It's what YOU make it

As this week comes to a close I realize I am embarking on a new exciting journey. I started a new gig at Cliqset and there will be lots more to come about that in the upcoming days and weeks. Stay tuned because there are some very exciting things in store on the Cliqset front.

Another high point of my week was the Atlanta Chicks Tweet Up or as we refer to it on Twitter #AtlChix. This was the inaugural tweet up of this group held at the St Regis in Buckhead and quite an evening. It was really nice to meet so many of the great women I follow on twitter in person. From the minute I arrived to the minute I departed, I felt welcomed and engaged. Although many of us had never met, there was a tie that binds that is critical to building and maintaining community.  And while Twitter is what brings us together, it is authenticity and a real motivation to connect deeper that holds things together.  I enjoyed every minute of it – as a matter of fact I cannot wait for the next one.  So for all of my non Twitter friends reason # …hmm oh wait I have lost count now – let’s just say yet another good reason to be on Twitter.

Now that brings me to my final point. I am asked constantly about why I tweet, what is the value, do you really care that someone you know is about to get a pizza? Over the last weeks and months I have responded in various ways:

1. You can’t deny the power of Twitter – the US government intervened and asked them to hold off on maintenance during the Iran elections.
2. China, acknowledging the power of such a vehicle, shut down Twitter as the anniversary of Tiananmen approached.
3. More often than not, the community on Twitter scoops the media with breaking news.

These are just a few tangible examples not only of the power of such a vehicle, but the power of community as well. You see without a tie that binds, engagement dissipates as well as the power.  Twitter is a communication vehicle that many choose to deploy in a variety of ways – just like the telephone or email. At the end of the day, it’s all pretty straightforward – Twitter is what you make it. Now that may sound cliché, but that’s the simple truth. It’s only a vehicle; the people, message, engagement and authenticity make the community. So next time your inclination it to question or knock it, take a minute and engage – you might be pleasantly surprised.

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