I love Twitter. There I’ve said it. It’s not for everybody. I may be addicted. But I don’t care. I love it anyway. The question is, why? I think there isn’t just one answer to that. But one thing I do know, is that I love feeling connected to a larger world: a world beyond my geographic and experiential boundaries. Maybe it’s similar to the urge I had when I was in junior high to have a pen pal in a foreign country. Only this is immediate and I have many, many “pen pals”.
Take for example @familyonbikes. I started following Nancy and her family over a year ago when they were somewhere in Central America on their bicycling journey from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. I was attracted to their spirit and sense of adventure. I was fascinated (although not envious) of a family who would set off with twin 10 year old boys and take 3 years to bike the length of the Americas. They have shared their adventure through their blog the entire distance. They are now in Bolivia and I have experienced some small part of their journey every few days through their tweets, photos, and videos. We’ve shared a few laughs via twitter. And many of us have given words of encouragement when the trip was going tougher than expected. And this morning I got up to watch the Vogel family via Skype on @GMA Good Morning America as they were spotlighted on a Family segment. I’m sure many of their followers across the US were doing the same, cheering them on and wishing Tim a Happy Birthday. For about 5 minutes there, the world got very small. (check them out at http://www.familyonbikes.org/)
One of my favorite adventuresome tweeps of all time is @aeevans (formerly @bus2antarctica). I heard about him through a National Geographic tweep @marilyn_res just as he was starting his epic bus trip from Washington DC to the tip of Tierra del Fuego (seems to be a popular route these days). For the 6 weeks or so it took him to travel, I, along with a whole fan club of tweeps, followed his every word as he described his journey through words and photos (he has since published an article in National Geographic Traveler Magazine). He is now off exploring Greenland and again sharing his journey, discoveries, and observations in 140 characters or less. He really is one of the best at creating wonderful word pictures in so short of space. A recent tweet from Greenland:
Everyone smiles here. Everybody waves, even from half a mile away. Out of the emptiness, acknowledgment of another human life
Then there is a new “follow” of mine: @followengine. 28,000 miles, 5 Continents, 26 countries, and 1 Fire Engine: a Charity trek by a young man who lost his father to lung cancer. This will be an epic adventure as he, along with a series of “crews”. will drive the truck around the world raising monies for 3 charities and raising awareness. They have just finished Stage 1 (the Mongol Rally) which ended in Ulaan Bataar and they are now headed to the Chinese Border. Their website maps their GPS coordinates, has a blog, and information about how to donate. Here’s a recent tweet:
It's not often in life you camp in a field and then suddenly a train on the Trans-Siberian Railway rattles past. Glorious!!!!!!
I follow birders and nature lovers across the United States even a woman who used to live on a narrowboat on a canal in the Midlands of England and loves to band birds. I tweet with Tampa and St Pete locals which has enriched my experience of getting settled in a new place. I follow people who are clever with words, talented with a camera, adverturous in spirit. I've reconnected with an old friend from the Pacific Northwest experiencing her through her very clever words. Yes, I follow a few dogs and cats (ones with pretty darned clever owners if you ask me) and even a Canadian squirrel. I follow a British expat who lives in Bali and who Jerry and I met In Real Life (IRL) last year when we visited Bali, I’ve started searching out interesting Italian tweeps in preparation for my 2011 fall travel plans. I follow bakers, readers, writers, animal lovers, travelers, and food lovers. Basically I follow people with interesting things to say and who are generous in spirit. I can't wait to find out who I meet up with next.
