Twitter "The New Front Porch"

"The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention."-Rachel Naomi Remen

There was a time in our society where it just wasn't that easy to reach out and touch someone. When I was a kid we had rotary phones where you literally had to turn a circular dial 9 times to make a phone call. Once the phone started ringing, if no one picked up the line...well...you had to call back later 'cause no one had an answering machine! If all else failed, people would get up off the couch, walk out of the door, and make a face to face human connection.

Those were good times because kids just played outside without fear. Adults connected to the community by sitting on the front porch and talking to the folks walking through the neighborhood. It took some effort to "get connected" but once those connections were made, you became a member of a community. Unfortunately, as technology has enhanced our ability to obtain information, those personal community connections have been harder to make.

Nowadays, It is not often that I have time to walk around the block. I have lived in my neighborhood for nearly five years, and I barely know anyone in the area. But everyday I sit at my laptop and take in the views of real human beings on twitter. I often call twitter "The New Front Porch" because it gives us a place to gather, speak, and listen to each other. Through this site I am able to step off the front porch and engage the community face-to-face by participating in tweetups and events.

We live in a society where people are extremely suspicious of anyone who steps on their porch and knocks on the front door. If someone knocks on my front door, unknown and unexpected, I am not opening up! But Twitter makes it easier for me to engage in a dialogue, and share my life with someone I would normally disregard. Hopefully, Social Media will make it possible for us all to re-establish some of the trust that has been broken in our society.

Anybody want a glass of iced-tea?

Written by Eric Canaday © 2009 . All rights reserved.