Twitter User of The Week

Somehow I had the great fortune to tap into a quality group of very well connected and very interconnected people in Minneapolis, MN.  @irishgirl is one of these people.  Not only is she well known, she is well liked, funny, and is making a difference online through her site Geek Girls Guide.

From Clinton Forry (@wd45):

I am heartened by Meghan’s work with Nancy Lyons on the Geek Girls Guide blog.  Not only do they give tips on technology, but also tips on how women can succeed in a largely male-dominated tech world. She is breaking ground with it.  Being the father of a young daughter, this work is VERY important to me, and thankfully Meghan has the smarts and the wit to do it well.

-clinton

From @kedrock:

On twitter, facebook and her blog, Meghan has educated me on women/diversity in technology professions, the role of social  media in traditional and nontraditional marketing, parenthood and how our high school computer teacher inspired her.  (We went to the same school.) The biggest thing that stands out about Meghan is the genuineness of her posts. She never comes across as pushing an agenda or claiming expertise that she doesn’t have.

Mark Kedrowski

How do you use Twitter/What do you use Twitter for?

To me, Twitter is a utility. Like a telephone. Sometimes I use it to stay in touch with people I know. Sometimes I use it to reach out to new people. Sometimes I use it to keep in touch with people after meeting them at an event. And, just like I use the phone to have a million different types of conversations, I use Twitter to talk about many different things to many different people.

In a word, I use Twitter to connect.

But just like my phone, I can’t always answer right away and sometimes I shut it off to get some peace.

If you had the opportunity, what would you do improve Twitter?

Honestly, I don’t know. I used to wish Twitter would allow users to create groups or lists, but then I found TweetDeck and created lists there. Which was possible because of Twitter’s open API. Which, if you think about it, is part of the brilliance of Twitter. They just built this dead-simple little thing, and allowed other developers to build all kinds of other stuff around it and on top of it. They outsourced innovation and, in some cases, they later absorbed it (like Summize, which became what we all know now as search.twitter.com). Anyway, then Twitter added Lists and it’s kind of like what I was looking for, but I still use TweetDeck for now.

But the strength of Twitter is its simplicity. The more stuff they add, the more it’s going to suck.

I can tell you what I don’t ever want in a million years and that’s for Twitter to get rid of the 140 character limit. I hear people complain about that and I’m just mystified. Seriously? Like there aren’t a MILLION other places where you can blather on and on? Get a blog, dude. Also, people who basically write a blog post by sending a chain of tweets? Splargh.

What I love about the character limit is that it forces an economy of language. You have to be very creative in how you communicate something. Unlike what I’m doing here, which is just rambling on and on. Let’s see what the next question is, shall we?

What do you like to do when you are not connected to the internet?

I love movies. If I could, I would watch a movie every day (or a really good movie-like TV show like Battlestar Galactica). I love going to the movie theater, and my husband put a DIY home theater in our basement. That’s been great because it’s hard to get out to see movies with two young kids at home.

I started running last spring and I like doing that, too (though it gets pretty tough to get out in the Minnesota winter!).

I wouldn’t be a good parent if I didn’t mention how much I love hanging out with my freakin’ kids. They are 4 and 1 and they are the cutest, smartest and most amazing kids ever. Of course.

What is your favorite website to visit other than Twitter, and why?

Man, that’s like picking a favorite kid! I visit my Google homepage constantly to scan headlines from most of the sites I follow. I like Hulu for shows, Go Fug Yourself for snarky celebrity commentary (and midday mind-clearing) and fuckyeahrobertpattinson for…um. Wait, no. I don’t go to that last site. Ever. Nope. Never heard of it.

What attracts you to social media over traditional media?

Hm. I don’t know that I’m attracted to social media over traditional media. I mean, if I could have a TV channel and a radio station I would, but it’s not financially feasible so I’ve settled for a blog and a Twitter account.

Seeing the two terms side-by-side like that makes me realize that I think social media is a misnomer. We need a new word. The word “media” is part of what causes companies and agencies to misunderstand each social tool as another medium through which they can push their message. To me, as I said above — it’s a utility. It’s a means of connecting people. So, what attracts me to social media are the other people, not the media. If Twitter went away tomorrow, it’s not Twitter I would miss. It would be the people I connect with there.

