RE: Tim's Post on Avoidance Tools

Matt — Sun, 13 May 2007 06:17:09 GMT

So I got a kick out of Tim's post on Twitter and Avoidance Tools.

Here's a modified version of my comment to his post. One of these days I'll figure out trackbacks etc and do this stuff right. Maybe I'll email Tim .

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Hilarious Tim! Not many, of anybodies, posts do I agree with wholly but as I signed up for Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/mortiz) last night I too am feeling my way through my use of it. So tonight I've been looking to see who of my friends are also using Twitter and he kills me with his comment on posting about going to breakfast (LOL). It really hit home as I posted in a restaurant parking lot earlier tonight from my phone, while the wife was feeding our newborn, about the "family date" we'd just had.

I do see Twitter as a good way to journal though: the SMS functionality brings a lot to the equation. For different people posting this way may be helpful in different ways. For me, at first glance, it could be 1) a way to remember what I'm doing professionally so that I can drive out larger post content later. Although, I think to myself, might I just consider looking at my calendar. 2) after reading my Twitter posts from last night it may be a way to help me review my work/life balance over time (ya - not likely). BTW: feel free to give me a break, I wont be posting every few minutes normally. It was my first night with the Twitter/TwitBox combo so I was doing more discovery than normal journaling. 3) ...

Personal/Targeted Posts

So to posting about going to breakfast or family date night: I'm wondering if there may be coming, and there might already be, a way to keep some Twitter posts non-public or targeted. As I'm sure some of my friends/followers will, perhaps, be interested in my work day happenings but not so much my family/personal interests. I'm also not so sure I want to post things about my family for review by others but don't want to give up the ability to journal personal stuff.

Avoidance

To another of Tim's points, Twitter and the other services he enumerates do seem to be bringing us even closer to a sort of no-touch voyeur/exhibitionist place . Though to disagree on one point: Tim, of all people, need not worry (in general) about personal contact/communication. He makes time for a lot of people professionally and for friends/colleagues, it just so happens to be his job. Besides, who decided, and why is it consensus, for instance, that phone calls are better than, say, lunch? Or to go even further back just showing up at dawn at your buddies door step. Of course time, ok and maybe appropriateness, is the answer. But I pose that time, or even the fact that we may not actually like some people, is why we don't communicate directly. Based on this and other posts, though, Tim fleshes out something that I've too noticed of myself: that family, or those closest to us, sometimes get less attention that they deserve.

So as I typed this original reply (actually while typing) I found myself thinking… Maybe with friend/group categories we can communicate through Twitter our next Band of Brothers lunch. But damn, this is another example of the trapping, not to mention a ridiculous idea. So next I think: just pick up the phone and call, oh but wait I'd have to call 10/15 people, so just send out an email to the distro list. Then, when we do actually get together, we can go old-school and punch each other in the arm for not getting together more often .

Hold on: Did Tim just coin another one? Avoidance Tools (dunno). Take a look at his MILF concept. But I digress - well, maybe this whole post is ...

Bringing it back

So my last point is, and I know I'm stating the obvious and going a little tangent, but.. We're not always thinking about building the next burgeoning tech business model: but sometimes, in particular, people like us, want to just drive out our next personal technical project. Hmm.. Maybe another reason Twitter can be helpful. Note to self: reason #3/4...

I closed the post reply with a poke at Tim about getting the "Band" out to lunch... On the other hand, I've missed the last couple of get togethers. Damn-it Einstein, why couldn't you just figure out how to slow down everyone else before leaving?! Note to Hawkings: problem statement...

Technorati tags: Blog Tool, Social Networking, Stream of Consciousness

Cross posted from my CS Blog at www.footheory.com

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RE: Tim's Post on Avoidance Tools