{"id":8042,"date":"2013-01-29T00:38:19","date_gmt":"2013-01-29T05:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/?p=8042"},"modified":"2013-01-29T00:55:17","modified_gmt":"2013-01-29T05:55:17","slug":"thoughts-on-twitter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onelowerlight.com\/writing\/thoughts-on-twitter\/","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts on Twitter"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"twitter\"<\/a>Oh man, I used to hate Twitter so much. \u00a0It’s amusing (and a little bit embarrassing) to look back on some old threads on the Kindle Boards and see how snippy I would get with everyone who raved about it. \u00a0I guess it’s just my contrarian nature.<\/p>\n

Well, in the last month or so, my opinion of Twitter has done a 180. \u00a0Most of that has to do with getting a smart phone and having quick and easy access to it. \u00a0Back when I first signed up, I had lots of ideas for short, pithy tweets, but mostly when I was away from a computer. \u00a0Because of that, Twitter became just another chore, like checking email or keeping up with Facebook updates. \u00a0But now that I have easy, instant access, I can drop in whenever I want, without opening a browser and starting up another relentless cycle of timesucks.<\/p>\n

About a year ago, I got involved in a huge discussion on the Kindle Boards with Nathan Lowell. \u00a0It all started when he credited his success as a writer to Twitter. \u00a0That hit me like a bombshell, since he’s following a very similar career path, and has had a tremendous amount of success at it. \u00a0He shared a ton of helpful tips on that thread, all of which I carefully filed away for later. \u00a0I didn’t really have much of an opportunity to try them out, since I was in Georgia and had limited internet access, but since getting back I’ve been slowly trying them out.<\/p>\n

What I’ve found in the last few weeks is that Twitter is a great way to get into interesting online conversations that don’t require a high degree of time or commitment. \u00a0The 140 character requirement makes it hard to say anything of any substance, but that’s actually a strength, because it makes it easier to follow what others have to say. \u00a0Instead of channeling all your time and energy into a handful of comment \/ forum threads, you can start a dozen new conversations, or follow a dozen new people, or drop out for a while and do something else. \u00a0Less substance means less commitment and more flexibility.<\/p>\n

It makes me think of something Cory Doctorow mentioned on a panel at Worldcon 2011. \u00a0He called Facebook the high fructose corn syrup of the internet–which is actually a very relevant comparison. \u00a0Facebook is very information dense the same way that HFCS is very calorie dense. \u00a0Both of them are fairly addictive (“compelling without being satisfying” is the way that Cory Doctorow put it). \u00a0And just as HFCS is not very nutritive, Facebook is not a very good way to stay genuinely close to the most important people in your life, especially when you’re following hundreds of people whom you barely even know.<\/p>\n

Unlike Facebook, Twitter is a great way to connect with people who aren’t much more than strangers or casual acquaintances. \u00a0The value is not in what you’re able to share, but how many people you’re able to connect with. \u00a0If I tried to make myself accessible to everyone via Facebook, I would quickly become overwhelmed. \u00a0With Twitter, I am<\/i> accessible simply by being there, and I can reach out to just about anyone and expect a response.<\/p>\n

Some things I’ve found that have helped improve my Twitter experience:<\/p>\n