Happy Thursday LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:
Yesterday's post "I Am Not An Urban Drug Lord" received so many hits within the first day. Evidently a lot of people were interested on my not being an urban drug lord. So if you were one of those readers, thank you!
And if you did not read my previous post, here's the link - I'll wait while you read it. Go ahead. Waiting patiently …
Since I deactivated my Facebook profile, I definitely have increased my Tweeting. The social media addiction just changed "drug of choice" but is still present!
No offense nor disrespect to any of my friends (or frenemies), but I was surprised that I received more negativity from people I knew on Facebook versus strangers on Twitter. I thought it would be the reverse!
However I am sure if I tweeted about really controversial topics, I would get insulted by the populace. Most of my tweets are to either 1) promote this blog or 2) make snarky comments about television shows (mostly the Real Housewives franchise on Bravo TV.) In fact the only annoying/personally negative tweet I can remember receiving recently was from someone I know, not a stranger.
Of course Twitter is not some magical candy land. Every now and again I get overly flirty direct messages on Twitter, usually from middle aged married men or single 18 year old men. (No, I don't want to see naked pictures from either group! Thanks for offering - but no thanks!) But I think that's pretty typical of most parts of the internet. There are more Anthony Weiner (a.k.a. Carlos Danger)-style behavior on the internet than we may wish to believe. There's also the occasional offer of drugs - does my Twitter account throw off a stoner vibe? (If you read yesterday's blog post, that might explain it!) Thanks but again, no thanks!
I have to say though that the majority of people who follow my Twitter account and Tweet me seem like pretty normal human beings. Some are local to Tampa Bay or Florida, some are on the other side of the world. It reminds me the adage that we are usually more alike than we are different.
For example, I tweet with a guy who works in advertising in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Before 2011, I would have thought I'd have zero in common with someone on the other side of the world. But then I worked in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
Some of my Twitter followers coincidentally went to the same undergrad college that I did - although I never knew them when I attended school. Some have similar strengths and weaknesses as I believe I do - and that makes for interesting conversations (in 140 characters and under).
Being on Twitter and reading the random thoughts/Tweets of a subsection of people around the world also reminds me of how many people are hurting or are in times of crisis. If you think about how many random people you interact with in a given week, even if 5% of them are in crisis - that's still probably a fairly large amount of people. I try to focus on this and be compassionate to all who I meet. But if you piss me off, I tend to throw compassion out the window. (Sigh - maybe tomorrow I will be perfect, but not today!)
I read an interview with the smolderingly good-looking Ian Somerhalder in Watch! Magazine. He gave a quote I think that applies well here:
"The world has been a really cool classroom that we're all in together, sort of bouncing around, learning, failing often, and passing sometimes. And just like in school, the kids who are nice make the experience a lot better. The kids who are bullies and assholes make the experience not as wonderful. The thing we're lacking most in the world, and yet what everyone wishes for, is compassion."
Side Note: To all the Tweens who Googled "Ian Somerhalder," found this blog post and are now upset that they have taken moments of their young, vital lives to read a blog from some "elderly" woman in Florida … here's some Ian pictures to justify your time. Yes girls and gay boys, I was less than 4 feet away from your precious Ian Somerhalder - the perks of being old with a middle-class income and an open travel schedule. Envy me!
OK now that the tweens have left my page, let's get back to my story … So I tweet and ...
One of the people I tweet with every now and again is a woman in Southern Florida. We watch the same Bravo TV shows and every once in awhile we exchange a snarky tweet about the so-called "reality shows." A random occurrence that makes me laugh. Yet this Twitter follower is also a mother who lost her son to a drug overdose, after years of addiction, last December.
She has a blog and after many false starts, has now published a post about the experience. She pairs the talk of the tragedy with a seemingly random event that occurred recently. It reminded me that the Universe is always sending us messages.
While sad, I was glad I read the blog post. If you are interested, I hope you will read it as well.
I am going to try to remember more often that so many people in the world are hurting. To turn up my level of compassion, as it were. Even if we don't know of someone's pain, we should treat people with care. We may not be able to make them feel better, but we should try not to make them feel worse.
(And if a certain "Skimmer" I know reads this particular blog post, he is going to scream that I stole that line from a conversation we had recently. But I am hoping that [counting on] his speed-reading skimming skills will bounce over this paragraph if he happens to be reading my blog. Heh heh heh.)
Have a great Thursday - the weekend is almost here!
P.S. I actually wrote this post before Thursday (gasp!) Since then I have watched a huge Twitter battle going on between Bravo TV "reality" show Real Housewives of New York fans who are "Team Carole" (Carole Radziwell) and I guess "Team Not Carole."
Random "Team Carole" fans have been tweeting personal attacks at a woman who tweeted a critical comment about Carole. Then the Real Housewife of New York "star" tweeted back that the Twitterer (Tweeter?) was "disgusting." Then all hell broke loose with Team Carole fans going to town on this one Bravo TV viewer.
I did not find the original tweet so inflammatory as to deserve a reign of holy terror - "Team Carole" fans were calling the Original Tweeter filth, saying she has AIDS (excuse me?) … just ridiculousness -- all over a TV SHOW. Can't people debate views without having to stoop to personal attacks?
