Talking Story and a JJL Twitter Soiree

Okay, I cannot write about talking story in a short post.

It’s Saturday: You’ve got some time, right?

Got a tweet from the ever-traveling Starbucker yesterday:

“@rosasay, I gather you are liking this Twitter thing - that makes two of us!”

Yes, I’ve become all a-Twitter too. I do like it. I’ve begun to think of Twitter as the digital, global way to “talk story.” For me, Twitter-lingo “tweets” are like pidgin; the local vernacular (more slang) of the islands.

First “talking story” (Then I’ll get to the JJL Twitter Soiree)

Talking story is a big part of the local Hawai‘i culture. At its purest form, to talk story is to shoot the breeze with someone because you have some laid-back, easy-going, relaxing time to do nothing but swap stories with each other about everything that is personal but light and joyful with you. You talk with someone like you have known them forever; you are direct and to the point, no posturing or pretense, and asking questions freely, but never crossing that line of intimacy that even the best of friends would never cross without invitation. You don’t need much context in way of introduction; you just jump in and talk to someone just because they are there smiling at you, and you have this positive expectancy that aloha lives and breathes within them. What more do you need to know?

There is so much in life that is happily light-hearted, and that’s what talking story celebrates. The less serious the better; talking story is best when there is tons of smiling, laughter and kidding around about stuff that is pure nonsense. You laugh with each other, and at the silliness and yes, even the stupidity of life. Then, when the talking story is over, it is over. Goodbyes are said with hugs and aloha. No promises made, no commitments to be honored, no follow-up calendared (unless it’s for a party somewhere) —you just go merrily on your way again as carefree as a mynah bird.

Talking story happens in the workplace too; there it’s kind of a warm-up exercise that opens people up for when they need to roll up their sleeves and get into more serious matters. However you don’t get into those serious matters of work that will surely mix personal and professional into a people-pungent stew-and-rice mixed plate (come on now, it’s to be expected after all), unless you have a talking story relationship with all those people first, one that has been built on aloha.

Then there is the talking story of community, which is kind of an ebb and flow of everything, depending on what kind of neighborhood or community it is… sort of like JJL: Lots of ebbing and flowing (and honking), lots of talking story, lots of aloha-built relationships, lots of people passing on virtual “streets” we call comment conversations, and now, voice threads!

So what were we talking about? (You tend to lose your place a lot in talking story and just keep going…) Oh yeah, Twitter!

About a week before April started I began to deliberate in earnest about our JJL theme-to-come of digital learning, wondering what I’d write about when it came to be my turn to pitch in for the month. There are several digital tools I use on a regular basis (truth is, I am geeking out more and more these days), but I wanted to really concentrate on the learning part over and above the digital part, so I wondered what I could jump into that would be new for me: What could I share with you having just a mere beginning of some learning?

I was ripe for the Twitter-picking

I was in the mood for some experimenting.

That might have been part of the reason, but in every talk story I’m likely to have about it, I will probably blame my Twitter leap on my friend Todd Storch (and thinking of Todd always brings such great stories to mind for me). Todd and I had become blog-buddies, and when he stopped blogging I made sure I always reached out to him one sure-fire way: on his birthday. (I like celebrating birthdays.) Todd would answer my email, and I’d look at his signature in the hope he’d fired up his blog again. This year, there was only one line under his name, and it said:

Follow me at Twitter: http://twitter.com/ktoddstorch

I sent my first tweet as his birthday present. Now my Twitter anniversary will be the same day as Todd’s birthday; March 28th.

So here I am, about two weeks and 120 tweets later. You’ll find blog posts all over the place by people more articulate about it than I am as to the reasons why. I’ve already told you my biggest reason; it’s like a global version of talking story, and I LOVE talking story.

I think Twitter is one of those things you have to jump in and just try to “get it.” So, to follow Todd’s lead…

Follow me at Twitter: http://twitter.com/rosasay

Try it: Just like we’ve been trying the Voice Thread with Joanna.

Here’s the JJL Twitter Soiree part

If you’re around, let’s have a JJL Twitter Soiree this weekend! Go to http://twitter.com and set up your account – it’s easy, and you JJLers are smart!

Jump in and tweet a message, and get a bunch of us JJLers to follow you: We’ll talk story.

