My friends, family, and colleagues are frequently asking me why I do Twitter. Or to be honest, when I ask if they are on Twitter, their response is less than enthusiastic.
In fact, the most frequent response I get is either
- Rolling of the eyes, OR
- “I don’t need to tell people what I had for lunch yesterday.”
I originally signed on to Twitter because I was morbidly curious. You can only hear something about 1,000,000x before you are tempted to check it out for yourself. But let me be clear, the reason I joined primarily was for a very selfish reason – I wanted to get myself out ‘There.’ I’ve spent the past decade helping Toad users answer questions about their favorite database tool. I thought maybe here’s another medium I can access to help people.
But wait, you said you joined for a selfish reason?
Yes, by helping others I help myself. The more people I help, the more people I can rely on for the casual favors I ask for, or even for the recommendations I’ll need to pursue my next job or career. It’s as simple as that.
I have seen some side effects however, and all of them have been positive:
- Meet great new people @SQLChicken, @OracleNerd, @JulesDC
- Open up opportunities for me to present at user groups and conferences
- Learn more about technology I don’t have the time to do research first-hand, like Docker or Kubernetes or Kafka
- Interact with people way smarter than me
- Politely ‘stalk’ my favorite internet celebrities
- Open up opportunities for me at my current employer – or another (career development)
This is not a comprehensive list, but hopefully this is enough for folks to begin to understand what I get from being on Twitter. Actually, let’s put this more accurately:
This what I get from being ACTIVE on Twitter.
It’s not enough to just BE on a social media forum. But, that’s a whole other topic, and others have put it way more eloquently than I ever could.
Why do I do Yelp? Pretty much for just two reasons
- It’s good practice for my writing skills.
- I use it as a travel/restaurant diary.
I’m already discovering other great benefits by actively participating. I’ve been invited to join an elite group of Yelpers, and I hear that could get me into restaurant openings and exclusive parties. There’s nothing wrong with getting asked to have a good time with others that share your common interests!
BloggingThis is very simple – I actually think there are a few people out there that actually care what I think. And maybe, just maybe, I can help a few people along the way.
Which brings me to my final point.
I’m a social person, and I like people.
I could never convince someone that their cubicle-lifestyle is not ideal. If you don’t like interacting with people and meeting new types of folks and seeing how ‘the other side’ lives, then maybe these social networks just aren’t for you. But, if you really like Facebook/LinkedIn/Farmville, and are wondering if you’re missing out on something, don’t snicker so loudly next time I ask you what your handle on Twitter is, OK?
7 Comments
I use twitter and blogging to promote my site but i am not familiar withthe yelp! I think It’s my time to explore that just like exploring the best Charleston caterers in town.
Congrats on your new Blog Jeff! I have no issues with blogging and I think it can be very helpful. Wouldn’t mind one of my own, but there’s just one problem……NO Freek’n Time! If you have the time to do this and keep it up, all the more power to ya! Just one suggestion…way too much black and white – a little color or a pic here or there might be nice – again just a suggestion. Best of luck to ya and your new blog!
You’re so right on the black & white Dennis. Right now I’m concentrating on content, but will get pictures going ASAP. Especially as I start publishing my Toad stuff, would be impossible to follow/concentrate without screenshots.
If you want time, you have to make it 🙂
and restaurant suggestions (aka DragonFly). Point taken though. I don’t think I necessarily limit myself, but right now, the majority are definitely of the IT persuasion.
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I’m with you for all the reasons you mention for blogging and twitter. I don’t use Yelp (yet anyway).
I’ve even submitted abstracts to conferences to speak on “How to Use Twitter to Increase Productivity” or something along those lines.
I bet there will be a point of diminishing returns…but for now, Twitter (and blogging) has allowed me to meet so many different people that share the same passion that I do. I’m not even talking about Oracle specifically either…just IT people who want to learn and make their lives easier.
chet
I’m hoping not to limit the people I meet to the IT crowd, so I follow quite a few beer enthusiasts. I should add an entry to my ‘Why Twitter’ list – when in a new town, I tweet for good beer suggestions!