyone! Wishing all of you a happy and safe holiday and may you tweet to your heart’s delight. J