Why I love Twitter…

For today's random ramble, I want to talk about the things I love about Twitter. I've been there two years as of March, and as my 56K in tweets show, I have yet to get tired of the place. Of all the social sites, it's the one I log into daily and use just to hang out and chat with most often.

On Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+, I check in at different times of the day, read the streams and comment where a status message catches my eye. But then I close the window and go do something else. On the other hand, I open Tweetdeck right as soon as I get off my couch, and I don't close it until I'm ready to drop at night.

There's a lot to love there, but the main thing I love is, I talk to everyone. I might be talking to a 13-year old dance student in Haiti, or to a pro writer in the US who I've read and admired their work, or to a uni student over in Scotland. I might be talking to another bored housewife in Alaska, or to a university professor in Australia. Every day, I meet new people and engage in a dozen random conversations. And many times, my eyes are opened to new experiences, new points of view.

I LOVE debates on Twitter, and I can't say that about any other social platform, online or not. At times, it's still frustrating because of the 140 character limit creating misunderstandings. But, if you say "No, let me clarify," and you need four tweets to do it, most everyone will let you finish the clarification so they can debate better. And so long as you extend the same courtesy, a lot of people CAN be civil in debates. If only we could teach the politicians to use Twitter and debate like this.

And when I say debate, I mean a civil discourse of opposing views. I RARELY agree with people online, and yet, debating on Twitter isn't as aggravating as debating on forums. In recent weeks, I've held online debates with Zoe Winters about weight training and fitness goals for women, and with Evelyn Lafont over readers. In the end, I didn't convince them, and they didn't convince me. But none of us walked away grumbling about each other. We just agreed to disagree and moved on to other topics.

Twitter is a source of news, and often hubby comes to tell me about something he's seen on a blog, and I'm like, "Lover, that news is three days old. Here's the update." I'm able to stay on top of major world events, and for smaller local events, my followers all provide a steady stream of links to their local news outlets. I'm so tuned into the pulse of the world that by the time I finish breakfast, I've read two newspapers' worth of information. And not all of this is Twitter, but the tweets do point me to the right resources.

But most importantly, Twitter gives me a place to vent without feeling like I'm being judged for it. I have bad days, and my followers get that. Every time I think maybe I went too far with my last rant, I check my followers to see no one has left. They just know I'm liable to rant, and they let me go. Sometimes when I express guilt for ranting too much, my followers say "No, keep going! This is entertaining!" Which I suppose could be taken in a bad way too…nah.

There's another bennie, the "I do that too" phenomena. When I do something stupid, I get on Twitter and admit it. Then about a minute later, someone says "Ha! I do that too!" And yeah, it's still a stupid mistake. But it doesn't sting as bad because I know other people do it too. There's a comfort in solidarity, even with that unity comes from everyone having the same kind of bollocks.

It lets me connect with other fans of my favorite addictions. I can gab with gamers about the latest releases, compare notes with comic fans, and squee with fellow Teen Wolf fans. (And, by the way, I am turning into a serious Teen Wolf fangirl. I really cannot get enough of this show.)

Making a long story short, which I usually fail at, Twitter is the kind of social site where I WANT to socialize. I've heard it's said that you shouldn't make your social streams all about selling stuff, and I have no fears that I'm doing that. I did, for a little while. But then I checked my stats online and discovered that I was self promoting in 2% of my tweets. The other 98% of the time, I'm socializing with others. I share news, RT links to other writers' stuff, crack dirty jokes; whatever tickles my fancy. It's like being in a chat room, but with a much bigger group of people to chat at.

With other social sites, I see the point and try to keep up with them. But Twitter isn't an obligation like the other social sites. It is, to me, the best development of the Internet in the last decade because it lets all of us connect and share information without boundaries. It's is a library, a social center, and a gaming hub. (Lots of people do RPG chats, actually playing games via Twitter.) It's a way to meet new people and explore new ideas without leaving my comfy chair.

Twitter is the best of all worlds, and even if it doesn't help me move books, it has so many positive benefits that I consider it an indispensable part of my days. Now, if only it could download coffee and bagels, it would be perfect.