TWIT

It is official . . . I am a “twit”!  Yeah, yeah, I know, I should have realized that years ago . . . but now I am officially a “twit”.  At least that is what I think the correct term is for someone who has a Twitter account.  I may be wrong as I have heard others refer to those with Twitter call themselves “tweeters”, but that could just be the plural for “twit”.  After several years of prompting by the daughter and youngest son to get an account, I dove in with both feet.  I feel like a twit!

This week I am attending a technology conference for educators . . . primarily to find instructors for my job as a project coordinator providing professional education to educators.  Since technology is the “hot” topic what better place to find instructors than a technology conference!  The second reason I am there is to learn more about using technology on professional and personal levels.  After the first day I feel like a twit . . . there is a heck of a lot of technology out there and I haven’t even scratched the surface of what is being offered.  I learned a lot during the first day and there are still two more days to go!

It was in a workshop on Twitter that I took the leap.  The instructor—an elementary school teacher—made it sound so simple and easy . . . and it really was.  There is no doubt about the ease at which one can set up an account and be tweeting in minutes.  Within an hour—okay, I am a little slower than most, I had my first “tweet” out in public.  Imagine that, I am just like all of those other important people—the jocks, movie stars, politicians, the rich and famous, and just about everyone else seeking that fifteen minutes in the spot light.  Now that I am among the five trillion other elite users of Twitter I still don’t know what the heck I am supposed to be doing!  What is the point of Twitter?  Even with an account, I still feel like a twit.

  

So . . . what is the purpose of a “tweet”?  That is the biggest problem I am having with Twitter since I started my account.  Basically I have 140 characters in which I am to convey a message . . . but I have no clue what that message should be.  Should I tweet about the mundane happenings that I call my life . . . you know, “Got up, went to the bathroom, had a BM, and about to take my shower . . . life is good!”  I really don’t think people really care whether or not I had a BM.  Should I entertain folks with cute and witty sayings about observations on life . . . like, “Don’t babies look cute when they startle themselves farting.”  I guess I could talk about work, but no one at work wants to talk about work so why would anyone else?  I am not an expert in any profound subjects outside of drinking beer and whining a lot—no one wants to hear that stuff.  See what I mean . . . what is the purpose of Twitter?

After the workshop I can see the potential in using a Twitter account for networking and developing a professional cadre of experts on the areas I am working in.  I can see how it will help get the organization I work for more publicity.  I can see it all, but I have not yet quite figured out how to do that because it takes time . . . lots of time.  Now I see why those with the real big followings hire someone to do their tweeting for them.  That takes money . . . money which neither I nor the organization I work for have.  Maybe that is what I should tweet about . . . money and how we could use it.  Shoot, if I could get my followers to donate a dollar the organization could be rolling in the dough!  Let’s see . . . after one day I have three followers . . . at this rate I should be able to raise a million dollars about twenty years after I am dead.  Guess that won’t work!

Whatever the case, I am now an official user of Twitter.  Whether that makes me a “twit” or a “tweeter” doesn’t really matter.  Who ever thought that so many even cared what I thought or said?  Now I am wondering who the real twits are.