“Following” is a way of connecting up; if you are not yet on Twitter you might be familiar with following from Tumblr or another micro-blogging lifestream app (I LOVE my tumblr… another talk story another day). The whole concept of following people with these newer social media apps is fascinating to me, and I wish there was a way to add following to all of my blogs too (not just Twitter folk, but ALL readers): Any true techie out there know if it can be done? Leah? Adam?
 

Your friends follow you —“friends” being people you know— but readers you don’t yet know follow you too; the way I look at it, it takes blog-lurking to a higher place. Followers you don’t personally know yet are kind of telling you “I’m lurking, but since it is so one-click easy to tell you I’m lurking, I will… I don’t even mind that you’ll be able to see my avatar and short bio stuff too.”

But again, to tweet, is to talk story! When you tweet, you are saying, “Hey there! I have a minute to talk story: Do you?”

If I am not yet following you on Twitter, as one of your tweets (your update-messages), type this in so I can find you there, and will know you’ve decided to JJL Soiree too:

Aloha! A JJL tweet to @rosasay, @________________
fill in the blank using as many other JJLer addresses as you can fit into those first 140 characters.

I was not the earliest adopter! To find more JJL Twitterers, just move your curser over the avatars you will see on my page – you will recognize the names and faces.

If you are already there and I have missed you, tweet me! Let’s talk story.

Just one thing: This will post when I'm asleep as so many of you start your day in earlier time zones than I do, but not to worry, I'll catch up with you in the morning.

And I am sure the other JJLers will be welcoming you too... there are some things I am pretty sure of :)

As Karen said, we Reach out and touch somebody... learning the high-touch way

As Steve said,

“JJL is a glorious place for making connections! One of the best tools anyone can get for free!”

Twitter (In Plain English) from The Common Craft Show.
Love how Lee LeFever does these: Less than 3 minutes to watch it.

If you have more Twitter tips for all of us, add them to the comments (told you I am just a two-week tweeter too), or give us your own Follow me at Twitter message!

Why are you tweeting, hmm?

---

Post author Rosa Say is the author of Managing with Aloha, Bringing Hawaii's Universal Values to the Art of Business, and she currently writes for Managing with Aloha Coaching, Value your Month, Value your Life.

For all of Rosa's writing aggregated in just one place, visit her Tumblr, Ho‘ohana Aloha.

This picture is the avatar you will find for Rosa on Twitter. Tweet to you soon!

Comments

[Joanna Young]

Hi Rosa, what a great idea to connect us up like this.

I have a feeling there's ways to use Twitter for groups or group interests (something to do with hash tags? but beyond my knowledge or understanding)which it might be interesting to explore.

One thing, if people respond to you with @rosasay in the middle rather than the beginning it won't show up in your replies... unless you're tracking with something like tweetscan?

As you know I'm a Twitter fan (though I have days where I have to go quiet and leave it). You can find me at
http://twitter.com/joannayoung

As for Twitter and talking story - that's one of the best descriptions I've read of what Twitter is 'like' and why it's so much fun

Joanna

[Tim Draayer]

Hey Rosa, this is a great idea and look forward to talking story with everyone.

I've also come to realize just how small our digital world really is. Terry Storch and Todd were two people I'd been following since day one. From the time I'd begun investigating blogging to now, almost 2 years later.

Good to see I'm not the only one getting hooked on tweets. Glad we connected there as well and I can be found at http://www.twitter.com/tldtim.

This month's digital learning focus has been great. Looking forward to the rest of the month!

Tim

[Rosa Say]

Good morning Joanna and Tim! You both give me such a fabulous example of what Twitter can do in extending -or starting!- blog conversations, for you two were the last ones I tweeted with before calling it a night yesterday - and now here you are, waiting for me to wake up! Thank you for sharing your follow links.

Joanna, I think it is the "fun" aspect which so pleasantly surprised me most of all there (though now that I think about it, I'm not sure why I was surprised). As with most everything there is a learning curve, but easy to get started, and a great place to learn along with everyone else and not take it as seriously as a blog post. Mahalo for the heads up about the @'s in the middle.

Tim, I am not surprised that Todd and Terry were in your blog history too, for they do have that magnetic charm about them - as do you my friend! True what you say though: I too wonder about the smallness of community feeling that the expansively huge internet can have.

[Rosa Say]

Chris Brogan has a posting up today called "What do Avatars Mean to Us" that is pretty interesting: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/what-do-avatars-mean-to-us/

I think it is timely for us here at JJL since we are seeing some new avatars pop up both on Twitter and on Joanna's Voice thread for us.

