Twittering Tweetish Twurts

This week in class Tyler and Kat led a fantastic discussion on groups. During the discussion, we did an icebreaker where we held sticks and passed them along to others who were next to us in the circle. I think this is a great representation of group process. When we passed the sticks to others, we had to make sure that the sticks would stay up long enough for the others to catch them. If one person did not do this, then the whole group would fail. In addition, we had to focus on the task at hand. If we did not do so, then the sticks would fall and the goal wouldn’t pan out as well. Finally, when we upped the stakes by tossing the sticks to one another, this became representative of the stakes being upped in a group. We had to try harder just as one would have to in a group. In the end, groups require effort, communication, and teamwork or else goals will not be met.

This week was also social media week. I am already a strong tweeter, so I did not have to change my ways much. However, I did notice some of my fellow Hixsons say that they were going to block their tweets again when the week ended. I never understood the reasons for blocking tweets. I’ve always figured that Twitter was meant for random, odd people following you, and blocking your twitter seems to negate that purpose. If you want to follow only people you know, then isn’t that the purpose of Facebook? Still, I feel a learned quite a bit about my fellow mentors. They are a talkative and reflective bunch, and I feel this was a great bonding experience for all involved. The negative side of Twitter is that it is incredibly easy to post something that you may wish you hadn’t posted. For example, I’m sure that the students who posted the negative comments about the Kansas-Iowa State basketball game wish they could take back what they said. These students are a reminder that the whole world can read your tweets, and they are judging you for what you say. This includes your future boss. Perhaps the people who block their tweets have a point. Your future boss cannot read your tweets if he cannot see them. Still, it is important to remember that your tweets are visible to some people, and you should always be aware that what you say has meaning and can affect you in the future.