There’s a first for everything – and last night, I joined my first Twitter Chat. Although I jumped in late at around 8:40 (after following for about 5-10 minutes prior), there were definitely a few takeaways for me. I’ll be honest, I’ve followed a few twitter chats this year, marking a few tweets as favourites, but never thought I would a) participate in one or b) find the time to be able to do so.
This is exactly how I felt back in 2011 when I thought I would never join Twitter. Now? I’m not sure that I could go without Twitter now, as it is now a huge part of how I work; how I learn; how I connect.
In last nights Twitter Chat (#OSSEMOOC -8-9pm), There were a few enlightening points in conversation. We discussed blogging as a platform to both share when Twitter isn’t long enough (great tagline by Mr. Grasley), and to reflect.
Blogging can definitely be challenging in getting started and keeping it up. Mark Carbone made a great point that setting attainable goals is the key (daily, weekly, bi-weekly posts). I could attest to this; I saw the value and purpose for blogging and tried to make a concerted effort to maintain it, sharing my (more than enough) thoughts and ideas with people who wished to follow. But, for one reason or another, I just couldn’t keep it up. So, I took the summer off, thought about it more; 2014 is a new year, and I’m off to a great start.
The second point that was made which stuck with me was the reminder to make every effort to maintain a positive attitude when blogging. Often when reading, some take to the blog to vent, to share bad experiences; blogging shouldn’t be this. I will admit, I have blogged not to vent, but to share frustrations of my own at various levels. I had never really thought of this until now – people don’t want to hear this!
The fault I made when joining the twitter chat was not being on a computer; I was sitting on the sofa watching TV with my wife doing some coursework beside me and I thought ‘Let’s see what this Twitter Chat is all about’. I would have loved to have had Tweetdeck up with a column dedicated to the conversation, so that I could both keep up and not miss any important posts. But I guess that’s the beauty of Twitter – anytime, anywhere.
I look forward to joining in future Twitter Chats whenever I can, and to my blog readers: look forward to more positive and inspirational posts from here on out!
It was great to have you jump in, Pete!
After we were done I wrote a more positive blog post, so thanks for that reminder. It’s easy to be bogged down in the stuff that doesn’t seem to be going well, and to forget that we’re doing some good work. We have positive, helpful ideas to offer.
And yes: TweetDeck is invaluable for Twitter chats!
This is an insightful blog post Peter. You are setting a good role model example by doing exactly what you have highlighted in your writing. I look forward to ongoing collaboration. ~Mark