Solo Practice

Twitter: A Downpour of Information But the Sun Always Shines

Like some of my lawyer buddies on Twitter, I've noticed that I've had an increase in followers ever since JD Supra  published this list of lawyers on Twitter.  While I'm flattered to have you all as new friends, don't expect my tweets to give all that much insight on what I'm (or anyone else on Twitter, for that matter) really like because as I like to say, on Twitter, the sun always shines.

Of all the social networking tools, solo lawyers remain most divided about Twitter.  Some, like my pals Susan Cartier Liebel or Grant Griffiths or Kevin O'Keefene are raving fans, others like Chuck Newton or Rick Georges regard it as a time sink.   Texas Appellate Law blogger Todd Smith www.seems ambivalent but willing to keep at it.  As for me, well, I'm on the fence.

So why haven't I fully embraced Twitter?  Well, first, don't get me wrong - I do see lots of value in Twitter as an informational tool as Grant Griffiths points out in this post.  In some ways, Twitter is like a giant, human RSS feed, except that links to interesting posts are generated not by a computerized syndication but are handpicked by the folks whom you choose to follow. 

But there's also an odd voyeuristic quality to Twitter.  Some like Rick Georges worry that that participating in Twitter means reading endless threads about people eating a peanut butter sandwich or going out for a run -  but to my mind, that might make Twitter more enjoyable.  Instead, the majority of those who tweet are ever so conscious of everyone else reading.  So on Twitter, everyone "just closed a big deal" or "had a great day" or "revels in the generosity of the universe."  No one on Twitter ever argued with their husband or lost out on a prospective client or cooked a lousy dinner or has a messy house to clean (that's been my day today but you won't see it in my Tweets). 

On the one hand,  I don't mind the sunny side of Twitter.  After all, don't we all present ourselves in the best possible light?  When I go to a reunion or a conference, I'll talk about my longtime blog or my cutting edge practice or my recent book and my hopes for the future, rather than grousing about what I haven't accomplished or the boring regulatory filing sitting on my desk.  But what bothers me is when Twitter is held out as some kind of amazing or magical tool for building relationships and getting inside someone's head, when in reality, we're just selectively sharing information to create a persona that's appealing but not necessarily an accurate depiction of our true selves.  

Does that mean you shouldn't use Twitter?  Not at all.  Experiment with Twitter and keep an open mind because you may find that it works for you.  And for what it's worth,  I'll certainly keep hanging around, getting my daily dose of handpicked links to interesting posts, and revelling in an escape to a frenetically paced, super charged world, where the sun always shines, and the men and women  are productive, accomplished, cheery and above average.

Full post as published by My Shingle.com on September 11, 2008 (boomark / email).