I realised at the weekend that I was nearing my 1000th post on Twitter and had to take a moment to recall my initial reaction to the social media phenomenon. In short I was disgusted.

Turning my nose up at a friends’ lunch time attempts to persuade me, I began a fork gesturing protest. “Egotistical gum bumping” was punctuated with “why…why?” Every explanation he could muster could not justify why I would want to write down my personal thoughts to an open audience. A girl I had worked with had once shown me her live journal, much to my abject horror. There on screen lay her deepest feelings for the whole world to comment upon. As was my natural reaction to recoil from social media, I dismissed Twitter with the same hand that extended a middle finger to Facebook, Bebo and that Friends Re-united craze which thankfully died a quiet death.

Taking a different stance on the subject I was given the hard sell approach on personal branding. Here I was, a so-called writer not making use of a platform to promote my website and work, I should have been ashamed! So I signed up.

I was deliberate in my choice of who to follow in the beginning; there was an immediate tendency to look up famed authors and screenwriters. I hoped they would provide an insight into their talents. I also began to follow people who lived and worked in areas I aspired to. My account became focused solely on work and writing but that lasted maybe a month before I sought out a better dialogue. For a prolific collective they really were dull.
A few of my followers began to comment on my posts and then on my website, we then started conversations through Direct Messaging and before I knew it a small community had formed. All the while I was enjoying, yes, enjoying logging on to find out the latest chat. It also pushed me to be more creative with what I wrote, respond to other articles and promote an active voice for my freelancing career.

My twitter account has become an information source and tweets from those I follow constantly inspire me to take a different approach. I enjoy the friends I have made and the interest they take in my work. Most of all I have been moved by their support. At the risk of a momentary gush, it’s a community I’m grateful to be involved in. I admit it I love Twitter!

Follow me here: Twitter.com/LadyMiller