I tweet. In fact, I tweet a lot. I don’t really tweet anymore than I updated my Facebook status — which is tied to my Twitter account — but I do tweet a lot. Several times a day.
The reason? Because I sincerely think people like to read them.
Could I be wrong? Possibly, though I keep getting followers. Most of them are folks in Kentucky hoping I’ll know first where John Wall is going to school, however. They probably could care less what I listen to while I get ready in the morning.
But I tell them anyway.
My buddy Gregg Doyel ripped the whole Twitter phenomenon. I can’t deny that he’s onto something. Hearing Lance Armstrong blandly state the mundane portions of his day doesn’t do the job for me.
Then again, neither do most people’s tweets. It takes a special dude to assume that people care about the little things in his life, all while being almost totally unconcerned with the same details from others. I guess I’m that guy.
No, I am that guy. I have no idea what that says about me. I just know I think people actually give a damn about the random thoughts I have at a hockey game. Yeah, I do have some nerve…but you knew that already.
It’s really not that I’m that into me (though some of you, including every single ex-girlfriend I’ve ever had would say I’m totally enamored with me). I just think a lot of other people are. I wouldn’t be, but I think you are. Maybe not you, but maybe you. And you over there? Thanks for following!
Twitter’s kinda brought this bizarre juxtaposition to my attention. Most people I know that tweet often are doing so in the name of self-promotion. My writer friends tweet to build visibility. My non-professional friends? They tweet incredibly rarely…probably because they know nobody cares what they’re doing at the store.
Me and my colleagues, however? We presume you care.
But do you care? I ask that sincerely. I really don’t tweet stuff unless I think I’m offering something clever or interesting, or an opportunity for my listeners and readers to get to know in a non-sports context. I assume some people want to do that, which is either a prescient observation or self-indulgent bullshit. I’m not sure, though “self-indulgent bullshit” is always a safe guess when the discussion involves me.
There are consultants out there that tell writers that fans and readers want this connection. I think that’s true. But is it?
Lemme know what you think.