And more importantly (to me!), I had just written a blog post where I said I had a much better experience on Twitter than Facebook! People, don't turn me into a liar!
To be fair, I still believe my experience on Twitter is better than my experiences on Facebook. I stopped watching "Real Housewives of New York" two seasons ago, so I don't have a dog in the "Team Carole" vs. "Team Not Carole" fight. But I do occasionally "live Tweet" other Bravo TV shows, as my numerous "appearances" on the social editions of the episodes will attest. So I feel some empathy for "The Original Tweeter" because I feel a little "there but for the grace of God, go I … " I could easily have been in her place - making a biting comment on Twitter about a TV show and having a personal attack backlash from other TV show fans.
Hello juvenile waste of time and what a ridiculous swelling of anger over NOTHING!
I could go on for several paragraphs about the nature of reality TV celebrity and do these "reality stars" sign up to be analyzed (and usually bashed) by the media and in social media in exchange for a pay check? But yawn, do I really need to do that?
I definitely understand the precaution that you shouldn't say anything on social media that you wouldn't say to the person's face … but when it comes to entertainment, what is acceptable and what is bad form? I think we view reality TV like any other form of TV and so therefore are its "stars" deserving compassion from the viewer? (Or respect even?)
Just as I might comment on a character's actions on "The Walking Dead," I feel the same sort of critical review of other shows- including reality shows. But tweeting to the world that a move a fictional character made was boneheaded is quite different than saying it about a reality "star." And yet, many reality TV viewers generally do not make the distinction. Or at least I know, I personally have not made that distinction as much as I probably should if I wanted to be a good steward of society. (Wait, do I want to be seen as that?)
Anyway, I'm now pissed at people I don't know on Twitter for ruining my whole "everything is great on Twitter" thing that I was trying to broadcast. And isn't being mad at strangers what Twitter is all about?
(Ha ha - kidding, I'm not mad about it - just thought it was weird timing that this big, sad, personal attack Twitter war occurred between Bravo TV fans [not me!] right after I wrote a post about how much I enjoy engaging with people on Twitter. I still enjoy Twitter … but the universe may be using the vilification of another Twitter user as a reminder to the rest of the Twittersphere to think twice about anything we put out there in social media. Which is honestly, probably extremely good advice. The Universe is always talking - we need to choose when to listen.)
And on that note … once more I wish you a very Happy Thursday!
Yesterday's post "I Am Not An Urban Drug Lord" received so many hits within the first day. Evidently a lot of people were interested on my not being an urban drug lord. So if you were one of those readers, thank you!
And if you did not read my previous post, here's the link - I'll wait while you read it. Go ahead. Waiting patiently …
Since I deactivated my Facebook profile, I definitely have increased my Tweeting. The social media addiction just changed "drug of choice" but is still present!
No offense nor disrespect to any of my friends (or frenemies), but I was surprised that I received more negativity from people I knew on Facebook versus strangers on Twitter. I thought it would be the reverse!
However I am sure if I tweeted about really controversial topics, I would get insulted by the populace. Most of my tweets are to either 1) promote this blog or 2) make snarky comments about television shows (mostly the Real Housewives franchise on Bravo TV.) In fact the only annoying/personally negative tweet I can remember receiving recently was from someone I know, not a stranger.
Of course Twitter is not some magical candy land. Every now and again I get overly flirty direct messages on Twitter, usually from middle aged married men or single 18 year old men. (No, I don't want to see naked pictures from either group! Thanks for offering - but no thanks!) But I think that's pretty typical of most parts of the internet. There are more Anthony Weiner (a.k.a. Carlos Danger)-style behavior on the internet than we may wish to believe. There's also the occasional offer of drugs - does my Twitter account throw off a stoner vibe? (If you read yesterday's blog post, that might explain it!) Thanks but again, no thanks!
I have to say though that the majority of people who follow my Twitter account and Tweet me seem like pretty normal human beings. Some are local to Tampa Bay or Florida, some are on the other side of the world. It reminds me the adage that we are usually more alike than we are different.
For example, I tweet with a guy who works in advertising in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Before 2011, I would have thought I'd have zero in common with someone on the other side of the world. But then I worked in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
Some of my Twitter followers coincidentally went to the same undergrad college that I did - although I never knew them when I attended school. Some have similar strengths and weaknesses as I believe I do - and that makes for interesting conversations (in 140 characters and under).
Being on Twitter and reading the random thoughts/Tweets of a subsection of people around the world also reminds me of how many people are hurting or are in times of crisis. If you think about how many random people you interact with in a given week, even if 5% of them are in crisis - that's still probably a fairly large amount of people. I try to focus on this and be compassionate to all who I meet. But if you piss me off, I tend to throw compassion out the window. (Sigh - maybe tomorrow I will be perfect, but not today!)
I read an interview with the smolderingly good-looking Ian Somerhalder in Watch! Magazine. He gave a quote I think that applies well here:
"The world has been a really cool classroom that we're all in together, sort of bouncing around, learning, failing often, and passing sometimes. And just like in school, the kids who are nice make the experience a lot better. The kids who are bullies and assholes make the experience not as wonderful. The thing we're lacking most in the world, and yet what everyone wishes for, is compassion."
