Jackson Free Press

As a 38-year-old, I am fairly new to this social media craze. MySpace was first and that was ok, but I still didn't understand what was so addictive about social media. Then I was introduced to FaceBook while, of all things, I was on vacation. You know, at the beach, clearing my head, getting away from it all. Well, the friend I was on vacation with introduced me to the Facebook game that is a takeoff (cheap word for copyright infringement) of Scrabble®. The exact name escapes me because of my age. This is where my fascination, errr, addiction began. If we weren't lying out on the beach, we were waiting on the next move from each other. I was hooked.

Then (I would say my final encounter, but I know better), I found Twitter. Talk about a slap in the face to a new vocabulary. Day 1, I took my phone to one of our Y Generation creatives to ask what the heck was @DonnerKay? He LOL (I know a good many of these). He explained the Retweet concept to me in a kind, almost fatherly tone. He felt sorry for me, no doubt.

However, I am still not "in the know" on all the words, phrases, acronyms, etc of social media. And here we go…

It was a typical Friday night for me last week. Made it home from an exhausting work week and it was time to wind down and begin enjoying the weekend. As I sat in the garage and the Blackberry notification light went off to announce an UberTwitter tweet, I so had to pick it up. Had to. I am addicted to that flashing piece of excitement that seems to be becoming Americana.

As I checked the tweet it was one of my friends, oops followers; well I am following him too, what does that make us? Twiends? I don't know. He was announcing that he and several others were meeting for a Tweetup at a local restaurant. It happened to be less than two miles from my house. I was all in. I Tweeted to say I would probably be attending. Pizza, beer and Tweets nothing could be better. I told LK I wanted to go and she was fine with that. Like many of us on the social media sites, we haven't really met our friends, followers or the ones we are following in person. Could be fun.

Well, plans changed, quickly. The TweetUp was cancelled. Don't really know why. Then I got a Tweet that the Tweetup would be this Sunday at Pizza Shack.

This was a more formal plan. There was some kind of Tweetvite made for this and sent to many of the ones who were talking about it in the first place. Very interesting I thought to myself. I replied that I would be there.

As I settled down from the excitement, I really had no idea whatsoever I was responding to or more importantly, why was I going to show my face at the Tweetup earlier in the night. A Tweetup? Huh? I was just in because it sounded like I would meet some new people whom I only "knew" through Twitter. But I didn't know what it meant really. Were we going to sit around with our laptops, Blackberries, and iPhones not really talking, but Tweeting? Were people in the establishment going to be starring at us like we were some kind of non-social being of the human race? Hell, I didn't know and I didn't care. I am a social media nut now and will be for a long time.

After conducting some research I found two definitions of a Tweetup on the Urban Dictionary. Here they are:

1. An organized or impromptu gathering of people that use Twitter. (A meet up of people that 'tweet' using Twitter.)

Relief! What I had defined in my head as a Tweetup was exactly what it is. I am really catching on to this social media stuff.

2. A gathering of nerds attempting social contact, likely for the first time. Usually disintegrates into everyone running to the nearest computer to type to one another.

Damn It! Ok, I think this is really what I had in my head! What to do now? Dazed, confused, betwittered and baffled.

But I have the answer. I will be there. Will you? Sunday, March 7, 2010, 7:00 PM at the Pizza Shack on State Street.

So, my education will continue on social media. And the next time you see me, smile, know that I am trying and give me some words of encouragement. Or, just follow me on Twitter @moorebully, I will follow you and we can become Twiends.