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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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...





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Ciao for now!
 


Comments

12/01/2012 16:31

I have a love/hate relationship with Twitter. I do enjoy seeing what everybody is up to. It is definitely a time zapper, and I often lose all track of time when there.

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12/01/2012 20:21

My big problem is I can't bear leaving when everyone else is online - which is usually when I'm supposed to be preparing dinner or going to bed! Sometimes it's hard to be six hours ahead of a lot of my friends - or six hours (or more) behind the rest! Ack!

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12/01/2012 17:02

I need to get a tweetdeck I like. I have to problem tweeting, but reading became just another task, so I quit.

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12/01/2012 20:23

I'm the same - I generally use Twitter itself, but when I need to program tweets through the day I use a Tweetdeck. I get caught up in reading everything, though, and feel bad if I miss some good posts. LOL!

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12/01/2012 17:55

I like Twitter, but I'm more of a FB girl! Love the eye candy!

*hugs*
Paige

My TT is at

http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/

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12/01/2012 20:24

I've been on FB a lot longer, and it's great for taking time and exploring at leisure - unfortunately, it sucks me in like Wikipedia does. Hours gone with no explanation!

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12/01/2012 18:20

I have a twitter account and I look at it at least weekly. Each time I think to myself, what would I tweet on here? I have no reply, so I close it back up.

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12/01/2012 20:25

I thought the same thing, and I barely used it at all, at first. Then cycling season started up and I started wanting to comment on things. Next thing I knew - I was hooked. (Story of my life...)

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12/01/2012 20:17

Anyone who is new around here would wonder what that poor fella is doing with that book. Us regulars know that he is your personal librarian :)


Have a great Thursday!
http://harrietandfriends.com/2012/01/top-killers-for-americans/

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12/01/2012 20:26

LOL! Good point, Harriet! He's obviously been a bit slack about getting the books up on the shelves where they belong. A little discipline might be in order. ;)

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13/01/2012 01:48

I love Twitter. My favorite thing to do is watch a show like Top Chef or a NASCAR race or a football game and tweet while I watch. Other people tweet they're watching too and so on. It's a blast.

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13/01/2012 07:15

A) I really need to read that book in his lap.

B) I have my issues with Twitter, in that I forget to get on it regularly if I hav any reason to stay away for a while. I'll have to remember to launch tweetdeck tomorrow and try to get back in the groove.

Glad it's worked so well for you! :)

Happy T13,

~Xakara
<a href="http://xakara.livejournal.com/118694.html">Zen of the SNAFU</a>

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