Twitterverse
I had a great birthday week of celebration and family! However, that means I'm just now catching up on everything that happened...very interesting! Here's what I gather:
Simon Cowell turned 50, Barbra Streisand broke records with her new #1 CD (on a side note: she also announced that she loves wearing elastic waistbands...love her!), Kourtney Kardashian is having a boy, Heidi Klum and Seal had a baby girl, Chicago lost the 2012 Olympic Bid (sad), President Obama won a Nobel Peace Prize (amazing), Suri Cruise had some ice cream, but most shocking? Miley Cyrus has left Twitter! What the world??? Let's discuss...
Obviously, Twitter has become one of the hugest phenomenons ever! But why? For me, it's because I'm incredibly nosy! :-) I want to know what my friends are doing, where they are and what they think about current events. Heck, I want to know what everybody is doing. A site like Twitter is perfect for me (don't even get me started on TweetDeck)!
So, my first instinct when I read about Miley leaving the site was "WHY?!?!" I really didn't get it. What could possibly be the problem? Then I read her explanation. I started to think about her life. Can you imagine EVERY aspect of your life being scrutinized and ridiculed? Everything she says and does is judged. That can't be fun. Then she joins this great new site, excited about letting people in on the real Miley and she still gets criticized. What do you do with that? Her biggest complaint was not having any privacy. I mean, she gets followed everywhere she goes and that just goes along with being her, so why would she want to add to that? So, while I totally think her reasoning is valid, I would love to offer another solution: Limit what you tweet about. People can only find out what you choose to divulge. There's no rule that says you have to tweet 20 times a day and it all needs to be ultra personal.
As a matter of fact, now would be a good time to talk about things that should be off limit for EVERYBODY on twitter (I promise I've seen all of these).
1. Bodily excretions
2. Your PMS schedule
3. Play by play of your bathroom visits
4. Your spouse's indiscretions
5. Your breakup fight with your significant other
I've always been a fan of the "tell some, keep some" rule. I try to apply it, even though I sometimes realize I share a little more than I planned. :-)
All this to say, even though I totally understand her point, I want Miley to come back. Maybe she could just do what I've seen some other Tweeters do and stick to lyrics. Who doesn't want to see...
"And a Britney song was on, and a Britney song was on, and a Britney song was on!"? :-)
She's just got to make it work for her. I know it's possible.
That's all I have to say about that.
Tweet on tweeters!
Melinda
PS - Does anyone ever sit forever trying to figure out how to tweet your message in 140 characters or less? Not saying it's hard for me or anything. I was just thinking someone else may have that struggle. :-)
***Let me know what your thought are on this topic. Also, give me some more Tweeting no-no's.
Simon Cowell turned 50, Barbra Streisand broke records with her new #1 CD (on a side note: she also announced that she loves wearing elastic waistbands...love her!), Kourtney Kardashian is having a boy, Heidi Klum and Seal had a baby girl, Chicago lost the 2012 Olympic Bid (sad), President Obama won a Nobel Peace Prize (amazing), Suri Cruise had some ice cream, but most shocking? Miley Cyrus has left Twitter! What the world??? Let's discuss...
Obviously, Twitter has become one of the hugest phenomenons ever! But why? For me, it's because I'm incredibly nosy! :-) I want to know what my friends are doing, where they are and what they think about current events. Heck, I want to know what everybody is doing. A site like Twitter is perfect for me (don't even get me started on TweetDeck)!
So, my first instinct when I read about Miley leaving the site was "WHY?!?!" I really didn't get it. What could possibly be the problem? Then I read her explanation. I started to think about her life. Can you imagine EVERY aspect of your life being scrutinized and ridiculed? Everything she says and does is judged. That can't be fun. Then she joins this great new site, excited about letting people in on the real Miley and she still gets criticized. What do you do with that? Her biggest complaint was not having any privacy. I mean, she gets followed everywhere she goes and that just goes along with being her, so why would she want to add to that? So, while I totally think her reasoning is valid, I would love to offer another solution: Limit what you tweet about. People can only find out what you choose to divulge. There's no rule that says you have to tweet 20 times a day and it all needs to be ultra personal.
As a matter of fact, now would be a good time to talk about things that should be off limit for EVERYBODY on twitter (I promise I've seen all of these).
