Found myself in a bit of a time crunch as I've been writing and researching and pestering people for their help with information about the book, lately.

Which is actually how this week's topic came about. So please, permit me to share with you:

13 Things I Like About Twitter

1) It's a quick and easy way to see what some of my friends are up to - even better than Facebook, because the whole point of Twitter is to be concise.

Picture
A peek at my Twitter list of procyclists.
2) The reason I joined Twitter in the first place: Cyclists. They're everywhere on the site - from professionals to amateurs, from hobbyists to lobbyists, and I get a real sense of community amongst them.

3) The rapid spread of information is sometimes intriguing to watch on Twitter. The attempts to clear up misinformation are, too.

4) Being able to share news with a large group of people all at once is nice. The instant feedback is gratifying, too.

Picture
History in the making, y'all.
5) Classic tweets are still funny, even now. I'm pleased to say I've been following my boy Fabian from the start, and I've witnessed first-hand the birth of the words "bevor" and, as seen here, "planket". This is a word used almost daily in my house.

Make of that what you will.

6) Celebrities who use Twitter. I follow only a handful, but they're generally an entertaining bunch.

7) I like the fact I've been able to do some of my research via Twitter. The community there is remarkably good about helping get the word out when you need an answer to a question. I've been able to get lots of information "straight from the horse's mouth", as they say - cyclists, cycling fans and photographers alike have shared details with me which I believe will enrich 27 Stages considerably.

8) Naturally, I've met some wonderful people on Twitter, some of whom have become friends on other social media, and even - dare I say it? - in the "real" world.

Picture
9) I mentioned, of course, that I follow professional cyclists on Twitter. I have good reason to - some of their tweets are absolutely hilarious, or at the very least they're enlightening as to what life is like during the races and during the off-season, too.
Very, very useful stuff for me.


10) I also like being kept up to date on what my fellow writers are doing. Some of the random thoughts which come out of their heads and through their keyboards are distinctly amusing. Or ouch-worthy.

11) There are "characters" on Twitter, too, such as Sockington the cat. This kitty tweets his everyday experiences for his human audience's amusement, and reassures us that all cats are, at heart, pretty much the same. Bless their fuzzy little hearts.

12) The fact that anyone can share or "retweet" someone else's posts is interesting. You get to see what your friends (and total strangers) are into. It's actually a sometimes fascinating glimpse into people's minds.

Picture
13) Self-promo. I know it's been done to death on Twitter, but some people have come up with pretty clever takes on how to promote themselves or their work on this site. I particularly enjoy being able to share the promotion of people I know and love - and their projects I believe in - with people who have thought I'm worth following. Hopefully, all this sharing will lead to something more for all of us, eh?



So there you have them: 13 Things I Like About Twitter.








Feel free to agree or disagree, if you wish.






















To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how well it works for getting the word out about my work, but I'm ever hopeful.






















I mean, I'm really an optimist at heart. Where some people see the glass as half-empty, I say the glass is... well...uh...





















I'm pretty sure I left it around here somewhere when I was reading...





Picture
Ciao for now!