Sunday, January 31, 2010

To tweet or not to tweet...that is the question of the hour

Twitter - this is a word that makes me shiver.  I recently helped facilitate a social media training workshop for the organization I work for in Bristol.  The first half of the training focused on twitter - what it is, how to work it, and how to make it work for local and regional voluntary and third sector organizations in the Southwest.  Although a useful channel in which to dispense information to a large audience I just couldn't see how twitter would be useful for me personally.  I always saw the thing as a way for people to be more self absorbed, thinking others cared about their every move and need to read about it instead of actually engaging in real human contact (ok maybe I am sounding a little old fashion there).

Well more and more I am being told by close friends that twitter would be a good medium to use in order for more blog exposure.  I don't know for sure where I will end up work wise once I am done with this Ph.D. but I do know that no matter what I do I will continue to write.  Write about life, experiences, fears, new adventures, fictional stories...the list is endless but writing, for me, has become apart of my identity.  If I can improve and find a niche that I can fit into then I would also like to make a bit of money off it in the form of book writing and selling.  So exposure is needed and thus the question: to tweet or not to tweet?

But, am I ready to open up my networks and be faced with both praise (I hope) and criticism (which I am sure I will get)?  Hell, I guess so.  I have lived with constant criticism and few praise for my academic writing and logic for years - only recently receiving more praise.  Although the content of this blog is more personal than professional a little bit of criticism can only make my writing stronger (right?).  So I guess it is time to get with it and open up my twitter account in the next week or so and start to tweet my way to more exposure.  Will you follow me?

2 comments:

Meg said...

i'll follow you! :)

Angela said...

Do it! Your writing is so real and talks about things that everyone feels, but doesn't admit. It would be great to have a voice like yours out there!