Twitter (a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets that can be no more than 140 characters in length) is kind of like an online coffee shop except that eavesdropping is accepted and encouraged.
Tweeting while at the coffee shop during a face to face conversation complicates things further, especially when your tweets are about the conversation you’re having with the person next to you. Things get even more complicated when that person asks to follow you. This happened to me last week.
If you’re on Twitter, anyone can subscribe to your updates (conversations in progress) unless you specifically protect them (via your settings), requiring potential followers to contact you for permission to follow. This obviously isn’t the case in caffeinated conversation friendly places where even private conversations at a corner table are not completely private.
And don’t be too surprised if your private conversation gets tweeted and discussed, and maybe even exaggerated on Twitter. Knowing that this might happen, consider giving tweeters something juicy to talk about.
2 Comments
I love working at coffee shops. It’s a nice environment to get stuff done! No children and a low volume of ambient sounds sure helps with concentration. When I work at home, I get much less accomplished. Funny how some people want to connect online more so than in person.
@Nate It can be hard to get work done at home when you know the dishes are piling up. I’ve been going to a coffee shop called Spotted Cow that actually has an enclosed area for children (with toys) in the corner; first time that I saw that. Connecting online is great, but nothing compares to face to face.
One Trackback
[...] few weeks ago, I logged into the coffeehouse known as Twitter while at an actual coffeehouse, and a casual conversation lead to a tweet. Coffeehouses inside coffeehouses? Kind of weird. Kind of different. What’s next? Tweet [...]