Twitter: It’s kind of amazing.

This silly social media platform has brought me more hours of joy and allowed me to make friends that I’m pretty sure a dork like me would have trouble finding in more traditional realms.

There’s no right way to do it and why people quit it is beyond me. Maybe they take it too seriously. Maybe they just don’t see what I see. Maybe I’m addicted to it. It’s like the chat rooms back in the old AOL days near the turn of the millennium, but better. You don’t have to freak out when suddenly a scroll bomb hits…you know 20 people talking to each other at once. Of course, you will find a bunch of people talking to each other alot, but it’s a bit of a slower pace.

Mostly, I use it as a means of creative writing. Sometimes I have obsessive thoughts that aren’t long enough for a blog post, but must be expelled from my brain. Since there is usually no one around to listen to them and laugh with me, I put them on Twitter. Sounds lonely, but maybe that’s why I like it. Mostly, I’m lonely. I think a lot of people on Twitter are lonely. We go there looking for solace, kindred spirits or just an escape.

Just like everything else, you have to choose wisely who you follow. Some people just do the celebrity thing. Some people follow anyone who follows them. Not a good idea in my opinion. Read their tweets and see if they annoy you first. I guess it’s kind of like choosing friends. You don’t want to be friends with everyone. Lots of people are annoying, boring or weird in the wrong way.

Has anyone done a study on how people follow each other? I know on linkedin they show you degrees of separation, but lately I’ve been wondering who started following people simply because I retweeted something funny they said or because I read a funny blog post they commented on or if those stupid Follow Friday lists do actually lure people into following someone. I wonder if there is any similarity as to how people find each other in real life. How you meet friends and acquaintances…

I mean it could be an interesting story or at least anecdote. I started on Twitter because I read about it in 2007 at work. It sounded weird. I wasn’t sure what the point was…I mean I wasn’t going to write, “I’m having dinner! I’m at the mall!” Technically, with foursquare that happens, but that’s a different blog post.

When I started noticing that the interesting people whose blogs I read on a regular basis were on there, I started paying attention to Twitter. It was not only a new outlet for my creative writing, but a way to connect with various interesting people all over the country and world.

What’s really interesting is when you meet people that you’ve been following on Twitter in real life.  It’s like reuniting with old friends sometimes.   I’ve seen women do that, “Oh my God!  I’m so glad to see you!” dolphin like screech of happiness when they meet someone who has only been text on a screen to them previously.  It’s not awkward or weird either.  It’s usually interesting and fun.  Then again, alcohol is involved and as any single person knows, that makes meeting random strangers a little easier.