Instead of tweeting, I'll blog
Once again I was lured into some Web 2.0 way of communicating with friends, and once again, it just doesn't suit me. I am not interested in telling you the minutiae of my day. I have no gene for exhibitionism. I am speaking of Twitter: It gives me the opportunity to tell you I'm at home or at work or bored or happy. And although I haven't found my friends' tweets boring or redundant, I also haven't found them, well, useful. (Nothing personal, my dears; it's just that the important stuff is on your blogs or in your e-mails, anyway.)
Twitter is for me the cyber-space version of small talk at a party. The superficial hellos, how-are-yous, with questions about who you know here, do you like this song, have you tried that green dip. Better conversation is impossible because of the din of the music and all the others shouting their "ice-breakers". I can't do small talk. I want real conversation, some bona fide story-telling and some laughs. If there's nothing to talk about, then I want to be dancing. I have actually left parties because nothing engaged my brain or my feet (and to avoid eating all the green dip out of boredom). Getting drunk just isn't enough for me.
So I'm leaving the cocktail party. I've had my fill of fancy drinks with umbrellas in them, the purpose of which is only to make the parade of women in black dresses and the men who ogle them a bit more interesting. I'd rather blog - the cyber equivalent of getting into an in-depth conversation over the next half hour with the stranger who went to the kitchen at the same time you did and with whom an instant connection was forged while hunting in the hostess's cupboards for a glass without a stem for that drink of water.
Feel free to join me in the kitchen and get a break from the clamor that is the Twitter party in the living room. Leave a comment of 140 characters or more. Or less. :-)
Comments
Blogging is different, as you say, as there you are able to tell a story, describe a subject or convey thoughts about something you feel passionate about.
So I think I understand your sentiment here.
I am not sure how many characters this comment is, but I think it should qualify for a kitchen talk.;)))
The other thing about Twitter that does not suit me, is that it's concept is about updating throughout the day; it is a running commentary. I have neither the time nor the inclination or exciting life to tweet more than once a day, and that turns Twitter into yet another arena where I'm trying to catch up on friend's tweets. Facebook is enough.
Spark, I have noticed what you say about the downside of too many replies, yet what is Twitter without knowing there's an audience?
I have missed blogging, I have missed the joy of writing, of working out my thoughts and turning them into coherent sentences. Today has been a good day since I have updated two blogs. I want to focus on what gives me the most pleasure.
Thanks for joining me in the kitchen! I found some more green dip. Stay a while!
One blog I've read regularly for some time has been reduced to a series of tweets, and I'm about ready to unsubscribe. It's like watching a station with nothing but commericals -- short posts are fine in moderation, but give me some substance between the bleats!
And I have enough trouble keeping up with status updates on facebook. The last thing I need is more of that kind of thing!
This just occurred to me -- Don't limit the number of characters you type, or the number of characters you meet. Hmmm, no, that still needs a little work I think.
The green dip is good. Have you tried the salsa?
Y'know, I think the green dip is the salsa.
Facebook will have to do for now. I miss e-mail, to tell the truth.
I prefer regular e-mail to Facebook messaging, for sure.