Within the comments there, people speak of branding, identity, and even recognizing people offline, and there is a comment about the different way avatars get used on Twitter to be part of the current conversation (which Chris Brogan is great at.)

[Todd Storch]

@rosasay ...oops, I mean Rosa!

So good to see that simple nudges and tweet talk can move you! I'm honored to be your friend and look forward to more and more tweets!

Todd

[Rosa Say]

You are such a joy Todd :) And thank you for leaving your link back to Business Thoughts for us; can't believe I forgot to include it here (will fix that up now)! You have gold in those archives, much of it so revealing of the beautiful history in our Ho‘ohana Community. Texas Aloha in a big, big way.

[Joanna Young]

That's very funny Todd :-)

You know I too find myself thinking of some of my friends as @amy or @chris... I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing!

@JoannaYoung :-)

[Rosa Say]

It is funny how your context changes... I am learning to assume nothing and reserve all quick judgments online because conventions and language change so quickly.

I remember Bren Connelly trying to explain to me why I didn't have to start every one of my comments with Aloha (like a Dear________,) and signing my name to them as the redundancy to the link, but back then not doing so seemed so rude to me (and I still can't break the habit). Bless his heart, Bren so sincerely wanted to help me be more "with it."

When I first saw the @'s appearing in blog comment boxes I thought it was so strange -only now do I realize it was completely pre-Twitter for me.

[Karen Wallace]

Lightbulb moment here, Rosa. I never 'twigged' about the @ symbol .. just thought I'd missed something in translation. Now we know.

I have been twittering for less than a week - so am on a steep learning curve, especially since it's been school holidays here and I have had days where I have been totally off the radar. But I can already see how much fun this can be, and how good for making me be concise.

You can find me at http://twitter.com/karenwallace

[Angela Maiers]

Rosa, as a new "Twitter'er" myself- I can so relate to this post. I tried it reluctantly, thinking that it was going to be just another online tool, that I will never be able to keep up with(I am "geeking" out more and more lately!)! Now, on my three week, Twitterversary, I can not imagine a day without it. What an amazing and easy way to make connections. Whether it is a quick, hello, or a deeper story connection, I see it adding an entirely new dimension to our ability to connect with one another in both personal and professional ways!

[Rosa Say]

Ok Karen, "twigged" ??? That's a new one! You will have to explain :)

And Karen, steep learning curves don't seem to be much of a hurdle for you - last night I noticed you now have a Voice Thread up on the Calm Space. Did you make that photo collage with Picasa?

Angela, I can't believe you've only been Twittering a week longer than I have! I honestly have been reading your tweets carefully hoping to learn from you. You are a teacher through and through, even when you are not trying to be :)

I am with you on the ease of making connections on Twitter, whether as new friendships or to more fully appreciate the ones you have had. I am really loving the real-time chat there as opposed to all I did before in my GMail chat. There is a time for each (private versus shared) and it has been great having the choice in the week - love it.

[Karen Wallace]

Rosa that's the first time I have had someone pull me up for an Aussie-ism they didn't know! Twigged means to catch on or 'get it' - a realisation or little aha moment.

And yes, I am loving Voicethread. It's been a wonderful journey making my first, but I feel it will be the first of many. Yes, I made the photo collage with Picasa - it was so easy!

[Steve Sherlock]

Twitter is fun when it is available unfortunately I get blocked while at work (not that I'd have much time to do so other than between bites at lunch).

If you were hesitant to tackle haiku, you are getting plenty of practice focusing your thoughts and reducing them to be expressed in only 140 characters.

Haiku is 17 syllables, sherku 19 and both can easily be done within the 140 character limit so you are already there!

While trying something new this April, give a poem/tweet a try. It is National Poetry Month!

sherku: defined

focus your writing, say it
all concentrated in just
nineteen syllables

http://quietpoet.blogspot.com/2008/02/sherku-defined.html

honk, no, 'scuse me, it shoud be -> tweet! tweet!

[Karen Swim]

Aloha Rosa! One of the things I loved about Hawaii is the Aloha spirit. I also now have a name for what I've been doing for a lifetime - talking story! You are such a joy Rosa and I am looking forward to tweeting and getting to know community members here too. Mahalo!

Karen