medium & the message

*update: to clear up any misunderstandings i feel it necessary to preface this post by telling you that these rules are entirely sarcastic. sorry, but I don’t have a sarcasm key on my computer*#1 - …you do not tweet about Twitter.

#2 - The second rule of Twitter is, you DO NOT tweet about Twitter.

#3 - If someone says @yourname without knowing you, follows you without saying ‘hello’ or has a high follower ratio, the tweets are over.

#4 - More than one twitterati to one conversation.

#5 - Many conversations at one time.

#6 - No profile? No follow.

#7 - Tweets will go on as long as they have to.

#8 - If this is your first time on Twitter, don’t follow people; you must tweet to no one to gain credibility, then you can tweet with others.

Seriously folks, do we actually need to have rules for Twitter? Or any social media outlet for that matter? I thought the wonderful thing about this space was the freedom we all had. Freedom from judgments, freedom from rules…especially freedom from a hierarchy.

Sure, we can expect a reasonable level of courtesy from each other. Sure, if you want to run your twitter feed a particular way, then go ahead; it’s YOUR choice. But why the need to hammer down on some stranger for exploring this space on their own? Is there REALLY a right and wrong way to twitter? No, there is not. The beauty of this space is that we learn by experimenting and we learn from others by engaging.

My suggestion is that we help each other along. We provide advice and recommendations, point to posts and videos on the subject that may enlighten (not frighten). Engage in conversation. Don’t chastise when someone does something that isn’t what you THINK is right way to do it.

If you think someone is a fraud then why engage them? Why bother giving them the attention you claim they are after? You can easily ignore them. Block them. Don’t follow them back. Just like my friend Carmi states in his post on the subject, “The folks you determine as spammers aren’t annoying or time-consuming… because [you] don’t have any reason to DO anything with them.”

Call me idealistic but I would rather spend my time learning about other people, fake or real. Those who judge and point fingers needlessly are clouding the true meaning of this space.

Do you ever wake up and remember where you are, only to realize you weren’t sleeping? You are actually standing, in the middle of the sidewalk, staring up towards the sky?

Everyone daydreams, everyone imagine life in a different place or time. It is the manifestation of your hopes and desires…sometimes your fears. But do yours ever get in the way of ‘real life’?

I used to love to daydream; I have a wonderful imagination that beats the heck out of any book or TV show. I find it’s very much like meditation - concentrated thought. Lately, however, I have been feeling like my imagination has been taking over, it has more control than before. I find myself really disconnected, almost disoriented, from what’s really going on around me. And when I ‘wake up’ I need a moment or two to get myself together. My memories of my real life come flooding in and it overwhelms me. This kind of realization is very new, it makes me feel uncomfortable and totally out of control.

On the other hand maybe it’s good for someone like me to lose a little control. The daydreams I experience are all positive thoughts, they are uplifting and motivating, so what’s wrong if I completely lose touch for a moment or two?

Hey, look at my awesome shirt!

Hey, look more closely at my awesome shirt.

No, no…look at the OTHER side.

Yes, my dainty pink shirt with the delicate embroidery reads “Good Luck, Motherfucker.” It was from last year’s collection of shirt from the amazing Swiss designer, Nicole Locher. Check out the website, Locher’s, for the 2008 spring collection. Sorry girls, you cannot get my shirt this year; you’ll need to pick a different naughty phrase.

The number one reason why I love this clothing line: It’s clever.

Sure, I could go around with a shirt that said “MOTHERFUCKER” in big letters, but where’s the fun in that? I could wear this shirt to work and no one would notice. Mind you, when I showed my shirt to my boss Maggie she laughed her ass off but she’s got a good sense of humour.

Plus, it’s really fun when someone does notice the swear words. It makes for great conversation and I ultimately respect them for being observant (extra points if they laugh).

Ms. Locher puts it best, “The best assets a woman has are her youthfulness, her freshness but mostly her sense of humour.”

Gawd knows I’m laughing.

p.s. thanks to my hubby for sending me this link waaay back in December. He is the one who makes me laugh most.