Aw, Twit

I’ve been spending a lot of time on Twitter lately.  For the uninitiated, Twitter is a social networking Web site enabling you to follow the messages, or tweets, of whomsoever you please.  They in return can follow your tweets.  You can mark a tweet to someone’s attention even though everyone else can also read it, and you can send a message directly to someone else provided they’re following you.  Also, you can mark a tweet via a hashtag (otherwise known as #) which will, provided a group has been set up for said hashtag, allow all who choose to do so to read said tweet.  For example, should you desire all NASCAR fans to read a particular tweet you’d include #nascar in the body of the message.  It’s highly recommended any message with a hashtag be at least somewhat pertinent to the group for which it is designated, as for example a group dedicated to some political school of thought may not be too keen on “i LuV u JoNny.”

In the “and I hear you like Sarah Palin” department as far as surprise value, I tend to most tweet and be tweeted in the realms of conservative politics, NASCAR, and fellow believers.  I’m sure at least a few members of the first group are looking for the ignore switch most Sundays during the race, but hopefully I make up for it during the rest of the week.

Some days I’m far more active in terms of participation — on Twitter, jumping into the conversation isn’t bad manners providing you have something of genuine value to add — than others during which I’m quite content to kick back and read.  This may seem like a daunting task when you’re following a large number of people, but since not everyone is on at once and Twitter limits each tweet to a maximum length of 140 characters including spaces and punctuation skimming multiple tweets isn’t much of a problem.

There are two kinds of tweets that leave me decidedly nonplussed.  One is the mouth-frothing spittle specials about how President Obama’s stormtroopers will be at our doors in five minutes to drag us all away for forcible conscription into his people’s army with a copy of Thoughts From Chairman Barack stapled into our hands for 24/7 indoctrination.  I’m hardly in agreement with many of his policies and philosophies, but maintain a grip on reality, please.  The other flavor of Twitter twaddle that drives me up the wall is when someone decides every single tweet must be a masterpiece of political and/or philosophical discourse.  The end result of this is invariably an unreadable exercise in pretentiousness.  Honest, folk, you don’t have to impress me.  Just be you.

Yes, it is possible to establish personal and professional relationships on Twitter as well as simply kick back, chat, and be entertained.  My favorite tweet of recent days is this gem courtesy of one Lincoln Adams:

It’s Friday night, and once again I have no plans because my life sucks and nobody loves me and I just wanna die and OH COOKIES! *chomps*

Beats sitcoms a mile.