by Cathy Rankin
Please note: I am not mocking twitter users, I am merely mocking myself. Here is my story:
Like Highschool All Over Again!
Yes, Twitter. It takes a bit of getting used to, and can be really daunting and scary just before you begin.
As a newbie, basically I am the minor niner of the twitter world. Thankfully once you get the hang of it, the people I have followed or followed me thus far are adults and a little more patient and courteous than the kids back then.
But it did get me thinking, twitter really is like highschool all over again. For you twitter experts, it is easy to forget how this platform looks from an outsider perspective.
Case in point I am a minor niner :
Kids in highschool have their own slang, their own coded terms and language….
Does “dd” ring any bells?
The cool kids always have something witty to say and everyone listens intently
Yeah, that was not me then and not me now….agonizing over each tweet before I hit the button.
…..and the entire follow vs. follower, oh my goodness (er..OMG!). It can throw you for a loop.
Wow, look at her and her followers, who is she following? Oh my goodness I hope you want to follow me….oh please @IAmTheCoolestChick, why won’t you follow me back? Let’s see, I followed her days ago so, wait, wait for It, damn it, not a friend yet.
Don’t get me wrong, I love twitter. Unlike highschool, you can’t make fun of my outfits, but it takes a bit of getting used to and learning how to navigate. But alas we shall all graduate twitter experts if we apply ourselves, correct!
And not in jest, twitter really is an amazing networking and business tool and can be used for fun too. I give twitter users way more credit than I give myself, I know you follow the people that interest you….but deep down inside doesn’t feel good when you get some lov’n back. You don’t have to admit it.
Signing off, the geeky, shy and awkward @cathy_n_rankin
About Cathy Rankin: Freelance writer and mother of one wonderful little boy, teaching me daily how not to sweat the small stuff.
6 Comments
Interesting post.
Twitter is wonderful:
for me, it’s been the great equalizer. I can contact and interact with people I’d never be able to in the non virtual world: I follow my favorite authors and tweet with them.
It doesn’t matter to me if someone follows me back. You don’t have to have them follow you back to interact, you just need to have their twitter handle.
Then tweet away.
Twitter has been popular and even today…Sometimes, it has a lot of purpose…
I understand completely! : ) I am so not a cool kid. Close your eyes and imagine me, uncoordinated as all get out, tripping over my feet repeatedly.
I do that on twitter all the time. (Somehow, you can tell… : D)
You are right Alexandria, twitter is a great equalizer
…..and as clueless as I am, and regardless of how silly my tweets are, none of the the other “Tweeple” seem to mind!
I know I feel that way when a celebrity retweets or replies to something I’ve said – as if I’ve just been smiled upon by the head cheerleader or the football captain – I walk a little taller and I probably brag a little too. @Someone_Famous thinks I’m funny!
Only to be disappointed that they don’t think I’m funny enough to continue the conversation…
I feel that way sometimes although moreso about blogging. Though I find they are somewhat interconnected. Lots of the big popular Twitter personalities are also big time bloggers. I’m neither. I have blogs but I don’t really have followers (unless you count relatives :P) and sometimes I think “Gee it would be nice if people read my blog/s and commented” and or followed me on Twitter but I’m probably not interesting enough lol!