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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 25 of 53. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dr. Bob on June 25, 2009, at 10:21:45
Hi, everyone,
I've been giving Twitter a try and created an account for Psycho-Babble:
http://twitter.com/psycho_babel
What do you think about me "tweeting" posts? My first:
> SLS: Before rules, a great place for strong personalities. Now, a safer place for less strong personalities. http://tiny.dr-bob.org/fgeq
Bob
Posted by Phillipa on June 25, 2009, at 10:45:47
In reply to from babble to twitter, posted by Dr. Bob on June 25, 2009, at 10:21:45
Does this mean signing up for another account and mean babble is no longer going to be here? Phillipa
Posted by Dr. Bob on June 25, 2009, at 11:00:41
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter » Dr. Bob, posted by Phillipa on June 25, 2009, at 10:45:47
Posted by gardenergirl on June 25, 2009, at 12:08:55
In reply to from babble to twitter, posted by Dr. Bob on June 25, 2009, at 10:21:45
I think that I will be less inclined to post knowing that my words are now even more likely to be broadcast in places I did not choose.
gg
Posted by Dinah on June 25, 2009, at 12:14:50
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter » Dr. Bob, posted by gardenergirl on June 25, 2009, at 12:08:55
I don't know much about twitter, so I it's possible that if I knew more, I'd be less concerned. But at this point, I wouldn't be comfortable with it either.
Posted by Dr. Bob on June 25, 2009, at 12:53:52
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter » Dr. Bob, posted by gardenergirl on June 25, 2009, at 12:08:55
> I think that I will be less inclined to post knowing that my words are now even more likely to be broadcast in places I did not choose.
True, you wouldn't be choosing to be tweeted. OTOH, how is "following" @psycho_babel different from subscribing to an RSS feed like:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/posts.rdf
an option that's been here for years?
Bob
Posted by Ladyraven on June 25, 2009, at 14:31:00
In reply to from babble to twitter, posted by Dr. Bob on June 25, 2009, at 10:21:45
The limited number of characters per tweet could be an advantage and learning experience to blowhards like me. ; )
Posted by zenhussy on June 25, 2009, at 15:00:26
In reply to from babble to twitter, posted by Dr. Bob on June 25, 2009, at 10:21:45
tweet twitter tweet twitter tweet twitter tweet twitter tweet twitter tweet twitter tweet twitter tweet twitter tweet twitter tweet twitter tweet
w/ twitter's 140 character limit it seems as if any PB posts tweeted will be shortened due to the inclusion of PB url and the sub. line.
will the FAQ reflect the changes to how and where posts may appear? is there anywhere one can check to see how many subscribers PB Twitter has? maybe this will just be like the short lived PB wiki article...newfangled but ultimately not essential to actual PB site usage.
perhaps posters who wish to not have their posts tweeted can just cut and paste the tweet twitters above into the beginning of their posts thereby using the 140 character limit.
just some ideas from a non cell/mobile using non tweeting human.
keepin' it old skool
Posted by Nadezda on June 25, 2009, at 15:49:24
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter, posted by Ladyraven on June 25, 2009, at 14:31:00
I use twitter in spurts for news coverage-- it's great for finding out what's going on in other parts of the world, when things are happening-- it really isn't a scary place.
It's just like going to any site and getting news. If I remember correctly, you can look at what's going on on twitter without subscribing-- you only subscribe if you want to actually follow people (ie have the tweets sent to your account, so you don't have to search for them to know what's up) or tweet yourself. So I think you can bookmark psycho_babel and just look in on it occasionally, if you don't want to sign up.
Nadezda
Posted by Dinah on June 25, 2009, at 16:25:51
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter, posted by Nadezda on June 25, 2009, at 15:49:24
Does Dr. Bob choose posts and take excerpts?
Will the excerpts he takes be what the poster means? Out of context doesn't always translate well.
Posted by 10derHeart on June 25, 2009, at 18:08:07
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter, posted by Dinah on June 25, 2009, at 16:25:51
Good thoughts/questions.
Well, he's included a link back to the entire post, so at least someone at first reading only the excerpt in the tweet can click on it and be taken back to the post itself. Which I would imagine is the "goal" - a new, fresh way to get people to Babble? Perhaps they would be intrigued and read the post, then the thread then the board and....?
I dunno. Seems to me, depending on the nature of an excerpt, to someone not already a Babbler, it might make little sense. Hard to say. If they read the description in the upper right corner:
"BIO: the large public online mental health support group founded by @dr_bob in 1998"
and it was of interest, maybe they would click on the link. I'm no expert in online and/or social networking behavior, though, so I'm just thinking out loud.
