Let me start by saying, I am one of the most asocial people I know. I don’t apologize for that, it is what it is. I just acknowledge my limitations, and utilize huge quantities of chocolate and Personality Spray™ to get by in this super-social world.

I also have a tendency to be curious, and I love the process of trying to figure out how things work. So, in spite of my little quirks, there are occasions when I feel compelled to venture outside my comfort zone to see what I can see, because, even with my contrary nature, curious minds want to know. That’s how my adventures, or perhaps I should say misadventures, in social media started.

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 Social communities have been around since the beginning of time, not that I was there mind you. They exist to satisfy that fundamental human need where we feel compelled to participate in the requisite social interaction on occasion – some on more occasions than others. Over the years, our “socialness” has evolved along a parallel that can be closely linked to the evolution of technology. The details of this evolution would make a great series of posts – for another time, and most likely, another writer.

When I finally arrived at the party, social media was already in full swing. Anybody who was somebody, or wanted to pretend, was on social media. According to all of the business gurus I consulted when I embarked on my entrepreneurial quest, I needed to hurry up and get with the program or get left behind in the social dust.

I hate to admit this, but I was more than a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of social media communities, and all of the clamoring voices in them. There was LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, Google+, and dozens more. So, I took my time and considered my options.

I posted my first Tweet in December, 2012. That was well over a year ago. I don’t remember what, exactly, prompted me to select this chirpy little bird group over the others. Perhaps it was because tweeting seemed to offer the path of least resistance. Perhaps it was because this group appeared to be less intrusive. Perhaps I landed on someone’s Twitter page and something caught my eye, prompting me to drop back in on occasion just to see what random people were saying, and they were saying plenty. It took almost a year to make the decision to build my own little nest in Twitterville. Moving into a new neighborhood is a big deal.

Like so many of the things I do, and because that’s how my creative mind works, I decided to do it my way on Twitter. I was curious to see what would happen if I just posted a few tweets now and then about nothing in particular. I nearly fell over laughing when I saw that insurance commercial featuring Beatrice and her friends discussing the pictures she had posted on her wall. That is so me – doing it my way.

I’m sure my handful of Twitter followers would love to tell me, “That’s not how it works. That’s not how any of this works.” I hear you, and don’t worry, I’m not going to ‘unfriend you’ for telling the truth. Just don’t expect to see any significant change looming on the horizon.

For me, Twitter offers a way to be social on my terms, and on my schedule. If I’m in the mood, I am, if not, I’m not. Is that bad? Because I really don’t think I’m alone in this. I recall reading a tweet a while back referencing a report that 44% of Twitter accounts have never sent a tweet. It’s hard to believe there are that many people out there who are less social than I am…

A bubbly social-type once told me, “You need to get out more and make friends.” My response to that was, “I don’t make my friends, I accept them, and they accept me.” This practice has served me well in the past, I’m going to stick with it.

Meanwhile, thanks for accepting me dear Twitter friends
— what? I never said I wasn’t human, just a little asocial…