Twitter is like howling at the moon

So you probably tweet, right?  I’ve got a couple of accounts so I can be myself (@bznbdad) & then also put forth the corporate persona (@mfrburke).  But I’m a geezer and it’s just weird, that’s all there is to it.  I’ve lived most of my life trying to fly under the radar, and now I’m supposed to let my peops know every time I buy a Powerball ticket, enjoy a walk in the sunshine or sip a Summit EPA?  Blogging’s bad enough.  Coming up with a stream of consciousness post on a topic never seems that hard when I write the first sentence or have that flash of brilliance & jot down a phrase or topic on the corner of a napkin and jam it in my pocket.  But telling the world that I just had the most awesome cup of coffee at Caribou or was grimaced at by the butcher when I asked how long to cook a well-done steak – does anyone really care?

I follow a few tweeters – I guess that makes me their peops – so I guess I should be able to answer the question myself.  I guess I do care.  I just don’t want my cell phone going off every 3 seconds, so it’s all on my computer.  And I do like to scream every once in a while and think someone heard me.  And then said under their breath “Yeah brother.  You and me both.”

So maybe tweeting is the human equivalent of howling at the moon?  Looking for a friend or a pack-mate?  A hopeful contribution to social dialog that affirms I’m not alone.  Or perhaps a form of cultural evolution?  Wolves howl at the moon, right?  They seem to enjoy it.  I’ve heard variously that they howl so their pack-mates know where they are, whose territory is whose, or that maybe they’re just singing.  Why not, I guess?  At least when you tweet you don’t have to be able to carry a tune.

SIDE NOTE:  If you have a minute, come follow our company howls @IQServices.  We look forward the conversation and howling.

Mike Burke