Overcoming Resistance Engaging the Twitter-stream

by Richard Reeve on November 2, 2008

in @CCSeed

@CCSeed

Yesterday I posted on Twitter that I was going through an experience of disconnect, noting that my efforts to swim further out into the twitter-stream had made it seem more difficult to engage.  For a few days I was experiencing hitting the refresh button multiple times without finding a meaningful entry point.  

As folks on twitter are apt to do, suggestions came pouring my way which led to my first insight.  Auntheticity, speaking where you are at, this in itself creates the needed connection.  But Michael (@bikerbar) took my opening further, offering series of reflections over multiple posts to outline his practice.  As I found the metaphors useful, I further them here…

@CCSeed: I use a cyber river metaphor.. all the chat is like water… some is ahead..never catch.. some behind.. a see a crane .. interact..

@CCSeed : we never finished our discussion… sometimes I look for a crane in the river.. today, I tossed a pebble into river.. ppl moved

@CCSeed : TwitterRiver.. sometimes find the “crane” … sometimes “toss a pebble”.. sometimes “leave stagnant water” (political discord)

A couple of weeks back this suggestion came my way: 

ccbyington: @CCSeed Have you read “War of Art” by Steven Pressfield? Interesting thoughts on the self-sabotage topic.
I ordered the book and am currently enjoying reading it.  The forcefulness of the writing along with the tongue in cheek humor (the cover boasts an Esquire review “A vital gem…a kick in the ass.”) goes in many directions to make its point about the perils of a creative adventure.  
I’ve chosen to consider the work I do on Twitter to be equivalent to the work I put on my blog.  I take micro-blogging to be a creative opportunity.  That being the case, the resistance is to be expected.  
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  • Ed
    You do not need to recognize an entry point.
    Twitter is where it is safe to be the entry point
  • ccseed
    Olivier,
    I use twitter search to create the funnels of my interest and then I invite folks to dialogue by following them. For instance today I searched the War of Art after putting up this post and found others reading the book while I'm reading it.

    John,
    Bringing up Seth Godin's "Tribes" really hits the nail on the head, and I think that I need to remain cognizant of the fact that larger groups build out from small bands... Thanks for the contribution.

    Rachel,
    My inner resistance very much had to do with loosing site of your wonderfully simple "plant a seed" philosophy. Thanks for adding that to this post.
  • Have you ever used resnooze.com? It's cool. It's a super easy email reminder service. It helps you to do things like "pay the phone bill today." I use it for that kind of stuff but I also have a specail resnooze I get every day.

    Every morning in my inbox is a resnooze that simply says, "plant a seed today." So what's a seed? It can be a reply to someone you have never said anything to on twitter. It can be a new blog post, it can be something out in your everyday like making cookies for a sick friend or buying a burger for the guy hanging out around the fast food. Some of those seeds sprout and die in a second, that's what they were supose to do.

    Some of those seeds will grow into something lovely. Others will grow in unexpected ways. Some of them will re-seed the ground around it. I don't try to figure out what that seed will do, I just plant them for the love of it. For the suprise of it.

    I see my time on twitter as a great place for seed planting. I met you there and how lucky was that!! :-)
    Rachel
  • One way to enhance your engagement is to fill your Twitterstream with people of like interest. As Seth Godin states in his book Tribes, Tribes form around a common story and a leader. Not saying this is you but we can be so distracted by the search for follower fame that we forget about building a foundation of meaningful relationships.

    Again, I say surround yourself with like minded people and start engaging them more directly. Set up a Skype, phone or other meeting and exchange learn something about your tribesmen.

    John Easton
    On Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeaston1
  • What Twitter lacks is funnels. It's like every other media channel: Early adopters love it because there's a sense of community. The traffic/content is manageable and meaningful. Before long, as users multiply, the pretty little stream of content turns into a loud, murky, fast moving river. Content that is relevant to you at any given time becomes lost in a bunch of noise. We need better filters, like a way to create communities / topic streams that we can follow simultaneously. I'd develop the app myself if I had the technical skills.
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