This Message Will Self Destruct In........

                                                                               oh, wait...never.

Recently I discovered something about Twitter that took me by surprise. It isn't that my tweets can be found all over the internet, I realized that a few months back--hence my infrequent activity on there lately. No, this discovery is even more unsettling. At least, for me, anyway.

What would you do if you found out every single comment you've made on Twitter (not including DM's) is going to be gathered and archived, available for public consumption within six months of your hitting the send button. Your cute little blurb about what you're eating for dinner tonight and how you hope the neighbors don't set off their annoying car alarm at 3 in the morning, will be preserved till the end of time. Remaining intact and glossy, long after we're all dead and buried.

Would you think twice before sending out random crap with your name stamped all over it? I know I do! Who's going to see this stuff? My kids? My grandkids? What will they think of my views on today's fashion and the latest great novel. Worse yet, how would they view me if I were to say something rotten about another writer or family member? (Not that I ever, ever would!) Or anyone, for that matter. Does it make any difference?

I suppose it only counts if you care about the footprint you leave behind. No, not the carbon kind, I'm referring to the one that reflects you and who you are as a person. Your contributions, your salt, if you will. What are you made of?

The fact that Twitter has donated the entire archive of public tweets to The Library of Congress has me quaking in my boots. There's this new pressure to make every tweet meaningful. Wait, no, every tweet must be profound! Earth shattering! My ancestors will look back and think, by George, that girl was the very definition of genius! See the great stock we come from? Pffttt.....

Since last year, our tweets have been harvested for preservation and research by the Library of Congress. So not only are they safeguarding all our coy 140 letter bites, they are using them for studies. And why, you may ask, my brilliant minded readers. Well, because we're making history, of course. Honestly, I can't fault the logic here. Think of all the chatter that came about after Senator Wieners embarrassing escapades were uncovered (pun intended). Oh, can you imagine how he feels knowing that scandalous mis-tweet is now part and parcel with billions of tweets, including, Brittany Spears updates and Obama plugs. Oh, hold on, I forgot, he deleted it, right? But is it really gone? Or is it sitting embedded somewhere in cyber space, waiting to upload to the Library of Congress for the world to see? I really can't speak on that, I don't know. (I'll have to do some investigating.)

And what about the tweets surrounding Osama bin Laden's death, and what about the upcoming presidential election. This is history in action. Pretty exciting, important stuff, huh! So, I suppose the moral of my post today is this: when putting yourself out there for the world to see, think twice, and then once more before hitting send--don't get caught with your pants down!

For further reading, go to the Source

Getting Lost In The Storm

This morning, Jo Knowles offered up a beautiful post entitled, "If You Whisper, No One Will Hear You" and Other Terrible Things Not To Believe". In my opinion, it's well worth reading, I linked it below for those interested.

In her post I loved the effortlessness with which Knowles expressed her idea, and found myself struck by the simple truth of it.  She wrote about Casey Abrams, a contestant on American Idol. Apparently, on the show last night he stuck to his guns and boldly performed a song he was told would 'make him small'.  But as it turns out, his risky decision blew him into the spotlight, showcasing his talent while making him shine! There was no 'smallness' in that move.

The way I interpreted Knowles' post, and please forgive me if I'm way off course, is that you don't necessarily have to conform to societal norms to succeed. Be yourself and the rest will fall into place.

And I agree with the premise. I do.

But there seem to be an awful lot of big voices out there.  And amongst writers, there appears to be a collective sentiment that if you don't get on the bandwagon and make yourself heard, you will never prosper. I'm referring to media as it relates to writers.  Some might call it a platform.
This may seem off topic, but I think the very fiber of Knowles' blog applies to this issue. "You don't have to be a hurricane to be heard."  Or do you? As I enter this new technological realm, the idea of getting lost in it weighs heavily on my mind.  I'm like one small drop of rain in a tumultuous storm, attempting to change form while remaining transparent.

Being new to the media world, I often find it a little overwhelming, accompanied by the sensation of being trampled underfoot.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not technologically stunted, I've met my computer and I know how to e-mail. However, in today's age, e-mailing has become somewhat antiquated.  Now most of the world is connected by way of facebook and twitter, blogs and google buzz.  The ability to exchange dialogue is easily accessible, it sits at our fingertips, and with the punch of a few buttons, all our friends and business associates could know we just drank a cup of coffee and are currently watching Fox News. It comes so easily in fact, that words tend to fly, they're everywhere and sometimes I find myself ducking just so I don't get hit in the back of the head with one of 'em.

As with any career, promoting oneself is a part of the job. This isn't a criticism but merely an observation. To tell the truth, I enjoy it. It has me doing something I like to do anyway-and that is to write. I'll admit that at first I was hesitant to get on board, worried that I might lose my voice in all of this chaos. That I wouldn't stay true to myself and my beliefs.  But I've discovered  in the eye of the storm such a wealth of support and acceptance that my fears have fallen to the weigh-side. In the last five some-odd days I've learned this: Get yourself out there, but do it your own way and do it at your own pace.  As Knowles so eloquently wrote, "Believe what's in your heart." Remember who you are and try not to second guess. And if you find you've lost your way, why not ask yourself, what would Casey Abrams do?

 "If You Whisper, No One Will Hear You" and Other Terrible Things Not to Believe