Ramsayings

Been thinking about Hugh MacLeod’s posts on this subject this week since Jeremiah Owyang brought it up here (and followed up here) and then BOOM here he goes again with another post about what blogging means AND TO WHOM in 2012. Agree completely and I’ll add that while I love Google+ and Twitter and various other networks, I’m still reading blogs with vigor. And a hearty amen to the conversation happening in other places than the comments. Twitter really unleashes their power, for better or worse, no?

And let’s be serious: I’m still following links back to blogs from Twitter. Not everything is being encapsulated 140 characters at a time. Aren’t you?

A short story: tweets like this one bear an eerie resemblance to discourse in the music blogosphere circa 2006. I’ll add that everything went pear-shaped in music blogging right around the time folks started to notice that it wasn’t fun anymore and that first was what mattered most. It’s what drove me to find something else to do as some of my favorite critics did the very same. Once everyone’s talking about what’s wrong, it starts to hurt the product. This is why I find folks like Maura and Chris and Daphne to be so inspirational: they’re sticking it out and still doing great work. If tech bloggers start to feel that the thrill is gone, I’d recommend checking out how Maura and Chris and Daphne are reinventing what it means to be a music critic in a Lady Gaga Pantsless in Paris world.

If you’re a tech blogger or aspire to be one someday, reach out to friends and colleagues who’ve written about music or food for pay online in the past decade or so. If nothing else, they can share more than a few stories about how Web 2.0 transformed the way we blog and how that process keeps iterating to new fields every day.

Read this post by Jeremiah Owyang recently and it got me thinking about how I use Twitter. Since I’ve vowed to share more in 2012, I thought it might be a worthwhile exercise to map exactly how that will play out using Jeremiah’s helpful template.

1. Local news. Pretty sure Twitter became what we used to call “hyperlocal.” Whether you’re in Egypt or Fishtown, Twitter is an easy place to find out what’s happening in your neighborhood. Word of caution: local Twitter can be just as unreliable as any other breaking story on Twitter.
2. Second screen experiences. Instead of “event capture,” I do quite a bit of tweeting about what I’m watching on TV. Whether it’s the Phillies or Boardwalk Empire, chances are I’m sharing reactions to what I’m seeing on Twitter. I even maintain a well-manicured baseball list on Twitter and from what I hear nobody uses lists. Don’t know what I’d do without it.
3. I’ll second “listening tool.” I don’t use trending topics often, but I’ve found search to be really helpful to peer into the information kaleidoscope we call Twitter.
4. Social sharing. Whether it’s retweeting funny jokes or interesting links, Twitter is a great way to grab someone’s attention. Don’t know if I’m in the minority here, but Twitter is an invaluable place to spend time while there’s nothing better to do. It’s my dear companion when I’m in transit.
5. Giving credit where it’s due. Part of the fun of Twitter is bringing offline fun to the Web. If I have a good chat with Twitter friend at lunch, I’ll share a bit to further the conversation online. Great way to generate conversation about topics of interest to the the greater community.

And you know what? It’s time to completely rethink some of these uses.

1. Let’s start with local. Part of the problem people have with the Internet is that they feel disconnected. That alienation stems from the belief that the Internet is what’s standing between real personal interaction. I think it’s a false dichotomy myself, but one way to assure that you don’t outsource those kinds of interactions to the web is to disconnect local from your Twitter feed. Sure, some of you may think that’s tantamount to taking the batteries out of your smoke detectors, but I have a hunch that if a local news story is important enough to affect your everyday life, you’ll probably hear about it outside of Twitter. Go ahead and talk to your neighbors more in 2012. You’ll be glad you did!
2. I’m pretty comfortable with the second screen graf, although I get that those tweets can be alienating to folks who aren’t watching with you. If I could tweet about the Phillies exclusively to my baseball list, that would be pretty great. Same goes for anything with a hashtag. Would be a pretty cool way to segment conversations without having to maintain separate accounts. Would love to see that happen in 2012.
3. Listening is bugbear, especially for personal use. Part of what was fun for me as an aspiring music critic last decade was jumping into conversations in comments sections all over the web. It was a great way to let folks know you were there and that you had things to say. I liken it to all the folks who liked the Velvet Underground or Sex Pistols or James Brown and then went on to form their own bands. It’s how I got started. Without being “RT from a celebrity” desperate, I think it’s valuable to do the same with Twitter. Don’t just eavesdrop on the folks you want to hear you, talk to them, however disorienting it may be. You may never get a response, but when you do, that’s a step in the right direction. Act like you belong and you will.
4. Feel the same way about social sharing. If you have an opinion, don’t sit on your hands. Part of the magic of the web was that it democratized publishing in very important ways. Take advantage of it! (I already know what you’re thinking about blogging. I’ll have a post about the state of the blogosphere tomorrow.)

That’s all to say that I’m completely rebooting Twitter starting immediately. If blogging has atrophied and those conversations are moving to Twitter and other microblogging tools, then it’s important to follow the conversation to those platforms. Sure, you can do what I’ve been doing and stay glued to RSS, but you’re getting the executive summary. If you want to watch writers work through thorny issues, whether it’s about technology or baseball, follow on Twitter. There you can see the germ of an idea start to bloom. It’s actually pretty cool and it’s a good opportunity to have input on a once very personal process. I plan to follow it more closely in 2012 myself, which means a year-end Twitter cull is in order.

Who will I be following in 2012? More tech writers and thinkers, more builders and doers, more Comcasters and more folks who make — and keep — the Internet fun.

I’ve been selfish about how I share things online. When I was writing regularly as a critic, wielding my blog like a bullhorn for whatever I desired, I shared with near wreckless abandon on virtually every platform at my disposal. Lately, I’ve turned inward, keeping cool articles and ideas nestled snugly in Instapaper, or worse, my head, like they’re some precious bauble to hold close. Well, that’s going to change. I’m vowing to share more in 2012.

Something I’ve come to love about the most excellent writers (call them “curators” if you must) is how they editorialize links. I think I’ve been slow to accept this because with music writing, it could be monetized in clear ways by publishing through a third party. When you read great stuff at blogs like daring fireball, you marvel at how far a link and an ounce of editorial can take you. Same is true for Twitter follows like David Carr, who just re-shared his insightful interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air specifically about this topic. Serendipity! It’s what makes the Internet fun and I think that I forgot that somewhere along the way while hoarding links and articles and ideas in Google Reader and Reeder and Twitter and Tumblr and Instapaper and all the other ways we use the web today.

So 2012 at Ramsayings will be about sharing those insights. Brace yourself.

Here’s something I scribbled about @TheRealYLT back in 2007. It’s still so true. Need more proof? Fine. Check out these clips of a reunited Pussy Galoredazzling the crowd at Maxwell’s last week. Let’s not forget the fact that Yo La Tengo are still playing their standard 8 night Hanukkah run while Ira recovers from an undisclosed illness. Since I couldn’t make it to any of their shows this week, I’m listening to everything Yo La Tengo on Spotify. Unsurprisingly, it’s perfect for this week.

These guys are seriously the greatest, most generous act in indie rock and I can’t help but think people still take them for granted, because, well, they do.

(I’d be remiss if I didn’t link over to Jesse Jarnow’s online home, Frank & Earthy, for full setlists from these shows.)

Have to say that having a two and a half year old really reminds you of the true meaning of Christmas, which in my household means going totally bonkers over all the stuff you’re so fortunate to receive as gifts.

Had a lovely time with family: great food and drink and company are what make the holidays so special. Already plotting for next Christmas!

Hope you had a wonderful holiday, too. All the best in 2012.