NOT EVERYTHING THAT 'TWITTERS' IS GOLD!

So before I joined www.twitter.com, I was highly skeptical about the continuous Facebook status update. But after joining I would soon learn that this was no Facebook. This was purely its own monster!

From the actual website is the following:

WHAT?

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

WHY?

Because even basic updates are meaningful to family members, friends, or colleagues—especially when they’re timely.

• Eating soup? Research shows that moms want to know.
• Running late to a meeting? Your co–workers might find that useful.
• Partying? Your friends may want to join you.

HOW?

With Twitter, you can stay hyper–connected to your friends and always know what they’re doing. Or, you can stop following them any time. You can even set quiet times on Twitter so you’re not interrupted.

Twitter puts you in control and becomes a modern antidote to information overload.

So twitter allows you 140 characters to let people know what you are doing. Again at first you think "absolute foolishness!", because if I have more to say I can just send an email, or a Facebook message even, since Facebook seems to have replaced email anyway.

But forget only friends and family, when i can follow John Mayer, Tony Matterhorn, and famous producers, actors/actresses, models, and don't forget news networks. So twitter can be an educational experience, knowing what is going on in the world as it happens, to giving you extreme insight into the personalities and thought processes of the ones you adore and admire. You actually become their FOLLOWER...interesting.

Turns out Twitter is an excellent promotional tool, and is a great idea for anyone in any form of business that needs to reach a large audience, especially when reminding them of upcoming events etc.

This blog touches on the fact that not everything that 'twitters' is gold, and some of this is based on the experiences of many in twitterland (Sources shall remain unnamed).

The dull side of twitter includes:

1. TRY TALKING TO YOUR FAVE CELEB: You can follow the entertainers that you idolize, but like in the real world, you don't know them, so they never talk to you when you speak to them. This technically is ok, because on a regular day i guess you don't talk to people you don't know, but when you feel connected to them, especially as their FOLLOWER, you would hope that maybe once they would respond.

2. CELEB CROSS TALK: This is further amplified by the fact that the entertainers talk amongst themselves, and actually cross talk around you. Now this can sometimes be very annoying. You can't even slip a word in. Again you don't know them, so why should you care to get involved. Thing is normally when you are talking to someone else, you don't have 1500 people FOLLOWING the juicy INSIDE conversation. It tickles me in the weirdest way, and I think it is almost equivalent to WHISPERING IN PUBLIC...it's just rude! So maybe the tweet guidelines should say "Only tweet about things people can figure out".

3. OVER-TWEETING: The aim of a 140 character tweet is to say something concise, succinct...ahhm to the point maybe...ahhm "scratching my butt", "taking a pee" BUT oh no, some insist in sending 5 to 6 sequential tweets. So maybe you need to revisit Facebook, hotmail, gmail etc, because this really wasn't the intention of Twitter. A few tweets throughout the day is cool, but a page of tweets within 5 minutes is totally uncool. Control yourselves.

4. LOSING FANS: So you think twitter is sooo cool some of you celebs, but what you don't realize is that some of you are compulsive and have zero control, so you don't even know when to shut your big mouths and just keep it to a minimum. Suddenly the cool star you were to me is no longer, as you really aren't that cool in twitterland. Some of you need to consult your managers before you tweet dammit...that is if it isn't your manager that is tweeting for you, then you need to check them, cause they may be ruining your career.

5. IT HAS IT'S OWN LANGUAGE: So a when you send someone a message you send a TWEET not a TWIT. The past tense of TWEET is TWITTERED not TWITTED. The list goes on. Maybe this is funny to me cuz I pay attention to small details, but if you're gonna be a twit-whore then learn the language and be fluent in it.

6. HAVEN'T WE TWITTERED BEFORE? So if i know you and I sent you a direct tweet that you haven't responded to, don't be sending 50 million regular tweets, cuz clearly you are ignoring me cuz I know you are online. Arrrrrrrrrrrgh. That really annoys me. It's like saying you're at home on your pc tho that last message was sent from your mobile phone. It is deceptive. If you have time to be sending your page of tweets than respond to my damn message dammit.

I could go on even more. With all this said I must say I love twitter as a promotional tool, and I would encourage persons with any current business sense to definitely get a twitter account, but this note is really here to warn you about how you use all the fun things available to you on the net, like twitter, Facebook notes : ) and blogs.

NONE OF THE ABOVE MATERIAL WAS DIRECTED AT ANY ONE IN PARTICULAR BUT AGAIN ARE THE EXPERIENCES OF MANY I KNOW. THE BLOG IS WRITTEN IN PURE FUN AND JOY OF SELF-EXPRESSION. KEEP ON TWITTING I MEAN TWEETING!

