I was listening to Episode 66 of the East Meets West podcast and they relayed a message from a listener. He said that Twitter let's people feel they're part of the "in crowd" by following people like Tom Merritt, and Robert Scoble. In fact, that's why he had a Twitter account even though none of his friends had one and none of them seemed to "get it." I can't say the same for myself. Although I do follow Leo Laporte on Jaiku and I've joined the Buzz Out Loud and TWiT channels. I haven't joined to feel like I'm part of the "in crowd." I'm just kind of along for the ride to see where it leads. I love technology and think we're living in the best of times. This stuff is part of that and I want to see where it goes. I have a real sense that this is changing our lives (or at least the lives of today's teens and twenty somethings) I want to play along too. However, like that fellow, I don't have any friends or family with Twitter or Jaiku accounts and I'm not sure they'd "get it." But Tom Merritt also made a very profound statement on the same podcast that went something like this "In today's society, it is easier than ever for like minded people to find each other." Hhhhmmm... That sounds like the true significance of Web 2.0 and social networking sites. Like minded people with common interests can find each other regardless of time or geography; e.g., the gentleman who commented on my walking the dog every night. Maybe that's just a small connection, but I'm sure there are many bigger connections out there. That's new and that's cool.

As I follow along and consider the possibilities, I'm also thinking of some very practical, productive uses for the likes of Jaiku and Twitter, which I'll talk more about in future posts.

Ruminations on Internet Friends

A more accurate title for this post might be "Keeping Up with Old Meat Space Friends on the Internet." But the title I gave it goes with the last post's title, and the point is to consider the most social aspect of the Internet or at least of email. The best or most social aspect of the Internet is the ability to keep up with your friends no matter where they are. I've never missed a high school reunion in twenty-nine years. For the tenth, I saw lots of people that I hadn't seen or spoken to in ten years, caught up, went home, and lost contact again. Ten years later it was 1998 and things were a little different. Email and the Internet had come on the scene in a big way. Now it was possible to get in touch with old friends via email before the event and to stay in touch afterwards. I reestablished contact with some old friends, including some that I would not see at the reunion itself. Those friends ranged from Europe to California. Our "Reunion Queen" Sally was able to use email and IMs to keep up with the farflung reunion committee from her home in Philadelphia even though the reunion itself would be in Broward County. After the reunion, I could continue to keep up with my old friends via email. I kept up with several for quite awhile. Sometimes the conversation petered out, but I take comfort in knowing that Sally has their email addresses and I could start again anytime.



For the twenty-fifth reunion I got reacquainted with my old friend Jacki. It was almost like picking up where we left off. We still haven't seen or spoken to each other because she didn't come to the reunion and we never call each other. I don't even think I know the number to call Thanks to email we can communicate asynchronously when the mood strikes at any time of the day or night. The other can read and respond whenever. It works. A highlight of our exchanges had to be when her teenage daughter developed a crush on the new boy next door. Jacki freaked out, and I got to remind her that once upon a time, she was a teenage girl just like her daughter and she never did anything that would have embarassed her mother. How many people could have reminded her of that based on personal observation? What are the chances that I would have been there to do it, if it weren't for the Internet and email. After all, she lives in Pennsylvania while I live in Florida and we haven't seen each other in at least twenty years. We would never be pen pals if we had to write letters and an exchange like that would not have had the same timeliness via mail. The telephone might have had more timeliness, but I seriously doubt that we would ever have chatted regularly on the phone. We've both got families to chat with so who has time to do it via phone?

Then there's my best high school pal, Danny, or as he is known these days, Dan. He's a doctor and lives three quarters of the way across the country in Scottsdale. We're both busy with work and families, but thanks to email we exchange the occasional note, joke, picture, or e-card. We've even seen each other when he came here for a medical convention and my family went there for his kids' bar and bat mitzvahs.

Now I've taken the next step with a blog, Jaiku, and Twitter. Today I discovered a Google Gadget that let's me create a gadget with my picture and some comments that can be posted on a friends custom Google page. I've sent it to my wife for her page, but I could see a tab on my iGoogle devoted to these gadgets from my closest friends. Then we could really keep up with each other as we changed what is, in effect, a collection of mini-blogs. We'll see if any of my friends and family follow.

Ruminations on Internet Acquaintances

Web 2.0 is supposedly all about social interaction and connections. Through this blog, Jaiku, and Twitter, I'm exploring how true that is, or isn't. I started Jaiku, Twitter, and Blogger accounts on a lark. At first I figured (rightly so I'm sure) that I was just sending my blatherings out into the ether (hence the name of this blog). I figured that I would just be that tree that falls in the forest that no one ever hears. There appeared to be no point to this, but I decided to stick it out for awhile and see what happened. Well, what happened was that I've acquired my first "follower/friend" on Twitter, my first comment to a post on Twitter, and my first blog comment. Cool, I guess. Actually, I'm not sure what to make of it, but let me explain.

I received a direct message on Twitter that I'd been added as someone's "friend." It was not a name that I recognized. Naturally, I checked out her Twitter page. It turned out my new "friend" was a woman stationed on an Army base in Korea. I decided that since she was following me that I'd follow her too. I've since learned she's married because she mentions her "hubby" from time to time. Her bio says she's a soldier but I haven't seen any particularly soldierly posts yet. I messaged her back thanking her for adding me and wondering why anyone would want to do that. She replied that she'd seen me on the Twitter public page and just thought I might be interesting. Fair enough I replied, and we've left it at that. Now a few times a day I get to find out what some lady stationed in Korea is up to and vice-versa. I'm not sure what to make of it yet, but it is different.

About the same time, I got the first notice of a comment to a post of mine. Most nights I walk my English Springer Spaniel, Holly, just before I go to bed. I mentioned this several nights on Twitter via my cell phone. Well, one gentleman commented that my life sounded a lot like his, as every day he started and ended the day walking the dog. His life does sound a lot like mine. And maybe that is part of the point here ---- we're really not all that different and we all have many points in our life in common. The Internet and these social networking sites just make that more apparent. Maybe the long term consequence of this will be a more peaceful world just as international trade reduces the likelihood of war as countries become more interdependent. But maybe I think to much.

That same day (when it rains it pours) I got my first blog comment. It came from our family friend, Regina. She posted a comment to my favorite movie review sites in which she suggested a movie for the family. Thanks, Regina!

Today, I apparently kicked off some discussions when I mentioned that I was watching the Veronica Belmont Prize Fight between Jaiku and Twitter. Twitter beat Jaiku by one point! I said that I smelled a rat. Apparently, this got people's attention and kicked off a flurry of comments. That was kind of fun! You have to keep in mind that Veronica Belmont appears to be a Twitter fan although her "Buzz Out Loud" podcast has a Jaiku channel. On the other hand, Leo Laporte is a Jaiku fan and I suspect if he were to compare the two that Jaiku would win. I, however, am what Leo calls a commitment phobe. I belong to both and have my Twitter feed show up on Jaiku. He says that if you do that you're just "mailing it in" and not participating in the community. I disagree and like that my Twitter posts will appear in Jaiku.

By the way, if you want to check out what I'm doing on Jaiku or Twitter, there are links to both on this page in the upper right corner.