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As somebody that actively campaigns for better cycle infrastructure in the UK, twitter has been phenomenally valuable, enabling me to establish connections with

by awjr 10y ago

As somebody that actively campaigns for better cycle infrastructure in the UK, twitter has been phenomenally valuable, enabling me to establish connections with thought leaders in the UK and even, more vitally, from around the world. It has also enabled the communication of my own ideas nationally. Particularly this https://cyclebath.org.uk/map/ https://cyclebath.org.uk/map/ which has resulted in myself being asked to do workshops at conferences. More importantly, twitter has evolved my thinking on urban design, housing developments, road design, and active travel/transport and am considered a bit of an 'expert' locally. I'm now looking at standing in local elections to become a councillor, with the ambition of becoming Cabinet Member for Transport and I am aware I am standing in a big echo chamber and have crafted my twitter account to facilitate expanding my thinking in areas that I have a passion for. Once in a while, I even tweet a picture of cats. https://twitter.com/awjre https://twitter.com/awjre

calinet6 10y ago
Yeah, that's one of the major benefits—it really can bring people together around specific topics, and democratizes and enables communication between people of all levels. I've connected with and formed relationships with experts via twitter to the point where we've met at conferences or talks and been able to strike up a conversation based on our latest twitter discussion; they knew who I was and were interested in talking to me. Not sure how I would have done that otherwise. You're right it's an echo chamber, but echo chambers can help you be heard...
- talmand 10y ago
  But not necessarily heard by people outside the echo chamber.
  - calinet6 10y ago
    That's okay, I wouldn't be heard by them anyway :-)
jonsterling 10y ago
Folks unironically using the term "thought leader" are one of the reasons people dislike Twitter...
- awjr 10y ago
  You'd be surprised. In transport, urban planning, and architecture this really does exist e.g. https://twitter.com/BrentToderian https://twitter.com/BrentToderian Even within IT we have people that many people look to for leadership. http://www.joelonsoftware.com/ http://www.joelonsoftware.com/

by awjr 10y ago

calinet6 10y ago

Yeah, that's one of the major benefits—it really can bring people together around specific topics, and democratizes and enables communication between people of all levels. I've connected with and formed relationships with experts via twitter to the point where we've met at conferences or talks and been able to strike up a conversation based on our latest twitter discussion; they knew who I was and were interested in talking to me. Not sure how I would have done that otherwise. You're right it's an echo chamber, but echo chambers can help you be heard...

talmand 10y ago
But not necessarily heard by people outside the echo chamber.
- calinet6 10y ago
  That's okay, I wouldn't be heard by them anyway :-)

jonsterling 10y ago

Folks unironically using the term "thought leader" are one of the reasons people dislike Twitter...

awjr 10y ago
You'd be surprised. In transport, urban planning, and architecture this really does exist e.g. https://twitter.com/BrentToderian https://twitter.com/BrentToderian Even within IT we have people that many people look to for leadership. http://www.joelonsoftware.com/ http://www.joelonsoftware.com/