So That's Life?

Yesterday was another chapter in my “edumacation” in the world of Twitter. A tweetup (i.e. meeting of Twitter users) was held at the Shorebird restaurant to meet self-professed GeekGirl Chistine Lu (@christinelu).

I’m going to be honest and tell you that I didn’t actually get to meet her. I was trapped in the middle of the banquet table against the wall, but I did get to observe the interaction of those who were there.

What I observed was people from all walks of life engaging in conversations about what they do, where they do it, and how they insert the Twitter lifestyle into their daily lives. I was introduced to several new people and was genuinely impressed at the breadth of both online and offline experience. I had a long discussion with @matmatsu about his growing list of clients looking for help with selling their personal items. I was amazed at the general lack of knowledge the public has with services like Craigslist and how Matt has been able to cultivate a growing list of clients. For a person like me, who has been virtually surrounded by the tech world for over 20 years, these kind of stories are eye openers. My mind began to whirl with possibilities regarding who would be willing to pay me to tell them things I thought everyone already knew!

I also learned a valuable lesson in connectivity from @AlohaArleen who explained that by simply placing myself on her following list, people would start following me. I had wondered how so many people from across the continental U.S. had decided to follow me in the last week. I know that you readers are thrilled with the quality and content of my posts but even that couldn’t account for the growing number of followers. As I sit here writing, the count sits at 114 with several new followers joining each day. Thanks for the boost@AlohaArleen! When I get my first comment from the east coast, I’ll know that your reach has helped me to hit the big time. Until then, I will have to rely on my plodding and clumsy attempts to prod and cajole my friends into becoming regular readers. My thanks goes out to you faithful.