My church and pastor use Twitter. I follow them. I find it useful, but not necessary. They always link back to anything - pics, videos, the pastor's latest blog - whatever, on the church website, which I already have a habit of checking several times a week anyway. Looking at it that way, going through Twitter just makes extra steps for me. I just checked it out when it was still novel, is all. I have an account but don't post tweets myself. I did a little, but was just talking to myself. No one I know Twitters, so who would be wanting to find out the Twitter premise about me: "What are you doing?" No one, in my case. I think you have to have pretty "connected" family, friends, work mates, in the sense they are on their computers, I-Phones, Blackberries and the like, the majority of their waking hours. I don't have that. Probably a good thing - as maybe I'd get obsessive like i do with email and Babble and check far too many times per day... I lack any sort of self-discipline about that :-(
It's makes me vaguely nervous, thinking of any parts of anything I posted on PB somehow being connected to me via someone reading a tweet Dr. Bob put out there. It seems a really remote possibility, though, first because Twitter is so astoundingly huge. I keep no secrets when it comes up that I suffer from some mental health concerns at times, have a therapist, etc (though I *totally* understand and respect others who do NOT share that info) but I don't then tell all about Babble, my posting name, and so forth. So, how would they stumble upon some excerpt from a post of mine on that account - unless they actively searched for mental health stuff?
Twitter does have a search function, but I'm unsure how sophisticated it is...so far I only used it once or twice, out of idle curiosity, to find celebrities (incredibly boring tweets/accounts, not to mention vulgar language) and one RL person who mentioned they had an account under their actual spelling of their name (it failed to find that one) I suppose maybe...but then a link to someone named 10derHeart would be utterly meaningless, unless they had the extraordinary luck to read a post where I mentioned something *so* distinctive they just knew it had to be me... A long, looooong shot. I've never told anyone, outside of my fellow deputies, and a couple other Babblers over the years (not even my T.) that name connected to my actual name. Yet, I still do like the idea I can distance myself from groups or people who either would never be interested in MH-anything, or aren't computer literate enough (yet) or whatever. Maybe they ought to get to know me IRL first, before reading things and misunderstanding the stuff that is written about candidly on PB, you know? Every weaving together of more social networking sites into Babble makes that "feel" more difficult.
But, I may be way off base. Feelings aren't facts.
Posted by Kath on June 25, 2009, at 21:39:01
In reply to from babble to twitter, posted by Dr. Bob on June 25, 2009, at 10:21:45
keep up-to-date reading posts on!
I already feel so overwhelmed trying to keep up with babble & my emails.
:-) Thx for the nice personal touch though.
Kath
Posted by floatingbridge on June 26, 2009, at 1:36:27
In reply to I don't want another computer place to have to, posted by Kath on June 25, 2009, at 21:39:01
Posted by MidnightBlue on June 26, 2009, at 16:41:25
In reply to from babble to twitter, posted by Dr. Bob on June 25, 2009, at 10:21:45
I do not like this idea at all. I will be less likely to post now. Twitter your own thoughts, but not ours.
MidnightBlue
Posted by Nadezda on June 26, 2009, at 19:36:58
In reply to from babble to twitter, posted by Dr. Bob on June 25, 2009, at 10:21:45
Maybe babblers could give permission to tweet posts-- or not--
Of course, if it's about individual posts, I guess it would get complicated.
But it's an interesting idea-- because for one thing, we might get different responses, and for another, it might attract new people here.
People might not want certain posts on twitter-- if there were identifying information, etc.-- or it simply was something that they wanted to communicate to familiar people or in a familiar and more comfortable space.
Nadezda
Posted by rskontos on June 27, 2009, at 0:17:33
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter » Dr. Bob, posted by Nadezda on June 26, 2009, at 19:36:58
I think it would freak me out. Babble seems risky sometimes and twitter, just not ready for that.
rsk
Posted by floatingbridge on June 27, 2009, at 13:51:11
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter, posted by rskontos on June 27, 2009, at 0:17:33
Posted by garnet71 on June 27, 2009, at 16:20:12
In reply to from babble to twitter, posted by Dr. Bob on June 25, 2009, at 10:21:45
A twitter babble hybrid seems creepy to me.
Regarding that site in general terms- I've gone on there to see what it's all about, and I found nothing appealing about it. It doesn't bother me that others like the architecture, but for me, I'm overwhelmed by emails from several accounts I've had to maintain over the years and it's just one more thing that would keep me from more personal social interactions.
For electronic communications in general - it's exciting people now have so much access to knowledge and technology saves time with both business and personal business oriented stuff-like forms, applications, procedures, and definitely facilitates business communications (though wastes lots of time because people tend to unnecessarily cc everyone "JIC"...then you end up with a zillion emails that you have to read to see if something pertains to your job or is important to note.) Sometimes for business I think it 'creates' less time.
