Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Celebrating My Own Insignificance
I've got a meeting in Osaka this afternoon, so I don't have to go to school today. Lucky me...and by extension, lucky you because you get to read what I come up with during my day off.
Believe it or not, it was one year ago today that I started using Twitter. I'm not sure exactly how I got turned onto the mini-blogging service, although I suspect it had something to do with this charming video explaining how it works.Whatever it was that caught my eye about Twitter, I got hooked on it pretty quickly as you can see from my first sixteen posts. Once I learned how to upload photos and later integrate my tweets with my Facebook account, the feedback increased as did my compulsion to write. That's why I credit the fun of spitting out tiny morsels of my day with reigniting my interest in this blog, because after writing all those little stories I found myself eager to write longer ones again.
The results are clear: during my first year on the JET Programme (August 2007 - July 2008), I managed only twenty posts, but since I started using Twitter last summer I've written 155 posts and July's not over yet. I suppose I'll never reach the golden days of my Kansai Gaidai experience where I was writing long entries almost everyday, but with all the activity at home now I'll be elated if I maintain my current pace of two or three posts a week.
But Twitter has been rewarding in its own way because of all the random encounters it has given me. When I mentioned going to Cold Stone Creamery, the company's Twitter feed suddenly started "following" mine. All of those weird little Japan moments that I've mentioned has led me to meet (in a virtual sense) other foreigners in Japan and read about their experiences here. When I complimented Tropic Thunder I was followed by a "Sgt. Lincoln Osiris" who was tweeting in character. I even won a free Xbox game for participating in a MTV poll. The game turned out to be crazy hard and not for me, but the thrill of free stuff remained long after I lost interest in the prize.
The highlight of all this silliness came just the other day when I had a close encounter with a musician I greatly admire. When Robert Ashley (creator of the wonderful A Life Well Wasted) asked his followers for music suggestions, I recommended the now-defunct Cibo Matto as well as lead singer Miho Hatori who is still making music. Mr. Ashley didn't respond but Miho Hatori did, thanking me for recommending her music. The very idea that Miho Hatori read anything that I wrote was a thrill that I'm still riding high on.
So to all my friends out there, especially those of you who enjoy writing or use Facebook, I recommend giving Twitter a try. You never know where those 140 character messages will take you.
Believe it or not, it was one year ago today that I started using Twitter. I'm not sure exactly how I got turned onto the mini-blogging service, although I suspect it had something to do with this charming video explaining how it works.Whatever it was that caught my eye about Twitter, I got hooked on it pretty quickly as you can see from my first sixteen posts. Once I learned how to upload photos and later integrate my tweets with my Facebook account, the feedback increased as did my compulsion to write. That's why I credit the fun of spitting out tiny morsels of my day with reigniting my interest in this blog, because after writing all those little stories I found myself eager to write longer ones again.
The results are clear: during my first year on the JET Programme (August 2007 - July 2008), I managed only twenty posts, but since I started using Twitter last summer I've written 155 posts and July's not over yet. I suppose I'll never reach the golden days of my Kansai Gaidai experience where I was writing long entries almost everyday, but with all the activity at home now I'll be elated if I maintain my current pace of two or three posts a week.
But Twitter has been rewarding in its own way because of all the random encounters it has given me. When I mentioned going to Cold Stone Creamery, the company's Twitter feed suddenly started "following" mine. All of those weird little Japan moments that I've mentioned has led me to meet (in a virtual sense) other foreigners in Japan and read about their experiences here. When I complimented Tropic Thunder I was followed by a "Sgt. Lincoln Osiris" who was tweeting in character. I even won a free Xbox game for participating in a MTV poll. The game turned out to be crazy hard and not for me, but the thrill of free stuff remained long after I lost interest in the prize.
The highlight of all this silliness came just the other day when I had a close encounter with a musician I greatly admire. When Robert Ashley (creator of the wonderful A Life Well Wasted) asked his followers for music suggestions, I recommended the now-defunct Cibo Matto as well as lead singer Miho Hatori who is still making music. Mr. Ashley didn't respond but Miho Hatori did, thanking me for recommending her music. The very idea that Miho Hatori read anything that I wrote was a thrill that I'm still riding high on.
So to all my friends out there, especially those of you who enjoy writing or use Facebook, I recommend giving Twitter a try. You never know where those 140 character messages will take you.
Labels: celebrities, site news, Twitter, writing
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