Thread by @jmikolay

I joined Twitter 11 years ago today. In the first ten years I tweeted 100 times. In the last six months I've tweeted seven times that much.

Tweeting is outside my comfort zone, but I've learned more about it by participating than I ever did consuming.

A few reflections👇

For years I didn't compose tweets because I didn't want to accidentally send one when I pressed ENTER.

Hitting ENTER doesn't send the tweet. I could've learned that in two seconds but sometimes we're paralyzed by the small things.

For those of us newly participating, one of the best things about Twitter is its asymmetry. I may not have many followers, but I can interact with people every time they tweet.

Sending a reply is more powerful than sending a tweet.

Two weeks ago I wrote to an acquaintance who has 50k followers. I said I agreed with her tweets in recent weeks.

She replied, "That's good to hear. I feel like I'm yelling into the abyss."

Tweeting can feel like shouting into the void, but it helps me discover what I think.

For years I resented how some people tweeted about whatever came into their head. Sometimes I didn't tweet because I thought other people would think the same thing about me.

Now I think life's too short for that. Share thoughts and opinions. You never know what will resonate.

It's also been rewarding to learn from people and start a conversation. People who've never met each other in real life can introduce each other to a realm of new people and ideas.

@visualizevalue and @behaviorgap make opportunities for others.

Yesterday three prolific writers/thinkers liked one of my tweets. It felt fun to be in the same stream of thought with them, sharing and exchanging ideas.

Building on each other's ideas is what Twitter is about.