I used to hate Twitter.
Now I love it.
Tweet tweet.
For the longest time I resisted it as “that stupid thing that’s just a Facebook status and nothing else.” It took me forever to buy-in and even after I did, it took even longer to embrace. It just seemed trite and useless. And really, the way a lot of people use it, it is.
But then stuff like this happens.
NAME-DROPPER ALERT.
First, I quipped about the profile picture of the male half of The Civil Wars. Matthew Mayfield and I had differing opinions of who it actually looks like. John then replied, which makes me famous, I’m pretty sure.
@LivingOneHanded @MatthewMayfield ooh. Kenny Rogers…
— John Paul White (@johnpaulwhite) July 17, 2012
I noticed a little back-and-forth between super-humans Chris Brogan and Chris Guillebeau. They were giving the business to a certain unlikeable Canadian band. I decided to chime in, because, well…that’s what I do.
@chrisguillebeau @chrisbrogan You guys are jerks! They have more talent their PINKY FINGERS than…BAAAAAHAHAHA. Couldn't make it through.
— Ryan Haack (@LivingOneHanded) July 17, 2012
Twitter is perfect for zingers. And bad jokes.
To my surprise, I received notification that Mr. Brogan had responded.
@LivingOneHanded – made all the funnier because, you know. 🙂 cc @chrisguillebeau
— Chris Brogan/Chief of Staff (@chrisbrogan) July 17, 2012
At first I thought he was ridiculing me for forgetting to type “in” before “their PINKY FINGERS.” But then…say WHAAAAAAAT??!! Did Chris Brogan just make a ONE-HANDED joke out of my original laugher?
@LivingOneHanded – of course I did. If you're going to just set me up like that, mister man. 🙂 can't wait to read your blog.
— Chris Brogan/Chief of Staff (@chrisbrogan) July 18, 2012
What have we learned here?
1. Chris Brogan is the man.
2. I still make one-handed jokes unintentionally.
3. Interacting with famous people on the Twitter is super fun.
4. Twitter is awesome.
These are just funny examples, but Twitter really has enabled me to connect with many of my heroes (resisting…urge…to name drop) and introduced me to even more new friends who share similar passions.
And, for better or for worse, it’s allowed me to share innumerable dumb jokes.
LONG LIVE TWITTER.
Who have you interacted with on Twitter that you never would have been able to otherwise?
(Join the LOH Facebook community and follow on Twitter, too!)
So, it was a funny week for me to dare to make a one-handed joke. Daniel Tosh of Tosh.0 fame is in the news for making a joke or two about rape during his stand-up act. Many people are saying he’s evil and blah blah blah. There are some valid points to some of the criticisms, but in looking at the context, I see what he was going for. I recognize he was attempting humor and not malice, and wow, people can be so twitchy.
And then a guy who is missing a hand makes a joke about talent and pinky fingers. A guy I don’t know yet, I should point out. So, I did what any comic or aspiring comic full of compassion would do: I jumped up and spiked the obvious joke volleyball you laid up for me.
1) oddly, on the same day I meet you and subsequently make the inferred joke that a guy with no hand knows of what he speaks when he talks about talent and pinky fingers, I spent a moment pointing out that the US’s top ranking Senator is, wait for it, this one-armed (has a bit less than you) BADASS who like fought like Rambo in WWII (I’ll send you the link!) Clearly, it’s my day for one-handed people.
1b) In the same week, I read a huge article in Guitar World magazine about the making of Def Leppard’s Hysteria. It told me a lot I had never read before about Rick Allen’s recovery, and how he just LEAPT back into playing.
2) My friend @glendawh used her left THUMB to write an entire book and she uses it to blog and network online and create speeches on accessibility. Her disability leaves her with a lot of trouble being understood verbally, plus she’s chair bound, plus a myriad host of other challenges. I mentioned she wrote an entire book, right? If I can tease Glenda because it’s with love and no big thing, a guy with a lot more mobility? I’ve got that.
3) It’s no big thing.
4) I’m not a celebrity. Or if I am, it’s the lame kind that only get recognized by nerds. 🙂
So there.
Can’t wait to read more of your blog, sir. 🙂
O
Thanks so much for checking in, Chris! Quite the week you had! lol