You are never alone when you are on Twitter. We share experiences and that are Right Now. In certain moments, Twitter is like gathering around a warm campfire where we exchange stories about the same topic, as we do on the anniversary of 9/11. Sometimes we hold virtual hands during a small or large crisis like an earthquake in Los Angeles. Every year, we review Super Bowl ads as they air. We exchange Holiday Greetings on the day.
The Twitter community often demonstrates social good in bursts of activity. I got started on Twitter December 24, 2007 and in my recollection, it began with Susan Reynolds’ cancer research campaign Boobs on Ice, publicized each Friday with avatars dressed with frozen peas.
In this 5 minute video, you will see five Twitter leaders talking about their Shared Experiences.
@Percival Sean Percival: Supporting cancer research through the Blame Drews Cancer meme across Twitter and helping to create digital immortality for Wm Marc Salsberry‘s brother, Robert on lalawag.
@Pistachio Laura Fitton co-authored “Twitter for Dummies” and founded OneForty.com: the first 9/11 anniversary that I was on Twitter – the story sharing and intense human contact, “twitter really overcomes isolation”
@DoctorParadox Barb Dybwad, Senior Editor at Mashable.com, also blogs at Geeked.org : Sharing the elation of Obama’s inauguration event with people around the world, people I know were in the room with me, even though I was alone.
@Chamillionaire Grammy Award winning successful entrepreneur: Bringing his fans with him into special experiences, like sitting front row at the VMA’s (Video Music Awards) with photos and descriptions.
@HeatherMeeker Director of Marketing at Pelago, makers of Whrrl: We can get the pulse of a conference through hash tags like #sxsw to find each other, know the best place to be at that moment, hear about the best parties.
Shared Twitter Experience. Interview by Linda Sherman, Video by Ray Gordon 5 minute compilation. Filmed during #140tc by the Parnassus Group Los Angeles Sept 22, 2009.
Twitter is about being connected, about passing it forward, and about sharing experience right now. While allowing us to build networks for our businesses, it also fulfills a very human desire.
In fact, there are many songs reflecting our desire to be connected and our acknowledgment that ‘We are One’. For example, ‘All in This Together’ from High School Musical became so popular that it earned a lampoon on South Park.
Brian Solis: “The Social Economy is rich in collaboration and friendship. We are defining a new era of society and how we ultimately communicate with one another.”
Chris Brogan: keynote speech talks about Paying it Forward at BlogWorld October 2009.
What is your Shared Experience on Twitter? #sharedexperience
About Linda Sherman
Thank you Linda for sharing your insight and experience with Twitter. It’s the sharing that has created new friendships, relationships, and developed business associates with like-minded people. It’s always best to collaborate.
@JulieSpira
Well done Linda. It is amazing how difficult it is to explain Twitter to the non-user. As Bob Lefsetz recently said – there are two types of people, those who use Twitter, and those who do not!
I think I’ll start forwarding this post as an introduction to Twitter for those in the latter category!
@jamespew
You captured some really great thoughts from your interviewees. In particular what resonated with me was:
“Twitter helped me overcome isolation” by Laura Fitton
“Share about what you care about” by Chamillionaire
I was very touched by following @wmmarc and how his brother, Robert was doing. Wm Marc’s brother Robert is virtually with us as Sean Percival said.
As a professional artist and art lover, I enjoyed #140hours, the first Twitter art auction which was organized by @GaryBrant
http://www.140hours.com/paintings/pages/claraberta.htm
@BertaArt
I know I can never get enough of them. Twitter is a constantly evolving, constantly challenging place to experiment, enjoy, and discover, and we all have a unique approach to the way we get things done with our tweets and followers.