Watch the Birdie

A couple of months ago I joined this social network with the only purpose that I had to in order to have a chance to get a residency on Amtrak, otherwise I couldn't even fathom joining it because I thought it was silly and a waste of time but mainly because I felt I would never get any followers.  I am not that sociable, at least not in real life, so I felt my tenure there would be short lived.  I have since not scored a residency (surprise, surprise) but I am still on Twitter, gaining more followers than I loose and creating a nice little circle of professionals for myself.  Many of us writers where I see it as a community of support for one another it is something I could not see before joining and now I can't see why I could never had joined.  Like the line in the Hellraiser moving when the psychiatrist was turned into a cenobite, "And to think, at first I resisted."


"One of us!  One of us!"


I'm mutually following many writers, whether if that's what they do for a living or it's a hobby.  A huge online support group in hopes someone will catch what I created and maybe help me go to the echelon of "published."  But still it's kind of nice knowing many others are in the same boat as I.  And it kind of depresses me knowing many others are in the same boat as I.  I also have actors and singers following, very talented people, some followed me first and I haven't a clue why.   Some are seemingly become a kind of friend, but again I am always reserved because what has happened to me in the past with people and what tends to still go on today.  However I do have tweeters who I converse with more than others.  It seems I've developed a sort of report with them so it's much easier.  But for the most part and certain air of distance is required.  This is a much different animal than Facebook, an entity I don't use nearly as much anymore.


"Keep it Professional"


It is really difficult for me to not just turn to everyone and pull a Jon Lovitz, "Buy my book!  Buy my book!" or "Hey, you see that link?  That goes to where my books can be bought.  Hint hint."  You think merely mentioning such low behavior in this blog is bad enough, but just look to the right.  See, lulu dot com stuff over there, but I digress.  Twitter, I figure, is all about this international support group.  I mean, damn, I can always pull this up with the app on my smart phone.  When a tweet happens to my interest my phone informs me until I pull it up.  So when I'm not sleeping I'm tweeting.  I never thought I would be that person.  But what I do is tweet in the response of others either in support or antidotal in hopes that someday others will respond in kind.  Never mind about my bad day or why I'm so depressed or why the f--- can't my books sell.  There's a good chance my followers are going through the same thing so I've learned to keep drama away from everyone else because I definitely don't want drama around me.  So far I think I have a good thing going and best of all I've avoided the trolls thus far. (Knock on wood.  Then again I'm not famous by any stretch.)  Which now brings me to...


"I Only Have Patience for so Much..."


I am not going to follow just for following sake, unless I'm a fan and they have some sort of fame or an organization to the point I don't expect a follow back, generally I give about a week of following until I decide, "Well this person is definitely not interested."  Then I unfollow.  Again I try to keep things mutual and professional.  There are two individuals who I've kept around who don't follow me back.  I have my reasons for keeping them around, but for the rest of y'all I try to keep it mutual, professional, and respectful.  Sometimes it's difficult, but I believe if I keep my composure everything can stay flowers and birdies and bunnies, relatively speaking of course.  Believe me, those of you whom I have kept around you make sense being mutual followers and I hope you never unfollow.  Others, well... I wonder what possessed them to follow because they don't fit in anywhere with the community I'm creating for myself, especially those twit bots!  I'm sorry, I will NOT purchase followers and I will not tolerate advertisements violating my twitterverse space.  Fortunately in this case the "Ignore it and it will go away" method is the only tactic you can use and oddly it eventually works.


Others tend to be companies I've never heard of, never will patron, or just isn't interested.  Again, I wonder what went through their heads to think I would be okay to follow other than they gotta try.  Maybe this time they'll get lucky.  But for the most part, I guesstamate  every nine out of ten tweeters are not twits so are generally cool.


By the way for some of you who I have a constant communication on twitter, and you know who you are, I give you this liberty:  if I start getting all dramatic you guys have permission to give me a good mental slap across the face.  I should know better but there are days my mama said, yes there'll be days like these my mama said.  (Mama said, Mama said).


Now...


I just have one twitterverse thing, @RESIAMUSIC, amazing voice.  Check out her song on vevo.


I'd say ttfn, but I have two other blog entries today.  It's Labor Day; go figure.  One is very serious and possibly drama filled so you have been warned but it's something I feel needs to be said.  So see you in a few hours.