Lots of people ask me about twitter. They say ‘they just don’t get it.’ That’s cool. I get that some people don’t get it. From now on, this is the story I’ll tell about why I personally use twitter … and, ultimately, social media in general.
On Tuesday morning, I went to my monthly Gang of Nerds breakfast.
My family and close friends will think this unusual because they know that, for all intents and purposes (and for all intensive purposes), I would rather have my leg hairs tweezed while eating paint chips than attend a networking function.
It’s not the fault of networkers. I’m in awe of people who chat up others without anxiety.
Fittingly, one such comfortable networker was the featured speaker at Tuesday’s social media club breakfast.
Jennifer Bukowsky, Columbia’s brilliant rising-star lawyer, committed the shocking marketing crime of saying ‘no’ to the Yellow Pages. I couldn’t wait to hear her story.
Yep, a lawyer who doesn’t use the Yellow Pages.
Instead, she networks through social media – Facebook, LinkedIn, and she’s starting to use twitter as well.
Now, she’s equally comfortable online and off. She’s a member of clubs and sits on several charity boards and dances with stars and appears to have never met a stranger.
And it was her, there at our breakfast, who articulated why I personally like social media … most notably, twitter.
Jennifer said:
“Even if you don’t know someone personally, but you get to know them through social media, you feel comfortable ultimately meeting them, and the best part is you already have a wide variety of things to talk about!”
This is easily true for Jennifer – who, after watching her in front of our group for the better part of twenty-five minutes, could clearly chat up hardened cons and heads of state with equal grace and ease.
Which brings me to … me.
I am the Anti-Bukowsky.
I’m terrible at meeting new people. I don’t know what to talk about. I’m afraid they’ll notice I sometimes end sentences with prepositions. I have no ease, cooth or comfort in personal social settings with strangers and even acquaintances.
Yet, that morning at our social media club breakfast, I was so excited to see Amy there … because by then, we were old friends. We talked as old friends do … about thats and thisses … and she began to tell me about the baby owls on her family’s farm that had been pushed from the nest.
I don’t care who you are – baby owls are cool. Oh, and Amy and I have met in person exactly twice.
But we’ve known each other for more than a year, I think. We’ve been following, enjoying and replying to each others’ tweets and posts and links and lives. I could say the same of so many others as well.
I dreaded going to the first gathering of the club. I almost backed out several times. While I’m at home on stage in front of a thousand people, I’m terrible at small talk with a small crowd.
But I went … my wife, Dee, pushed me out of our nest … and I learned I’m actually not terrible at meeting new people I already know.
So that’s a little bit about why I use twitter personally. Tomorrow, I’ll show you how I use twitter personally.
(It’s about this time in Hazzard County where I should point out to you – and by ‘you’ I mean ‘my wife’ − that Amy, too, is happily married. Dee – you have nothing to worry about – please do not cut anything off while I sleep. Thank you.)
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