THE CONTOURS OF LIFE

Life is a funny lickle ting. It always surprised me sometimes that the most stable-appearing of persons are just the ones that commit suicide. Don't worry, this is no suicide note. It is just a reflection on the contours of life. The happy days versus the sad days, and why they happen. Truth is I don't know why they happen, I only presume it is to make us stronger individuals, but what if you're just not strong enough.

I just witnessed this on Making Da Band 4. May seem lame that I watch that show, but it is really entertaining for me, probably because of my involvement in entertainment. The group almost self-destructed because of one member who at the time wasn't strong enough. he was at a point in his journey where he couldn't justify things anymore. He had no grounding. No support. Well he felt he had no support. That was probably the most important point at the end of the day, was that he perceived that there was no one listening, and that no one understood or really even cared.

I'm really in one of those slumps right now. I am probably one of the happiest persons around according to many, but right now I'm in physical pain, emotional pain, and maybe even other types of pain. Definitely nothing I would want to share with an online audience because there are lines we don't cross online. The only difference is that I think I am strong enough. Right now not as strong as I usually am, but I have faith. And when everything else around you breaks down, God never fails. I've never been uber-religious, but I do believe in a higher power, and I allow it to guide me. In Making Da band when they resolved their differences, they prayed, and then I remembered where to seek my refuge. I also remembered that there are millions worse off than me.

Right now, my physical pain seems to be resolving, but my emotions are healing again. I think I'm just tired of an unfamiliar environment. I'm tired of being misunderstood. And it's hard to be misunderstood and not have a voice to defend or explain yourself. I don' t even think I need to explain anything to anyone quite frankly, which makes this journey that much more difficult.

I'm sorry I took so much of your time on this pointless rant. But blogging for me is therapeutic. It gives insight that sometimes you can't even put into words. All I know is that I am really yearning to be with those that provide the right type of stability for me, and I need them ASAP.

Blessed love, and I will try and be strong until next time!

PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE

4.1.09

I just saw one of the best live shows I've seen in a while, and it was well worth my money.  As a performer it showed me where I need to be and just how much work I need to do to get there.  So many elements that need to be fulfilled - image, vocal precision and ability, crowd interaction, band interaction, a natural humility but an inbuilt confidence.  It was truly inspiring!

So you figure I would be on cloud nine with all this inspiration pouring down on me, but I couldn't help but feel insecure and somewhat inadequate at the same time.  You know seh if yu waan tun performer yu skin haffi thick thick, but I never grew up with thick skin to be honest with you.  My skin became thick with the experiences and the judgement of life, and also with getting older, so sometimes I still have my moments of hypersensitivity, when everything means more than it needs to...or does it actually mean what it is?

To preface my psychological warfare, I have to give you my background.  Growing up I wouldn't say I had a life that was hard, but it was by no means as candy coated as people imagine based on how my life appears now.  To cut a long story really short, I was fortunate to be exposed to many more things than people perceive, including teasing and ridicule.  In my opinion that has put a lot of colours in my personality.  What that translates to in real life is "OMG did Mario just say that?!" or "Is Mario dat?" or "Mario didn't start behaving like that until he started hanging out with X" or "Why would Mario go tek up himself an do dat?!".  A life plagued by judgement based on complexion, perceived social background and upbringing, and of course profession, amongst other things.  What can I say...I guess it is what it is, but I can't help but feel that I am often unfairly judged.  At times it's ok, and I can brush it off, but at other times it's just downright annoying.  If i do a dance, for some it is means for chuckling, as if I would 1. be unaware of such a move, or 2. look so odd doing it that it is amusing.  I am just tired of people projecting their insecurities onto me and then making me feel uncomfortable.  Don't feel you need to baby me because YOU think I'm an uptown yute who cyaan climb or cyaan dance or cyaan be a musician or cyaan talk patois, or neva tek a bus or wouldn't know roots reggae.  These are none of my issues, as I know I've don't all of these things, and maybe more than you would imagine.  What really bugs me is dat I allow YOU people to cause me to second guess myself sometimes, when I am fully aware of my level of exposure.

So now as I talk to myself openly I will say...STAY FOCUSED BECAUSE ONLY I KNOW WHAT I AM CAPABLE OF AND CAN ACHIEVE.  I really don't need people making me feel inadequate or insufficient or lesser than anything.  Less Jamaican, less black, less authentic, less connected.  Dear friends i ask you to try your best to embrace people for who they are and not what you want them to be.  Deal with your demons and don't project them unto others.  I've had enough years of the crap being thrown at me.  I'm really tired of doing you and me.  I just really need to do me.  I don't care how you feel about my hair or anything else you feel so strongly that I shouldn't do.  I know exactly why i'm doing what i'm doing and I have no problems with it...maybe you should try to not have a problem too.

In conclusion, I will be better in the morning.  I'm just a little annoyed with the world right now.  Stay focused and don't ever let anyone lead you off of your path!!! Bless.