AM I USING TWITTER THE RIGHT WAY AND FOR THE RIGHT REASONS?
This is the third existential question I set out to answer when I started my Twitter silence experiment at the beginning of August.
First, some background: I started using Twitter in February 2008. At the time, I didn't know what to make of followers, and I basically started using Twitter as a personal online diary. I wasn't really aware that anyone in the world could read what I was writting, as I only allowed a selected group of friends to follow me. I had no self-consciousness, and simply enjoyed the act of writting, which I've always loved. Then I realized people could read me. I became self-conscious. I panicked. I deleted my account.
A few weeks later I made a second attempt at micro-blogging, but this time under an alias. I decided to follow lots of people who had similar interests, and let people follow me. That's when I finally got Twitter. As I explained in a post written almost a year ago: Twitter is mainly about interacting and sharing, not posting. I started engaging in conversations and got hooked. It was so liberating. I felt part of a community. I was exchanging with people from all over the world. I knew anyone could read me, but it didn't prevent me from writting whatever I felt. In a sense, I was still writting for myself, not for others. I didn't care if what I wrote was useful or not. I wrote it out of sheer pleasure. I used Twitter as a personal diary, a professional development tool, an online newspaper, a research tool, a forum from exchanging ideas.
Then, as the number of my followers grew, I started having doubts about my use of Twitter: maybe I was too personal; maybe I posted too much; maybe I needed to interact less and post more useful links, etc. I started thinking more about what my followers wanted - or my perception of it - than about what I felt like writting. It somehow diminished the pleasure associated with twittering. It felt more and more like work, and less and less like fun. I had to take a step back.
SO, WHAT'S MY CONCLUSION?
I'm using Twitter correctly when it feels right to me. Again, Twitter is about individuals; about their thoughts, their personal interests. I can't please everyone. I have to tweet for myself, first and foremost. It doesn't prevent me from twittering links or info that in my view may be of interest to my followers. I care about them. I want to exchange and share with them. But they have to accept my style and perhaps my tendency to be personal and not always relevant. If they don't like it, they can always stop following me. Twitter gives them this choice. It should never be about numbers. In the end, if only a few people end up following me, it's the quality of my interaction with them and the pleasure and knowledge I gain from it that matters.
Does this mean that I will revert back to my initial use of Twitter? Not necessarily. Twitter has evolved since I first started and I have evolved as a user. I'll explain what I mean in tomorrow's post :-)
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Share This!In the first of a series of posts on my 7 weeks of Twitter silence I addressed the relative importance of Twitter as a connective tool.
In this second post I will discuss another existential question I was trying to answer by taking a step back and reflecting on what Twitter means to me:
IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A TWITTER COMMUNITY?
To answer this question, I first needed to define what a community is. If a community is a social group that lives together and shares common interests, then Twitter doesn't really fit the definition. Twitter is a space: it isn't a group. Within that space, groups sharing common interests can form, but they're fluid. They change according to each individual. For example, even though I may be part of an education group within Twitter, I doesn't mean my perception and experience of that group is similar to the perception and experience of another of its members. Why? Because in Twitter, even though a feeling a community may exists, the environment - the twitterverse - where each individual "lives" is unique to that person. I may be wrong, but I don't believe that two users in Twitter follow or are being followed by exactly the same people. Consequently, my view of the Twitterverse is unique to me. To use another analogy, the neighbours that I see everyday - the faces in my twitter feed - aren't the same as yours, although we may live on the same street. We just can't have the same view, although we can share common interests. Twitter is first and foremost about individuals, not groups.
Twitter is thus a network rather than a "village", where individuals interact based on their individual interests and particular circomstances. The connections are there, but they are not as constraining as what you would find in a group or a community. I have more control over who I want to connect with, and who I see everyday. It doesn't mean that I can't feel close to some people, that I have no feeling towards my network. I do. But it's not fixed in time or space: I may be highly connected to a few individuals for a few months, then connect with other individuals for a while, then start reconnecting with individuals I had lost contact with. It's up to me. That control, that freedom, is what paradoxically makes Twitter feel like home. I know that there is someone out there for me if I need it. I feel the power of the community. But this community is made up of individuals, not groups, who may share common interests, but are not bound to me in any way. That what makes their friendship and caring even more precious.
La suite demain...
People who have been following me for a while know: I am in love with Twitter. And yet I did it again: I purposefully stayed away from it for several weeks.
People who know me a little better probably didn't make much of it; after all, I don't always act rationally and that's part of my charm.
So let me explain why I did it and what I have learned in the process.
By staying away for a relatively long period of time, I wanted to answer a series of existential questions about my use of Twitter:
1) Do I really need Twitter to feel connected?
2) Is there such a thing as a Twitter community?
3) Am I using Twitter the right way and for the right reasons?
4) Do I want to continue using it?