Side Note: To all the Tweens who Googled "Ian Somerhalder," found this blog post and are now upset that they have taken moments of their young, vital lives to read a blog from some "elderly" woman in Florida … here's some Ian pictures to justify your time. Yes girls and gay boys, I was less than 4 feet away from your precious Ian Somerhalder - the perks of being old with a middle-class income and an open travel schedule. Envy me!
 |
| Ian Somerhalder - Dolby Theatre - PaleyFest - Lost 10 Year Anniversary Reunion |
 |
| I took this picture more to show Maggie Grace's rocking stilettos! |
OK now that the tweens have left my page, let's get back to my story … So I tweet and ...
One of the people I tweet with every now and again is a woman in Southern Florida. We watch the same Bravo TV shows and every once in awhile we exchange a snarky tweet about the so-called "reality shows." A random occurrence that makes me laugh. Yet this Twitter follower is also a mother who lost her son to a drug overdose, after years of addiction, last December.
She has a blog and after many false starts, has now published a post about the experience. She pairs the talk of the tragedy with a seemingly random event that occurred recently. It reminded me that the Universe is always sending us messages.
While sad, I was glad I read the blog post. If you are interested, I hope you will read it as well.
I am going to try to remember more often that so many people in the world are hurting. To turn up my level of compassion, as it were. Even if we don't know of someone's pain, we should treat people with care. We may not be able to make them feel better, but we should try not to make them feel worse.
(And if a certain "Skimmer" I know reads this particular blog post, he is going to scream that I stole that line from a conversation we had recently. But I am hoping that [counting on] his speed-reading skimming skills will bounce over this paragraph if he happens to be reading my blog. Heh heh heh.)
Have a great Thursday - the weekend is almost here!
P.S. I actually wrote this post before Thursday (gasp!) Since then I have watched a huge Twitter battle going on between Bravo TV "reality" show Real Housewives of New York fans who are "Team Carole" (Carole Radziwell) and I guess "Team Not Carole."
Random "Team Carole" fans have been tweeting personal attacks at a woman who tweeted a critical comment about Carole. Then the Real Housewife of New York "star" tweeted back that the Twitterer (Tweeter?) was "disgusting." Then all hell broke loose with Team Carole fans going to town on this one Bravo TV viewer.
I did not find the original tweet so inflammatory as to deserve a reign of holy terror - "Team Carole" fans were calling the Original Tweeter filth, saying she has AIDS (excuse me?) … just ridiculousness -- all over a TV SHOW. Can't people debate views without having to stoop to personal attacks?
And more importantly (to me!), I had just written a blog post where I said I had a much better experience on Twitter than Facebook! People, don't turn me into a liar!
To be fair, I still believe my experience on Twitter is better than my experiences on Facebook. I stopped watching "Real Housewives of New York" two seasons ago, so I don't have a dog in the "Team Carole" vs. "Team Not Carole" fight. But I do occasionally "live Tweet" other Bravo TV shows, as my numerous "appearances" on the social editions of the episodes will attest. So I feel some empathy for "The Original Tweeter" because I feel a little "there but for the grace of God, go I … " I could easily have been in her place - making a biting comment on Twitter about a TV show and having a personal attack backlash from other TV show fans.
Hello juvenile waste of time and what a ridiculous swelling of anger over NOTHING!
I could go on for several paragraphs about the nature of reality TV celebrity and do these "reality stars" sign up to be analyzed (and usually bashed) by the media and in social media in exchange for a pay check? But yawn, do I really need to do that?
I definitely understand the precaution that you shouldn't say anything on social media that you wouldn't say to the person's face … but when it comes to entertainment, what is acceptable and what is bad form? I think we view reality TV like any other form of TV and so therefore are its "stars" deserving compassion from the viewer? (Or respect even?)
Just as I might comment on a character's actions on "The Walking Dead," I feel the same sort of critical review of other shows- including reality shows. But tweeting to the world that a move a fictional character made was boneheaded is quite different than saying it about a reality "star." And yet, many reality TV viewers generally do not make the distinction. Or at least I know, I personally have not made that distinction as much as I probably should if I wanted to be a good steward of society. (Wait, do I want to be seen as that?)
Anyway, I'm now pissed at people I don't know on Twitter for ruining my whole "everything is great on Twitter" thing that I was trying to broadcast. And isn't being mad at strangers what Twitter is all about?
(Ha ha - kidding, I'm not mad about it - just thought it was weird timing that this big, sad, personal attack Twitter war occurred between Bravo TV fans [not me!] right after I wrote a post about how much I enjoy engaging with people on Twitter. I still enjoy Twitter … but the universe may be using the vilification of another Twitter user as a reminder to the rest of the Twittersphere to think twice about anything we put out there in social media. Which is honestly, probably extremely good advice. The Universe is always talking - we need to choose when to listen.)
And on that note … once more I wish you a very Happy Thursday!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Lily On The Lam wants to hear from you ... Seriously, she does ...