1. Bodily excretions
2. Your PMS schedule
3. Play by play of your bathroom visits
4. Your spouse's indiscretions
5. Your breakup fight with your significant other
I've always been a fan of the "tell some, keep some" rule. I try to apply it, even though I sometimes realize I share a little more than I planned. :-)
All this to say, even though I totally understand her point, I want Miley to come back. Maybe she could just do what I've seen some other Tweeters do and stick to lyrics. Who doesn't want to see...
"And a Britney song was on, and a Britney song was on, and a Britney song was on!"? :-)
She's just got to make it work for her. I know it's possible.
That's all I have to say about that.
Tweet on tweeters!
Melinda
PS - Does anyone ever sit forever trying to figure out how to tweet your message in 140 characters or less? Not saying it's hard for me or anything. I was just thinking someone else may have that struggle. :-)
***Let me know what your thought are on this topic. Also, give me some more Tweeting no-no's.
posted by Melinda Doolittle at
11:50 AM
12 Comments:
Melinda, you crack me up! YES, I have sat here trying to get my tweet down to 140 characters...even with TweetDeck having that "Tweet Shrink" button and all.
While I don't tweet about "bodily functions" I have been told that perhaps my "transparency" intimidates guys--uh, yeah...*that's* why my social calendar leaves much to be desired. LOL! But that's just who I am...what you see is what you get. Now, if I was Miley, I would definitely learn the art of "less is more"...I believe that comes with maturity. Hopefully, in the meantime, she has an older person in her life who can guide her when it comes to these types of situations. :-/
Twitter is amazing for recording artists, actors, and anyone out in the public eye. It seems to me like it broadens their fan base...As for me... If I feel like people are NORMAL--well, as normal as can be--I am most likely to be interested in their career, music, etc. I like REAL people--not FAKES.
If you wanna post something on twitter for everyone to see--post it....if you dont---then DONT. But I love it.... kinda nosey like you in a sense. I have learned about concerts, release dates for CDs, and just exciting stuff from Twitter.
I agree that some info is just TMI--- How many times you go Pee---TMI, how many times you and husband/wife/etc etc have. S** --extrememly TMI, ....
I love Twitter---especially after good football games--right M?
Hey Miss Melinda! It's Aaron here from Twitter - your follower :-) (@aaronckirk). By the way, you can follow me too if you like!
Oh it's great to see you so involved with the development of social networking sites and more importantly your blog.
Heidi Klum infact has named her daughter Lou, and yes this was through the Twitterverse.
Also, I am amazed you didn't hear about our precious Moon. NASA landed the LCROSS shuttle/bomb thing on it and it was a successful mission - I wonder why on earth (excuse the pun) they would ever think that blowing holes in the moon would achieve anything! Even if it's for research purposes.
The Miley thing, yeah well, there's this YouTube video clip of Miley rapping about exactly the reason why she decided to leave. It wasn't because she was being criticised, but because there was a dispute between a friend of hers as well as her boyfriend of the time, asking her to delete her Twitter account.
On a sidenote, and personally. I think people should feel free to disclose what ever information they want to on Twitter or Facebook for that matter. Every user on Twitter has the option of making their profiles, public or private. It's as simple as clicking on the left mouse button.
Celebrities, like yourself, are prone to attention and fans want or need to know as much detail as possible about their adored idols. Of course what you post is at your discretion, but you or anyone else for that matter should feel disheartened by people who say: "Oh you shouldn't write that, it'll look bad".
If you look at the issue seriously, who the heck cares about your bathroom visits! I have on occasion complained to, even my friends about them posting their mundane day to day happenings! Things like: "I'm getting a coffee at Starbucks", or "I need to have a shower and brush my teeth".
Anyway - now that I have had my moan and contributed to your post, I hope you can add me as your friend (@aaronckirk just incase you forgot) and keep doing what you do. Your Twits aren't that bad, you don't need to worry about a thing.
Your online buddy!
Aaron K
From New Zealand
Happy you have a wonderful Birthday day! I totally agreed with you! Personal thing can be limited. Like when you going trip and you come back and all your personal items are gone lol it is not funny. I am not really a fan of Miley, she did what she think it is good for her. Love to follow you Melinda on twitter you are funny, entertainment and when you ask question it is the best part of your twitter. Love it so much. You are wonderful person. Hugss
I mean shouldn't feel disheartened.
Did you read my mind? I just posted a blog the other day about how much pressure is put on celeberties because we expect them to tell us EVERYTHING about their lives. I see twitter as just another new thing...just like myspace and facebook, it's how we communicate. It is a little sad but people my age and younger have grown up on this. It's crazy to know that I was only 10 years old when I started "im-ing" my friends instead of picking up the darn phone. It's a heck of a lot easier to hide behind a computer then be a real person....