In this post, I will tackle the first question:
DO I REALLY NEED TWITTER TO FEEL CONNECTED?
The simple answer: no. Twitter is only a tool that 'helps' me connect with people; it's a means, not an end. During my Twitter silence, I managed to feel connected by using other tools such as email, telephone...and even face-to-face! I spent more time on the phone talking with people over the past seven weeks than I did over the past 12 months. To get my daily news fix, I reverted back to CBC radio and I even watched tv for the first time in at least two years. I read more blogposts. I spent more time googling recipes and baking cookies for friends and family. It confirmed what I knew all along: that connection is what we all strive for, no matter how we set about achieving it.
Now, does Twitter makes me feel MORE connected? The answer is a resounding YES! I can connect with a lot more people on Twitter than I can with the phone. I can participate in many more live discussions than if I were meeting my counterparts face-to-face. Via Twitter, I can interact with the news, which is much more powerful in terms of connection than simply listening or watching. Twitter multiplies my connecting opportunities. What I do with those opportunities is up to me.
Twitter gives me the feeling of being part of an online community, connected by daily interactions. Not unlike a closed knit neighbourhood, where people, when they see each other on the street, exchange simple greetings or engage in lenghty and lively conversations, depending on their mood and the context. The people I follow on Twitter are my virtual neighbours. They make me feel connected; they make me feel safe.
But is this only an illusion? Is there such a thing as a Twitter community?
That's the question I'll reflect upon in tomorrow's post.
Banana Bread
DRY MIXTURE
2 cups (500 ml) of organic whole wheat pastry flour (but you can use all-purpose flour as well)
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) of salt
2 teaspoons (10 ml) of baking powder
1/2 cup (125 ml) of walnuts, corsely chopped
MOIST MIXTURE
2 eggs
1/2 cup (125 ml) of melted butter or vegetable shortening
3 or 4 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup (125 ml) of brown sugar
Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C) and grease bread pan (important, otherwise bread will stick)
Combine eggs, melted butter, brown sugar and bananas in blender and mix well.
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl
Add the moist mixture to the dry mixture and stir in the walnuts.
Fill the bread pan and bake for approximately one hour. (may take more or less time, depending on the number of bananas you've used).
Let cool down, remove from pan, cut into thick slices and enjoy.
You enjoyed - or were amused by - The Hunt for Red October? Then you'll enjoy this clever parody, which makes me laugh...even more that the original movie does.
If you have never watched the original Hunt for Red October, do it before watching the parody: you'll appreciate even more.
The Hunt for Red Hot Coders - part 1 (5:20 min.): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d12WE-aBswE
The Hunt for Red Hot Coders - part 2 (6:26 min.): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tMarfkhjdA
I love the sound track...
I love Twitter.
I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first, using it as a repository of links and random thoughts, not unlike an extension of the personal diary I kept for years. I was uncomfortable with the idea of people I didn’t know reading what I had written, and so I was systematically blocking anyone who attempted to follow me. I also didn’t see the point of reading personal stuff strangers had written, and so I was only following a very small, selective group of close friends and colleagues. I still enjoyed it though, probably because I am a writer at heart. Writing fills me with joy, and Twitter was giving me the opportunity to express myself in a less formal, more personal way than I usually do at work. I felt like an individual again, a knowledge and meaning seeker, not just an employee writing to meet a deadline or provide feedback to management and subject matter experts.
Then I panicked. I could sense how liberating – and potentially disrupting to my personal life – Twitter could become. I deleted my account.
That was some time in July. I stayed Twitter free for about 5 weeks. I was lured back into it through George Siemens’ and Stephen Downes’ connectivism course. I created a new account, under an alias, and this time decided to follow everyone who followed CCK08. This was when I realized the power of Twitter as a connective tool and a network builder. I finally got the point: Twitter is about conversation and interaction. Posting wasn’t enough anymore; replying was what made the experience worthwhile for me. I began interacting with people from all over the world and started feeling emotionally connected to them. I felt good; I felt empowered, I felt part of a greater whole: I had a purpose.
It felt so good that I quickly got into the habit of checking my Twitter feed – and posting tweets - several times a day. A colleague introduced me to Twhirl and things started to get out of control. Twitter began to be disruptive to my daily work as an instructional designer. My concentration decreased. Even at home, I spent less time interacting with the kids, and more and more time interacting with my Twitter friends. Yes, I was getting addicted. But I was in denial. Someone very close to me noticed it and challenged me to stop.
These past two weeks have allowed me to take a step back and reflect on my priorities and how Twitter could be integrated into my life without causing negative interference. Here’s what I have learned:
1. Connect with people around you first. This includes family, friends and colleagues. I am making a conscious effort to spend more time with the people I love, and to strengthen relationships I had neglected recently. This week, for example, I spent precious moments, in the evening, making plush dolls and baking muffins with my daughter. And I had a blast last weekend sitting on the sofa next to my son and brainstorming on the relationships between the characters in the play A Doll’s House. My Twitter friends should always come second, not first.