But for my personal life it has taken away from the dynamics and also my time for more personal relationships. I used to get fwd'd emails daily, jokes, inspirational stuff, stories - stuff people pass around, etc. From people i used to talk on the phone with or see regularly. It was way too much email for me-so I started ignoring all of those types of emails and don't originate them and never respond to them. Yet, once in a while I'd write back a note and actually personally ask someone how they are doing, maybe ask about their kids, a personal email, and get a forward, unpersonal email in return.
Maybe I'm just uncomfortable reducing human relationships to one dimensional manifestations interacting through routers and fiber optic wires. there is a lot of mutual communication here on this forum, but when communications get superficial, one dimensional, and/or less personalized, it somehow takes away from the human spirit.
That's a common feeling, I suppose. The whole virtual dating thing creeps me out, and online dating in that it blurs reality; it's an artificial reality when so many people portray themselves as who they wanna be, not who they really are.
I guess people are busy, but it seems like these types of communications sometimes make people more busy.
Today I went swimming with my friend at the pool at her apartment and it was really nice hanging out. Probably my only friend left who doesn't even use text messaging. We only talk about once every two weeks, on the phone then in person, but it seems to remain my closest friendship.
I'm not one to shy away from technology whatsoever, but I find some of the social applications to be objectifying, dehumanizing, and a precursor to an uncomfortable, potential merger of reality and fantasy. In other words, it makes me think that people are going to start creating their own identity out of fantasy, and desires of who they want to portray themselves as (based on superficial desires) rather than realizing an identity from past human relationships and personal interactions at both the micro and macro levels. Instead of becoming an individual through learning, growth, and human intereactions it's like creating a false persona that covers up the true person. It seems narcissistic.
Maybe some think it's better for people to create their own identiy based upon wishes and desires of who they want to become rather than cultivate the core self into a 'personality' as a whole or identity derived from learning and experiences?
Posted by Deneb on June 27, 2009, at 19:00:00
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter, posted by garnet71 on June 27, 2009, at 16:20:12
I like communicating online. I feel like I can be myself here. In real life I have awful social anxiety. Online communications help socialize me. I don't think they take away from real life interactions. I've never developed anything close to a friendship until I found Babble.
Posted by Nadezda on June 28, 2009, at 22:12:38
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter, posted by garnet71 on June 27, 2009, at 16:20:12
I'm not sure what your reference to second life was about-- but I happen to go to second life a lot and have not only formed one or two real friendships there, but have engaged in many interesting discussions that I never would have had to chance to be involved in.
Not only that, there are groups that meet to meditate, which have given me a lot of support and very important suggestions and thoughts for beginning and continuing a meditation practice.
I don't find it phony, narcissistic, artificial, dehumanizing, or based on phantasy and superficial desires--any more than real life is.
Nadezda
Posted by Sigismund on June 28, 2009, at 22:18:23
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter » garnet71, posted by Nadezda on June 28, 2009, at 22:12:38
>I don't find it phony, narcissistic, artificial, dehumanizing, or based on phantasy and superficial desires--any more than real life is
I imagine not.
Meditation, hey?
Anything else interesting?
Posted by Nadezda on June 28, 2009, at 22:38:16
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter » Nadezda, posted by Sigismund on June 28, 2009, at 22:18:23
all depends on what you find interesting-- but then you can always start something!
if you ever visit-- let me know!
Nadezda
Posted by Sigismund on June 28, 2009, at 22:58:00
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter » Sigismund, posted by Nadezda on June 28, 2009, at 22:38:16
I'm too fragile and nervous to master the mobile phone.
Posted by Nadezda on June 29, 2009, at 10:44:52
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter » Nadezda, posted by Sigismund on June 28, 2009, at 22:58:00
I never figured out-- what's a mobile phone? how's it different from a cellphone? (are we off-topic?--but I'd like to know the difference...)
Nadezda
Posted by gardenergirl on June 29, 2009, at 12:48:32
In reply to Re: from babble to twitter, posted by Dr. Bob on June 25, 2009, at 12:53:52
> > I think that I will be less inclined to post knowing that my words are now even more likely to be broadcast in places I did not choose.
>
> True, you wouldn't be choosing to be tweeted. OTOH, how is "following" @psycho_babel different from subscribing to an RSS feed like:
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/posts.rdf
>
> an option that's been here for years?
>
> BobTo me, it's an additive thing. The more places out there where my words as gardenergirl are, the more I feel exposed. Babble is a community, and while i think growing the community is a good thing, I don't want our community to feel like a "reality show" for others' entertainment. Plus, Twitter, facebook, other social networking sites are places where I am my real-life identity. I am gardenergirl here. I keep those separate and choose who I trust my personally identifying information with as best as I can.
I would be for this only if folks are given the option to opt out of having their posts tweeted.
gg
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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
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