To tweet or not to tweet...

I tweeted about this today and I thought it was a good idea to write about this on my blog. I started my own twitter account @writtenvein to start getting into the tweeting world and when I did this, I barely tweeted a thing for a while. I started following and watching what other people tweeted about and why. And I started to notice that I followed some strange individuals for the strangest reasons.

It wasn't about the information and knowledge they had or the causes they supported. It was just about their person voice! Now as writers we are always hoping we have personal voice, and I think twitter is a great way to find LOTS of examples of personal voice because how does one have a personal voice on twitter when you only have space for 140 or whatever characters? That takes work and it takes talent and it takes *GASP* being yourself?!

Eureka!

The sad thing is that not everyone gets this. Certainly there are some uses to being professional and only putting out tweets with specific information. But I can tell you that I find more human beings on twitter who give me both and I follow them rather than the ones who just give me information. And the thing is, I want to be that person who does both… I give information and I am a human begin and my voice is not only unique but people are interested in what I have to say because I'm myself. This isn't a new concept but it is most definitely a difficult thing to communicate. It's taken me a few years on twitter watching, for me to finally get it. So I hope that as new writers (and those unfamiliar with twitter and it's uses) explore the new aspects to the internet, and its THOUSANDS of outlets, you'll discover! Not just how impersonal it is, but how amazingly connected you are to real human beings! People who have found a way to BE real with so little space. And hopefully as you venture out and try it yourself, you'll exercise your voice and find the "IT" too that invites people to listen to what you have to say.

It's almost a specific exercise in finding your demographic or audience, and meeting exactly what you need as well as what they need too. Kind of a sly thing BUT, this is what we do as writers. We have information we want to convey and we want to give it to our audience in a way they way they will be willing to receive it. But not just receive, continue to listen and maybe even do something with it? Like share it with others...

And because of all this... I probably will only continue to follow accounts that have that voice. Cause ultimately that's what I'm out for myself.