Twitter: Friend or Foe?

All die-hard tweeters have experienced it...that eye roll and look of worthless disgust coming from our 'non-tweeting' mates, as they catch us sneaking in a tweet or two. And then we hear IT -  'Are you on there AGAIN?' as I sheepishly sneak my Ipad into the bathroom, my only place to tweet without judgement. 

It wasn't always this way. I remember the day when I too was one of THEM...a Non-Tweeter.

My sister was the first 'tweeter' I ever knew. She follows and promotes an up-and-coming indie musician. At first I didn't pay much attention to it, but then realized how much twitter had consumed her - taking up most of her spare time. Gone were the days of my daily emails from her and the sharing of our daily lives...yep, in my book she was 'addicted'. I scoffed at her senseless wasting of time and wondered how someone could pass up communication with family or a beautiful day outside in lieu of talking to complete strangers (whom she thought of as her new 'family') 160 characters at a time. What a loser, I thought. Little did I know, I would soon come to eat my own words. 

With the announcement of my memoir being published this past April, my sister again encouraged me to get into twitter, promising it was the perfect spot for a new author to network. I groaned and drug my feet, thinking geez..I just incorporated Facebook into my life after a similar bout of 'holding out' to conformity. But I soon realized the fact that a self-publishing indie author needs every trick in the book, so I reluctantly signed up. She excitedly shared her expert knowledge showing me the in's and out's of twitter-land. Tweet Deck, Re-tweets, Mentions, and Hashtags - a new language for a new world.   
I sat at my computer, tweet deck and columns laid out before me. I felt like a squirrel trying to cross a busy road. 'Traffic' screaming past me, as the tweets seemed to roll non-stop, much like a ticker-tape on Wall Street. I was definitely overwhelmed to say the least. She encouraged me to 'jump in' and strike up a conversation with someone...anyone, as I needed to get 'followers'. I felt awkward and plastic as I haphazardly tried to strike a cord with someone...anyone! After a few lame attempts I walked away thinking this just isn't for me. Who would follow me? An unknown author with a memoir no one has ever heard of, covering a controversial subject to boot. It felt like high school all over again. Who would ever listen to me? 

Time went by and I found myself observing my tweet columns. Once in awhile I'd comment on a tweet or follow a link. Slowly, like magic, I started to connect. Finding like-minded tweeps like myself, and fellow authors starting out just like me. We were forming a 'clique', a family of sorts...just like my sister had described. Damn, maybe she WAS on to something here!

Fast forward: I now have over 2000 followers! How that happened I have no idea. But I do know once I let my guard down and relaxed, I fit in just fine, in fact I thrived. I have talked to people from lands I will never see, places I will never visit. Likewise, people who never would've heard the likes of me, have read my book. I have a tight following and support system I never would have experienced had it not been for dear ole twitter. The technology that I once bashed is now part of my daily routine as well. It's my sole source for promotion and making new friends, many I feel I will know for some time to come. As I just recently joked in a tweet - you know you spend too much time on twitter when you're out shopping and see things that remind you of one of your tweeps and have an urge to buy it for them! Virtual friends that are sometimes closer to us than our flesh and blood friends. Is that wrong or just the wave of the future? 

My husband is still a non-believer, and I warn him every day that he needs to accept this new way of communication as this IS our future. Jump on the band-wagon or be left in the dust, I feel. Much like our parents who refused to use cell phones or other modern technologies, like computers. This is only the tip of the iceberg for the new generation...learn their language or be lost. I'm a big advocate of keeping life simple and vintage, but some things you just have to accept if you want to keep up with the times.

So friend or foe? For me, I say friend! It's all in what you make of it, like anything else. And yes, I do need to learn how to discipline myself so that other aspects of my life are not lost or compromised to the point of destruction - that is a daily lesson within itself for me. Family, daily exercise, outdoor activities, pets, and real life friends are all important parts of my life which I do not want to lose. But at the same time, so is support, human compassion and camaraderie, and the thrill of seeing your work enjoyed around the world! We just have to learn to juggle both in harmony, and get our mates to join in, not shut out. 

Once again, I coin the phrase, 'Never say never!' for I have eaten my words...again. 

If you don't already, please follow me @THEGIFTEDONES. I pop in and out on a daily basis. My objective is to connect with like-minded tweeps, spread my word of 'acceptance' through my memoir, The Gifted Ones', promote other indie authors and artists, and have some fun with good people! If that describes you, I'll see ya in my stream! Now excuse me while I go check who 'RT'ed or Mentioned' me!