2. Use Twitter as a reward for completing a task, not as a procrastination tool. Yes folks: I have a natural tendency to procrastinate, especially if the subject or task doesn’t excite me. I have been pretty successful at fighting this tendency over the years, but Twitter was reviving bad habits I thought I had gotten rid of. This leads me to admit to cheating: although I didn’t post, I did check Twitter a few times each day in the past two weeks. But I made the choice to check only after having completed a less interesting task, as a reward. And it worked: I did manage to control myself.
3. Turn Twhirl off. This nice little app was way too distracting and disruptive for me. I have also turned off my email alert for the same reason. It really helps me concentrate on one task and get it done faster.
4. Restrict use of Twitter when not at work. This speaks to my first point about the importance of connecting with loved ones first. Personal and family connections have to be maintained too, in order to flourish. From now on, I will only go on Twitter if everyone else in the house is either away or busy doing something else, and only when I have made sure I have called my mom and emailed my brothers first. No more sitting at the computer and twittering away with friends in the evening, except of course on debate or elections nights J
5. Do not delete Twitter account, even when thinking about quitting. You never know when you’ll want to go back. Finding people to follow – and having people follow you – takes time. You can take a break, but don’t flush your network on an impulse: you’ll regret it.
So I’m back. Addiction always present, but hopefully under control with the help of these few simple rules. Please, if you notice that I am posting more than 10 tweets a day, remind me of my commitment to balance personal life and Twitter.
Last night I attended a presentation by Nadia Rousseau, author and professor of psychopedagogy at the Faculty of Education of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. www.puq.ca/fr/auteur_fiche.asp and www.uqtr.ca/~roussean/
The "pédagogie de la sollicitude" she developed for kids with learning disabilities consists in heightening the teacher's and classmates' awareness of what a child with learning disabilities is going through every day, and to give them the tools to help. It also teaches the child with learning disabilities to advocate for him or herself, by first becoming aware of his or her strengths and weaknesses and thus changing his or her self-perception in a positive way.
While listening to her talking about how hard it is for some people to focus on more than one task at the time (e.g. listening and writing), I keep thinking about how these people could benefit from some of the new educational technologies, and more generally from the rise of self-paced, individualized distance education. I am starting to think that children with learning disabilities could really benefit from being able to concentrate on a specific task for as long as it may take them to master it. Less pressure on the child, better results in the long run both academically and psychologically.
Random thoughts that I will most likely explore in the coming months.
Mes suggestions sont de deux ordres: livres et cédéroms.
Pour les fillettes de 4 ans, je recommande la série Juliette. Toutes les petites filles de ma famille ont beaucoup apprécié ces livres. J'ai essayé de penser à une autre collection qui serait intéressante, mais je suis un peu déconnectée des plus récentes tendances dans ce groupe d'âge. Je recommande de visiter la section 'Coup de coeur' de la librairie Renault-Bray www.renaud-bray.com/francais/menu/gabarit.asp
Pour ce qui est des cédéroms, La famille Cosmic a eu bien du succès chez nous, de même que la série Adibou. Dans le domaine de la logique et des mathématiques, L'Odyssée des Zoombinis est superbe.
Bonne chance dans votre reherche!
The group is called CCK08 and Twitter Workspaces. The goal is to try to connect us visually by showing the environment in which we work and access either CCK08 or Twitter in general.
The Flickr group URL is http://www.flickr.com/groups/cck08_twitter/
Invite us in your space and do not forget to add a description!
Looking forward to being your guest.
Blanche
You are a government agency experimenting with Virtual Worlds? The International Working Group within the Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds http://www.ndu.edu/IRMC/fedconsortium.html wants to hear from you.
The objective of the International Working Group is to learn more about the Virtual Worlds that are used by other countries, and to capture international best practices in Virtual Worlds (such as recruitment, embassy outreach). We also want to gain awareness of issues affecting Virtual Worlds in the long term, such as net neutrality, the cost of VW implementation and access internationally. And - last but not least - one of our goals is also to investigate the capability to conduct experiments on the benefits of international collaborative teams.
We are currently looking for government agencies who would like to present at an international panel during the Federal Consortium for Virtual Worlds Conference that will be held April 23-24, 2009, in Washington DC. Think you can help? Want to showcase your achievements? Need more information? Please get in touch with Brett Christensen (Christensen.BD@forces.gc.ca) or Louise Côté (Louise.Cote@rmc.ca).
About BlancheMaynard
- Name Louise Côté
- Location Kingston, Canada
- Web http://twitwall.c...
- Bio Historian, instructional designer, pragmatic idealist, extraverted intravert, sedentary nomad, Québécoise de souche...multiculturelle de coeur
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