Anatomy Of A TweetUp

Nearly the entirety of my night last night was consumed by the monthly Atlanta TweetUp. Because of this I am going to do something a little different today.

What It Is, And What It Shall Be
Before dipping our toes into the TweetUp pool, I should probably describe Twitter first.

Twitter is known as a micro-blog. You create an account and post “tweets” which are no longer than 140 characters. Twitter provides you the opportunity to “follow” other Twitter users so that you can read their tweets, and conversely other Twitter users can “follow” you. Twitter also provides direct messaging capabilities to those who follow one another. Perhaps Twitters strongest lure is that tweets can be posted and read via Twitter’s website, any number of dedicated Twitter clients, or through text messaging.

But why? I don’t know other than to say that it’s fun. When you create a list of active tweeters it’s like an enormous stream of consciousness. It can be fast, furious, frustrating, and rewarding all at once. Want to guess where I first heard about yesterday’s plane crash into Hudson Bay?

I never expected to like and faithfully use Twitter, but by now you should know that I’ve finished my entire glass of Twitter’s Kool-Aid. My Twitter account is InsidePerimeter (note there is a fifteen character limit on user names, hence the shortening of my standard user name).

ITP Flickr Pic
One more from last weekend’s trip to the museum.

I’m learning that one can let the mind fill in the missing pieces. There’s something very awe inspiring about that capability of the mind.

Great, I Understand Twitter. What’s A TweetUp?
While not the first to initiate the concept, Maigh and Tessa decided it was time to put real faces to digital thoughts. What better way to do it than to involve alcohol? It was with that notion that the Atlanta TweetUp was born.

Each month a date and a bar (hopefully one with ample parking) are chosen and it is on. Consider a TweetUp a happy hour amongst nerds. What’s really odd? It’s not only eyeglass-wearing nerdy dudes that attend (I was seated next to an amazingly beautiful young lady last night). Atlanta’s TweetUps have become quite popular; I don’t know the number of attendees last night but Maigh has posted three pages worth of sign-ins into her Flickr Photostream.

The Aftermath: So It’s Just A Happy Hour?
Both yes and no.

Atlanta TweetUps are great for meeting people. Unlike other social gatherings TweetUps provide the ability to keep in touch with people after the event, without the awkwardness of other social gatherings (ie asking for email addresses or phone numbers). With the exception of Mr. Biggs (you’ll have to listen to the latest “Ask Mr. Biggs” podcast to understand that reference) Twitterers understand that they are broadcasting their lives to the world when they tweet and because of this there is an unnatural confidence, connection, and happiness between those who finally meet in real life.

Don’t Shoot The Messenger
I know a lot of you will never “get” Twitter, have no desire to create a Twitter account, and don’t need another excuse to meet up with people. It’s alright. To each his/her own. C’est la vie. Whatever.

Have an awesome weekend all. I know that I shall.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – I understand my station in the dating world and hate it
Current Music – listening to Six Organs Of Admittances CD “Shelter From The Ash”
Website Of The Day – Twitter (duuuuh)
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 3 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 16 (16)
Vegetarian Days – 3
Carnivorous Days – 12
Marta Rides – 0

January Goals
– Complete all necessary work on the dining room (not going to lie, I picked an easy room first)
– Lose no fewer than two pounds
– Run no fewer than 50 miles
– Completely read Softbox Lighting Techniques for Professional Photographers, Conceptual Blockbusting: A Guide to Better Ideas, and How to Be Happy, Dammit: A Cynic’s Guide to Spiritual Happiness

2009 Goals
– Reduce my weight to 190 pounds (today’s weight was 199.5 pounds)
– Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
РEarn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalape̱o Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Attend at least one professional photography workshop

The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C (iPhone development) and Ruby on Rails (Black Sheep web page concept)
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]