Last week I took a step into
modernity and issued my first personal tweet.

I’ve
used the descriptor because there is an important clarification to be made
between my relatively early-adopter use of Twitter and my newly acquired status
on the social media platform.
I jumped on the Twitter bandwagon
in early 2008 through my previous job. All tweets crafted were the opinions of
that company rather than mine alone. In other words, I acted purely as the
mouthpiece on Twitter of that company, penning tweets that promoted the good
work being done. I had never, until this week, acted on Twitter as my own
agent. So, why now? Since moving to the University of Nebraska Press I have
been toying with the idea that I should really have my own voice, albeit one
intimately tied to what I do as marketing manager for the Press, on this
fascinating platform. Now, I’ve finally taken the plunge.
The delay between first tweeting
for work and finally tweeting as an individual is an oddity in some ways. I
don’t have a good reason other than I simply didn’t do it. And yet, I believe
that Twitter is a powerful tool for learning about any subject in which you
have an interest or a stake. Twitter, perhaps more than other social media,
allows for more immediate sharing, browsing of ideas and thoughts from others
in your industry, and creation of conversations that may or may not continue in
other environments. It seems to me that businesses and organizations can use
Twitter in a very natural way. The network serves as the old town crier did,
letting the world (or those interested, at least) know what the organization is
thinking and doing. Such groups have become much more savvy about how they do
this on Twitter, moving away from selling to informing and conversing, and I
think we have all benefited as a result.

Continue reading “Doc Martyn’s Soul: Why now?”