Friday 12 February 2010

TWITTER YE NOT




By Richard Jay Parker


Having seen this article it's clear that Twitter is a positive if unquantifiable force in the world of publishing.

I've been 'tweeting' for exactly a year now and have found it to be a great way to work at my desk yet connect with readers, writers and everyone else connected with the wonderful world of books.

I'd never been part of any social networking group before. OK...I may have slunk onto Friends Reunited to see who had registered but it was something I'd never felt a need to investigate. Now it's a intractable part of my daily writing routine.

I received a tweet today from a lady who lives in Hawaii to let me know what her favourite passage of STOP ME was. I can also chat to other writers about their progress with their manuscripts, post reviews of STOP ME and dutifully tweet my FFs (Follow Fridays - the weekly forwarding of good people you think your other followers might like to follow - got that? ) There's also WW (Writer's Wednesday) and myriad other discussion groups and subjects every day. It's also been an invaluable tool in getting people to visit my website.

Twitter does have a lot of idle chat (and who hasn't indulged in that once in a while) but it does also seem to attract people who love words and there's a polite etiquette, camaraderie and generosity of spirit present which continues to restore my faith in humanity.

People say it's a fad and they're probably right but something will inevitably take its place and that will probably demand its users be Twitter familiar. Better ride the little bird before you have to fly with the big eagle. Where did that come from? Must be late on a Friday afternoon.

Thinking about it, most of the people who read this will be clicking through from a link I've Tweeted on Twitter and it's great to have them swing by...whichever part of the world they're from and whatever time they visit.

Just don't slam the door on the way out. I might be in bed.


5 comments:

  1. This is really interesting - I had no idea twitter has been around for that long!! I would never have discovered yourself -- as well as writers in Australia, Chicago, Wales, etc-- if not for twitter. I, like you, am very happy with the ability to connect with writers and really people in all areas of the creative arts. Writers in particular are a great group for passing along genuinely helpful and encouraging information.

    I find I do have to STOP ME from checking twitter like a slot machine, though. The little charmer can suck time away from writing.

    So I see what you mean when you say that we may at some point slip away from it, but hopefully not leave it behind all together.

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  2. Thanks for that. Yes it certainly can siphon off a lot of your time so we must all be wary of prioritizing writing and not becoming twitterholics.

    'I just need a little tweet to get me going in the morning...'

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  3. Enjoyed your post and yep, I came by way of your Tweet. Twitter's now part of my daily routine and when the big eagle comes around, I'll likely hitch a ride ;)

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  4. Just flew in on the blue bird too.
    Great post, great tweets...so glad I follow you!

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  5. You're absolutely right. Contrary to folks' view, i sometimes find more goodwill and generosity in Twitter. That's how I got to comment here in fact. Best.

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