I’ve heard several odd sounding questions and statements about the trend we like to coin “social networking”.
- “What is your fascination of Twitter? Why do you follow all those people?”
- “Doesn’t it bother you to have your picture on the web for everybody to see?”
- “Why should I bother to write a blog. I don’t have much time. Nobody will read it anyway.”
My activity on the social web seems fairly normal to me. I write in my blog. I post to Twitter several times a day. I upload photos to Flickr. My life is an open book.
To many people, openness on the web is still a bit shocking. When I think about it, I realize that they still have a mindset left over from the 90′s when we were much more voyeuristic. We had incoherent user names like “terminatorXX38” or perhaps “bob8867“. Even services like Yahoo would encourage us to make our names unique by adding various numbers and various types of gobbledygook. If you think of it, many people can get a unique user name by using their first and last name (or perhaps first, middle and last). But, you’re not supposed to use your full name, or should you?
Why should we be more open on the web? What has changed?
The big difference now is the the internet is intermingled with all our daily lives. Just about everybody is using the internet like they would a TV or microwave. In the 90′s, the internet was a hobby. If you didn’t understand what was going on, it was no big deal.
Some people still go out of their way to obscure their identity because the internet might “get them.” Remind me to thank the media for fear mongering. Sure, identity theft is a big problem. I’m not suggesting you post your social security number to Facebook. I do suggest using social network sites like you use any location such as a mall, post office or school. Most of all, I encourage practicing common sense. Use the web to identify the very threats that are lurking on it.
So what is your fascination with Twitter?
Twitter is a site where people can micro-blog. You write a little 140 character tidbit about your current life and let the whole world read it. I find it interesting because I can get to know people slowly over time. It’s like building a friendship in slow motion. I have been following many people here in Asheville. Sometimes a person will mention a great meal at a restaurant. Perhaps they explain a work situation that I can relate to. Other times somebody posts something funny that makes my day complete. Sure, you can find peoples’ posts elsewhere on the web in blogs, Facebook and MySpace, but what makes Twitter special is that it forces people to condense down the fluff and write something very concise and interesting. You find that you have time to read it as well as time to write. It only takes a minute or two.
Aviators that actually show who you are.
In the 90′s we got into this habit of using aviators (profile photos) of anything except our actual picture. Now with blogs, Twitter and Facebook, we are encouraged to post our actual photo. You have to treat it like being in a room full of people. That’s what the web is now. You wouldn’t go to the mall with a Batman mask on would you? With sites like Facebook or Twitter, you are often following people from you home town. There may actually come a day when you meet on the street face to face. I know I would want to have a good image of somebody that I converse with.
So why should I bother with the blog stuff?
Blogs are not that new if you think about it. It’s just a buzz word like anything else. I can remember growing up in the 80′s and hearing that, “keeping a journal is a good practice.” My elders told me that I may like to come back to my notes one day and see how I’ve progressed. A blog is much like the journal people used to keep by their desk.
A lot of people say that “nobody will ever read my blog”. That may be true, but blogs do get indexed by search engines. You have to believe that one day, you will write a exceptional post that gets found by Google. The post would be so unique that many people find they can relate to it. All of a sudden, your blog gets strong traffic. After that, you acquire a following of people that agree with some of your ideas. You make a friend or two. Perhaps you collaborate on new ideas.
And if you never get that great post, “Who cares?”. People have written journals for ages without any intention of other people reading them. Writing has many benefits like improving grammar, helping your mind form thoughts and getting frustration out “on paper”.
Be yourself (just like everybody always says to).
So when you foray onto the web, don’t be afraid to be your self. The voyeuristic age is waning. The internet of today is so much a part of our daily lives, that we often cross in and out of computer-life and real-life. I may read a person’s post on Twitter and then see them at the post office later that day. Perhaps a friend of mine on Facebook finds out we have a friend in common. We need to be more visible on the web, while at the same time using the same common sense we do in real life. You wouldn’t let a stranger hold your car keys at Denny’s would you? Then don’t let strangers on the web have your passwords and card numbers. However, I don’t think it will be a breach of national security to Tweet about what you had for lunch.