People do abuse twitter, and if I'm being honest I'm probably one of those people.
I love ya girl!
At first I didn't really "understand" twitter or it's purpose. However now that i've been able to wean out the abusers (my apologies to all defollowed) i've found it as a good socal network for those I can not connect to as often or as readily. We are all in the pick-up-and-go mode that dropping 140 characters to a mass amount of people to let them know you are well is far easier than playing phone tag. Not that I think this is the most sincere mode of communication but communication to people you care about none the less.
I know a lot of people look at Twitter as an inferior mode of communication. I read that there were people who looked at the telephone that way too, when it was first invented. I think people just have to learn Twitter etiquette, the same way they learned telephone etiquette. My rule is, if you wouldn't say it if the person or people were in the same room with you, don't say it on Twitter. Ultimately, it comes down to knowing who it is you're tweeting at, and tailoring what you say accordingly. Twitter's just like anything else. It can improve your life or make it harder, depending on how it's used. I do love that it gives us the ability to communicate quickly to large groups, and Holly's right, it's perfect for football!
Your tweets are great for a celebrity, melinda. They're the perfect mix of personal but not too personal.
I have the 140-character problem plenty of times, but also the opposite. If I only use 60 characters, I sit here trying to think of 80 characters worth of relevant/interesting info to tweet.
I am a chatterbox, so yes, shrinking my thoughts/comments into 140 characters is REALLY tough for me ;-)
As for what to tweet? For ME, I just have to remind myself that anybody could be reading it. And as a Christian, I also need to remember that "anything I say and do can and will be used against me in the court of Jesus Christ" ;-) So I try to always be a good representative of Christ, and I try to remember that my dad, or my grandma, or a random stranger might be reading it. In other words - if it's not something I'd stand up in front of a crowd and say (ie: like you said, bathroom etiquette, marital intimacy, etc) I probably shouldn't say it on my Twitter.
Love ya Melinda! Always have!
@MandiMorgan ;-)
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You are totally rigth, hon, we just need to say what wish!
what about Brithney I didn't understand it...
Love you so much!!!
ps: what I most think about ... if you don't like someone why are you following her?
WARNING…This is NOT 140 characters or less! :-)
I actually LOVE Twitter since it serves multiple purposes for me… most importantly, I can keep up with friends I don’t get to see very often because we are all scattered across the country. I can keep up with those friends without talking on the phone (I really don’t know why I don’t like talking on the phone, but I don’t) – tweeting is not as great as spending actual time with my distant friends but it is better than nothing (and the phone).
I can keep up with current events all in one place and in a very short and simple format (I guess I like short and sweet?) and it’s instantaneous. I can learn more about people, such as yourself, whom I don’t know very personally – it feels like we are all friends sharing bits of our daily lives.
Lastly, it is a form of self-expression. What you tweet tends to give away little bits of information about who you are as a person – even when you don’t want to divulge a lot of information about yourself.
Therefore, I believe in the “freedom of tweets.” Tweeters – Tweet what you want – it gives insight into who you are – but understand, some of us may not like what is twittered and may unfollow at any time (I’m not talking about you Melinda, SweetTweet (hehe) – you are the reason I got hooked on Twitter in the first place – darn you!)
I LOVE your tweets and blogs! Not only are they charming, entertaining, often very funny and insightful – they also give me an opportunity to get to know you better – because I think you are a person that is so interesting and so worth taking the time to get to know better. You have so much to offer to so many people through not only your gift (to us) of voice and song, but also through your keen insight and thoughtful observations on a variety of topics – often very thought provoking.
You are a charismatic, beautiful soul and I am so thankful Twitter arrived to allow me the opportunity to keep in touch with you and so many others I really care about. I am so thankful you like Twitter – so, keep on tweeting and blogging, Melinda – I know we all love to hear just about anything from you. You could even talk about your PMS schedule, bathroom visits, bodily excretions and any other “no-no” you listed – and we would all be riveted because you would tell it in a very humorous way (I am so certain)!
Adore you always!!! :-)
PS – where’d you hear Barbra Streisand likes elastic waistbands? I missed that one (haha). No comment on the 140 character tweet limit…except that there is NO limit on the NUMBER of tweets – should there be? :-) That’s all I have to say about that!
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