Friday, March 30, 2012

Tweet Responsibly

Years ago, I created my Twitter account. At first I was curious why most of my friends were into it, then eventually I got myself hooked into "tweeting" after signing up.

The upsides. No remorse, the micro-blogging site is very interesting. It had been an outlet to express my thoughts and feelings, share my ideas and concepts, connect my assumptions and beliefs, showcase my values and practices, etc. I also find it challenging because in order to tweet, it has to fit in to a 140 (or less) alpha-numeric characters. Though I must admit, sometimes, it's not enough for me to share what is going on around me. Well, that is the challenge. My vocabulary has improved, I began to creatively write again, and I started to be an optimistic person -- these are the changes that Twitter has influenced me. It goes to show that when you follow the right person, you will benefit to having a better, fun, positive disposition in life.

The downsides. Unfortunately, we all have our own points of view. My "like this" and "love that" could be "hate it" to others. The fun for me is an embarrassment for my readers. Then here comes the birth of the haters and the bashers. The followers are using the social media to criticize and judge other people. Sometimes, their tweets are below the belt. I also read some "innuendoes" or indirect tweets indicating criticism or disapproval, hence, Twitter war is common nowadays.

The bottomline. First, learn to understand the other people's tweet. As a follower, you do not know all the things going on and so are the reasons behind every tweet. Respect is the key. Second, if you disagree or want to express your disapprroval, tweet in a nice way. No need to fight.

To all of us on Twitter, let us tweet responsibly. Make use of this site to build bridges, not burn. We are here to connect, and not to disconnect. Keep in mind that once you share private jokes, comments, and opinions online, you are making it available for public consumption.

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