What is your favorite Laffy Taffy Joke (One-liner joke)?

Knock Knock.
Who’s there?
Interrupting Cow.
Interruping cow, wh…
MOOO!

What is a question to which you would answer: “D. All of the above”? And, what are A, B, & C?

What is your favorite Bollywood movie?
A. Fanaa
B. Bunty aur Babli
C. 3 Idiots
D. All of the above

What would you do if you had a time machine?

Use it for a dirty laundry hamper.

What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you WISH more people COULD know?

I wish more people knew about my secret life as a spy, because then they’d know that’s why I look so tired all the time.

What song lyric sums up your life thus far?

I’m Lucky by Joan Armatrading. The lyrics are painfully simple (kind of like me) but when you hear the music it just puts a bounce in your step (you just have to embrace the ’70s sound of it.)

I’m lucky, I’m lucky
I can walk under ladders
Yes I’m so lucky that I’m as lucky
As me

Listen on lala

What is the one thing that gets you out of bed every morning?

My two kids climbing on my face.

What is the first thing you do in the morning?

Stumble to the bathroom and brush my teeth. Unfortunately, I taught my 4-year-old the phrase “dragon breath” — and now I hear it every morning.

If you weren’t doing what you are doing for a profession, what would you be doing?

Wow, I don’t know. I love what I do, and I get to do such a variety of things that it’s hard to imagine doing anything else.

What’s the hardest lesson you’ve had to learn so far in your life?

That once you say something, you can’t take it back. Which is doubly true in social media because not only can you not take it back — it lives forever in digital space.

What’s an idea you have that, if implemented, could change the world?

I don’t know that I’ve yet had a world-changing idea. I’m working on it, though.

What drives you nuts?

People who auto-update every status on every social network: like, tweeting every check-in on Foursquare and posting it to Facebook and having every Facebook status create a tweet and every tweet updates their LinkedIn status. Good Lord. Context, people! The people you’re connected with on LinkedIn and Twitter and Foursquare and Facebook don’t all care about the same stuff. I really believe that your connections are much richer when you take the time to share relevant information vs. spamming every site with every bit of data. When you do that, people become numb to you. Your updates are like white noise.

What actor or actress would you want to play you in a movie about your life?

Angelina Jolie

What super power would you like to have?

I don’t know if this is really a super power, but I’d like to be able to go without sleep. Sleep gets in the way of all the stuff I want to do. You know, like spy stuff.

What question would you add to this list and what is your answer to it?

What is the best thing that has happened to you as a direct result of Twitter?

I have lots of cool things that I can point to and say, “Without Twitter, that never would have happened.” (including getting some free tickets to Avatar for my mental health day last week!) but my favorite, most mind-blowing experience was getting a DM from David Allen (the author of Getting Things Done, known as GTD) in response to one of my tweets inviting me to one of his seminars for free. I got to meet him, and in later months he interviewed me for one of his web sites. It just blew my MIND that I got to meet and talk to a person I had admired for years, all because of a tweet. What the hell? In what crazy universe does that even happen?!

Who should I write about in future weeks, and why?

@ishakeitup is a writer and producer in California who uses Twitter to promote some of her projects, and to connect. She’s funny and creative and being connected to her means I’m one degree of separation from Ralph Macchio, which makes me sweaty to even think about.

@iamdez is a funny, interesting and all-around good guy that I used to work with. He has good observations about lots of stuff. I just wish he’d quit tweeting all his @foursquare checkins.

@patrickrhone is another really interesting guy, and he has some strong opinions about the Twitter. He’s got a really interesting new site called Practical Opacity which is his reaction to the radical transparency notion. We don’t always agree, but I think we both like the debate! He’s also a fellow GTD’er.

@KarenGillespieH is a Twitter newbie. @Nylons and I taught her how to use Twitter a couple of months ago and it’s been so fun watching her embrace it. She’s a good soul, just full of good energy. The kind of person who’s nice to be around (which makes sense — she does massage).

Thanks to @irishgirl, @JenKaneCo, @jdbird, @wd45, @DanMandle, @kitalooclef, @kedrock, @mplsmaven for all your help with this week’s article.

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