I saw a tweet today that got me thinking about this. Someone was jokingly referring to needing some professional help with their "Twitter Voice." I laughed, moved on, then went back and re-read it. Because the thing is, the dude had a point.
How you come across on Twitter can make a difference in other's perceptions of you. There are people who are so carefree and easy on-line that I can't imagine they ever even have a hangnail in real life. Then there are people who are so full of snark and snarl that I picture them hanging onto a bottomless bourbon bottle, flipping off passing cars from an interstate overpass. There are serious tweeters, link tweeters, promotional tweeters, encouraging tweeters, people who tweet cool photos, cute kids stories and of course, the ever-present porn spam tweeters.
But it begs the question - are you conscious of your on-line presence? Do you have a set modus operandi for your Internet persona? Are there certain words, discussions, attitudes that you've forbidden yourself?
I can't say as I do. I cuss a little. I get a little political. I link a little. Sometimes I tell cute kid stories. I guess my on-line voice is about just being as close to me as I can be - and not getting too negative. Definitely no flaming. The high road is the only road for me when it comes to interacting with others in cyber space.
So tell me - your Twitter voice, soprano or alto?
My Twitter voice is quiet. I'm not much of a "this is what I did all day" kind of person. I also don't toot my own horn. I'll post what's on my blog, or reply to other Tweeps, but that's about it. :)
ReplyDeleteI can be a bit of a chatty cathy on Twitter, I'm afraid. I love 140 character sound bytes. I'm much quieter in person.
DeleteI try to be as genuine as I can online. You never know which people you'll end up meeting in real life, and I want them to find me there as they find me online. And if you're genuine and honest, nothing can really go too wrong.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
DeleteMy twitter voice is promotional, mostly for other authors, but a little for myself.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a Twitter voice. Just don't have the time, and don't desire another pull on my attention.
ReplyDeleteOn twitter, I am me, but slightly censored. Think before you tweet is my goal, but sometimes my impulsive nature gets the best of me. ^_^
ReplyDeleteSo many times I type a tweet and delete!
DeleteI never really thought about my Twitter voice before, I guess I'm just myself! :D
ReplyDeleteI'm like Angelina. I totally censor my twitter voice. Sometimes I tweet things...and then delete them immediately- mostly because I'm genre confused. Adult or kids? : )
ReplyDeleteI've thought about this, but I don't think any kids are following me - though I don't get too crude or crass.
DeleteMy twitter voice is much like my actual real voice, just with more links in it (not my own). Oh, and it's English! :D
ReplyDeleteI enjoy Twitter very much. I'm very comfortable online (with technology in general), and I love to chat and meet new people online. It feels very easy and interesting. :)
So which is your first language, Vero?
DeleteI'm very aware of my internet presence in all its forms. I have to be as I work in HR and if someone googles me, I am a representative of the organization. That said, I do let me 'true' self appear in as much as I follow diverse organizations and people. I don't RT profanity or snark because that's not why I'm on twitter. I might chuckle at a snarky comment but I don't think snark is ever worth my stamp of approval with a retweet. In my profile, I've made it clear what people can expect of and from me:"life is short, be kind, have fun".
ReplyDeleteI'm not on Twitter, but I enjoyed this post. It gave me another reason not to tweet. I'm wrapped up enough in the voice of my novel. I don't want to think about too many other voices. . .
ReplyDeleteHa, really. That's like me and Facebook.
DeleteWow, I never really thought about this. I guess I'm pretty much the same on twitter as I am everywhere. I do talk about poetry a lot though.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I realized that I'm not following you. Must fix that.