For reasons I won't bother going into (although some of you may know!), today I feel like talking about how much I love Twitter. I must confess here that I used to be complete Twitter sceptic. So much so that when it was suggested at work that we might want to do a book about the Twitter phenomenon, I scoffed. Yes, that's right, I SCOFFED. (What a weird-looking word that is.) I probably said something along the lines of 'What's there to write about? 140 characters of pointless wittering. Complete waste of time.'
A few months later, I signed up. And did nothing. I didn't GET it. The @ and the # were alien to me. I felt stupid. I tried to forget that I'd ever signed up.
And then I stumbled across this by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. And it all started to make sense. I started following interesting writerly types and publishing bods, and some of them even followed me back. It was the start of a beautiful relationship. Six months down the line, and we're still going strong.
Without the combined forces of Twitter and blogging, I may never have bought and read these fab books:
Dani Noir, by Nova Ren Suma
When I Was Joe, by Keren David
Extreme Kissing, by Luisa Plaja
Everything Beautiful, by Simmone Howell
If I Stay, by Gayle Forman
The Thirteen Treasures, by Michelle Harrison
My So-Called Afterlife, by Tamsyn Murray
And that's just in the last two or three months. There are several more on the huge TBR Pile of Joy.
Without Twitter and blogging, I would never have "met" the interesting/thoughtful/downright hilarious people who make each day a whole lot nicer than it might have otherwise been. And without Twitter and blogging, I would never have happened across the interesting/thoughtful/downright hilarious people I met (note the lack of inverted commas here) at Tamsyn's book launch last week.
So what I'm saying is: Twitter rocks. And blogging does too. And you rock quite a bit, just for being here, reading this right now.
P.S. Happy World Book Day! Why don't you go and buy a book from a lovely independent book store. Not sure what to buy? Well, fancy that! There's a ready-made list up there... that's right, just scroll back a couple of paragraphs. Enjoy.
Feeling the love! Thank you for all your Twitter help and advice too x
ReplyDeleteNo worries Frodders! And thank YOU for the eggs benedict recommendation. Man, I LOVE eggs benedict... but not as much as I love Twitter!
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly about Twitter. I started out just like you, not getting it. But now that I've got it I realise that I've discovered a great support network and the same goes for the blogging community too.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cat, for stating so eloquently what a lot of us are feeling about Twitter and blogging. Some of my family still scoff and tease me about the time I spend tweeting. I shall direct them to this blog immediately.
And a happy World Book Day to you too.
Thanks Rosalind! The naysayers will come round eventually!
ReplyDeleteTwitter rocks! But it is a little too addictive. It is so great when you find an unusual book through social networking. I love it!
ReplyDeleteBecky- it's SO addictive! Probably need to start rationing myself.
ReplyDeleteI too SCOFFED at Twitter. Tried it, left it, tried it again, loved it. So many helpful, thoughtful, like-minded people out there. :-)
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