Community

There have been reports recently in the media about Twitter and what a waste of space it is.  Comments such as ‘who wants to know what you had for breakfast or that you missed you bus’. Well, I for one do.  Because along with knowing what someone had for breakfast, I may also know that they are having a tough time, that they are lonely, or that the school holidays are driving them batty and they need a bit of light relief.

You see, Twitter is much more than an endless stream of mindless 140 character or less updates.  It is a community. A community I fell very lucky to be a part of. When I signed up for Twitter I had no idea what to expect.  I thought at the very least I could vent about the little things that annoy me throughout the day, of which there are many,  and that I may perhaps get a bit of traffic to my blog.

What I didn’t expect was a caring community of people, connected by a little blue bird. Tweeting that you are having a bad day will bring caring responses, jokes to make you smile, suggestions of chocolate, or wine, or both.

This past week has been no exception.  I have seen an amazing outpouring of support and love that has brought me to tears, and in this, I know I am not alone.  Tweeps have moved states, had worrying or disappointing news, children have broken bones, been unfairly criticised, and one dear Twitter friend undergoing chemotherapy has been in a coma.

I have stuck close by my blue feathered friend this week for updates, and to be able to offer words of encouragement, strength and support.  I have witnessed a group of people offer support to a relative stranger as they flew from one side of the world to another to be close by a loved one in ICU.  I have seen an outpouring of love, positive thoughts and strength for our tweep in ICU… I have read suggestions to get her beloved pets, who were pining,  to eat…. and read how the moment she woke, the dog left her bed at home, and ate and drank.

Without Twitter I would know none of this, and I think my life would be a little poorer for it.  A few of my tweeps I have met in real life, some of them have been my friends since before we all had computers in our homes, and phones were things in your house, not your handbag.  Some people may scoff at this, suggesting these cyber friends are not friends at all.  Some may observe that online social networks such as this are for the socially isolated.  Well, I have real life friends that I see, and hug, and laugh with… but I also have on line friends that I see through blogs, and chats of 140 characters… and if even one of these people is on the margins of society, and is now connected through the online community, making an effort to connect with other people, then I say good.

So thank you Twitter, and thank you my lovely tweeps.

Tags: twitter