Mmmm. This is totally my reward for working out.

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Follow Friday

Whether you believe it effective or not, Follow Friday is a Twitter tradition that is not going away. For new tweeps and old hats alike, here's a group of interesting, interactive people to follow. Click

There's no theme to this group. Just interesting folk.

Happy Follow Friday.

On Friendship and Social Media

Is it possible to make real friends on Twitter and other social media sites? How do you distinguish between real friends and "twitterfriends" or "facequaintances?" Is it ever okay to claim friendship with a celebrity who follows your updates on Twitter?

These are a few of the questions I took on in my new post for uTweet.it.

After a long rant against the banal douchebaggery of people claiming to have intimate connections with celebrities on Twitter, I come down on the side of those who believe that yes, it is possible to form real friendships on social networking sites.

How those friendships are defined, how they rate against friendships based on face-to-face interaction, these are important questions. The answers may shape the landscape of friendship in the 21st century.

Boy Raised by Wolves? Shocking Truth Revealed!

I was recently interviewed (or, more properly, questionnaired) for a UK social media blog. Here's an excerpt:

I was ... taught to walk by a wolf. For real. My parents had a wolf named Bo when I was a toddler. He was horribly embarrassed by me — I think he assumed I was his ugly, hairless child. He made it his mission to whip me into shape. He would sit patiently next to me until I grabbed onto his hackles. He would then pull me up and walk along side me very slowly.

Some kids have those little toddle-around toy things to help them learn to walk. I had Bo.

It's true. I think there are even pictures somewhere.

You'll find more of the shocking truth at uTweet.it, including answers to all your burning questions, including:

• Just how posh and devastatingly handsome am I?
• Am I or am I not a servant of the robot overlords?
• Who is my favorite British comedienne?

And no, I wasn't raised by wolves. It was more of a co-parenting arrangement.

Wow. I've never seen the parking lot empty.

Leaving work at 8:00 is unusual for me, but not as bad as you might think. I kind of like the two or so hours alone in the office. That time can be very productive. It's amazing how distracting my colleagues are -- probably because many of them are too interesting and too likable.

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Is Social Media Making You Antisocial?

[Excerpt from my new post on uTweet.it]

It's the question that is being asked by media pundits, concerned parents and scientists alike: Is social media making us more connected, or is it making us antisocial? Here's my personal take on the issue:

I have a fairly social job that involves lots of interaction with clients and colleagues alike. I participate in three or four group social activities outside of work every week. I’m not dating at the moment, but otherwise I would say I have a fairly normal social life.

For me, social media is an extension of my social life. I interact with many of my real-life friends and acquaintances on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, etc. In fact, several acquaintances who began to follow me on Twitter have commented that they feel they know me better now than when we only interacted face-to-face.

I also have a number of friendships with people around the world who I only know through social networks. In any given week, I may exchange ideas – or more likely, snarky comments and thinly veiled innuendo – with hundreds of people who I may never meet in real life, and who I certainly would not know were it not for Twitter.

For me, social media really is social. Ultimately, the fact that I want to have interesting things to share on Twitter or Tumblr or Foursquare or Yelp often gives me a little extra push to be more social and try new things in my “real life.” And the information and ideas I'm exposed to on social networking sites often generate interesting and rewarding face-to-face interactions.

Other people use the skyway during winter. I wait till spring.

I just realized I have spent hours of my precious time wandering from place to place aimlessly and risking exposure to the unsavory elements that congregate at ground level.

From now on, it's the skyway or the highway for me.

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