Friday 24 February 2012

Wee Tweety?

Good evening,

    sitting here ruing a lack of necessary funds to go out on a Friday night, I found myself doing a bit of unrewarding pub research, and looking at a few beer blogs. After a comment I made on a post about Public Relations, bloggers and blog types, (see P.R, and the lesser spotted blogger by Boak and Bailey ) they asked me if I was on Twitter.

As if to validate my claim that I am always last man to arrive in discussions, I contrived to miss this question, since I don't always remember to check up to see if anything I write generates a response. So how I am unsure of how best to give my answer.

Granted, I could reply to their comment, but in the uber fast world of beer blogging, that post is nearly 3 days old man! Its so last Wednesday! And since I fail to monitor my comments based on them being somewhat thin on the ground, I have to assume that they follow the same approach (but for radically opposite reasons)

Despite this I mulled over the phrasing of a response, and , having considered my never to be given answer I realised that there was a certain contradiction at work. My reason for not going on Twitter is a refusal to have to communicate in precisely the type of short, punchy style that makes B+B a good read*.

For the record my Twitter-unsuited answer would be:

" No, sorry, I am not on Twitter, because I would be sent daft trying to get my comments within the character limit. Besides, I enjoy the freedom to indulge in the type of reckless outpourings of slightly supercilious over-detailed reportage that my blog affords me. And whilst I crave interaction, I can't bear to suggest a theory or even pose a question without first dissecting it and then repeating it smothered in a cloying blanket of caveats, justifications and example similarities, which, is a self defeating strategy, as it then makes it much harder for people to comment on said idea"

Now compare the above outlook with a quote I read on a website that made me think I ought to have a look at B+B's blog (alas I can't recall the name of the site I read it on or the exact wording, so have recolluggested the content for your convenience) :

(unq) Boak and Bailey don't say very much but you can't help wanting to read them (unq)

So, I refuse to sign up to Twitter, yet a few lessons in editing or carefully selecting the most concise yet interesting ways of communicating ideas might make my blog more accessible. How we are mocked by the extent to which we understand ourselves, readers.

Wee Beefy

Example caveat 1 :
*(am not comparing their output to some of the text speak and dumbglish shorthand that I understand Twitter is famed for, rather the knack you would have to have to get across what you were saying well, but in the shortest possible way)

7 comments:

  1. Agree entirely, I go on twitter, reyt frustrating when you run out of space, and it gets eaten up so quickly, nb when on a rant!
    Always enjoy reading your ramblings, Beefy, and love going on myself, obviously ;-)
    Visityed Lewes, East Sussex, the other day, some crackin' pubs there, worth the visit, indeed...

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    1. Haven't been to Lewes this century alas. Last time I was in the Snowdrop they were selling mainly Brewery on Sea beers I recall. Also got to the Gardeners(?) I think. Am a little envious of your proximity to so many great pubs! Although am not exactly starved up here in Sheff. Thanks for taking the time to comment as always.

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  2. Always relieved to find out I'm not a robot... I'm not a number either, I'm a free man, maybe.

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    1. Steve, I always new you wanted to make it clear you weren't a robot. I admit your output at work fuelled many a rumour in terms of your amazing output but I took no heed. I also kind of suspected you'd be on Twitter. And I don't really know what I mean by that.

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    2. Tut at mi sen. Two "outputs" in one sentence and a typo, very sloppy. You cna tell I have a certain Sunday event on my mind. And I love the timings on the comments - me, post a comment on a Saturday at 08.00AM? What?

      I'll never understand why am set to GMT on the blog but the comments aren't.....

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  3. Beefy -- we read all the comments we get and try to respond to most of them, if it makes sense to do so.

    We only joined Twitter last year after holding out for ages. It's a good addition to the blog rather than replacing it. If nothing else, it means we find out when other bloggers have posted, and gives us chance to let them know what we're writing about.

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    1. Bailey, that's an interestining point. I refused to even think about Twitter for the same reason I avoided Facetube - I just didn't want to do what everyone else was doing. I apologised to everyone I knew when I joined that.

      I like the idea of knowing when bloggers post - myself and Steve above are on Facetube so we can find out about each others scribbling from that. I use my Blog list on here to catch up once a day on other posts, and it does provide inspiration for a post sometimes (I always link though).

      Were there a Twitter beerosphere (groan) it may be advantageous, although I would still only get online once a day.. WB

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