I’m a creature of habit. It may have begun in Junior High at homeroom when I had an assigned seat I think, for the first time. Yeah, I know they call it “Middle School” now, but my age is part of the point of this column. I’m old and set in my ways and learning new platforms or most any new tech or tech device can make me crazy (Sorry PC Police for using a banned word!). Heck, I don’t like any change.
Recently there was an uproar with Twitter and Tweet Chats having something to do with API, which is something, I won’t claim to even begin to understand. All I know is that there were all these dire warnings that Tweet Chats were going to die and it might be as bad as the implementation of the sequester, as predicted by our President.
Well, the sequester did not result in the sky falling, nor have the changes at Twitter and its API resulted in a meaningful disaster for Tweet Chats. But, it did shut down some of the platforms many of used to participate in Tweet Chats. And, for me, as host of the very busy #DadChat and new and growing #PetRap, this was troubling.
There’s a new kid in town – SmartStream (from OneQube.com) – and their new Tweet Chat platform conforms to the new Twitter rules and appears to be excellent. But, as with all new things, there are some start-up glitches, none of which appear to be insurmountable and I know it will be the go-to platform for me and many others who either participate in or host Tweet Chats.
But, I just hate the learning curve. There’s NO DOUBT this is a function of my age and baby boomer status. Yes, we boomers want it all and we want it all easy or someone to hold our hand, comfort us, and lead the way. Truly, I prefer learning new technology of any kind with someone showing me how – ideally sitting next to one another.
When I entered the world of Social Media, knowing this charteristic of mine, I hired for a considerable (but fair) fee, a Social Media expert. We sat down, next to each other, computer2computer, going over each new thing I wanted or needed to learn. I reached “burnout” anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours, at which point I’d turn to her and exclaim, “I can’t take anymore.”
Just as learning any new skill, repetition is the best course of action. And, repetition ultimately got me over my usual first-time anxiety with learning everything in this brand new world from Twitter to Facebook, from learning how to use WordPress to finally learning and using Google Plus. Instagram I delayed doing, but now love.
I love what Social Media provides. But, occasionally, I’d like things to just stay still for a while. Yeah, I may be an “old fart” – and my wife does call me that regularly – but I like comforts and routine. What do you think?
How about skipping that $5 Starbucks latte and splurging $2.99 (for the Kindle on Amazon) or $2.79 for the PDF of my new e-book? Enjoy my own informercial for it! This e-book is really a virtual journey. It’s filled with 100 photos, 7 original videos, and links to many of the stops on the trip. Click on the book cover image below to find your purchase options:
