Oh yummy, a nice big slice of humble pie dished up for me by the kind editors of Inc Magazine and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone!
What can I say, I gave up wheat in January and the detox process may have impaired my good judgment when it comes to thinking before spewing off my opinion in a snarky tirade.
It all began with an intense back and forth with the Tweeples on proper Twitter terminology.
We Tweet… or do we Twitter?
Are you Tweeting… or are you Twittering?
Maybe you’re rolling your eyes wondering “Who cares?” but it REALLY mattered to me one day in March as I was reading a short article in Inc Magazine titled “We Asked, You Twittered”.
I was appalled at their use of Twitter as a verb, as anyone detoxing from wheat who has a slight obsession with Twitter and advocates for the cause for Tweet as a verb. It was the perfect storm…
I don’t know what got into me, but I became inebriated with the illusion of being right, making it a point to aggressively advocate for the Tweet as a verb camp.
I ran over to my computer, fired off what I thought was a witty (albeit sarcastic) note to Inc Magazine. Sarcastic wit matched with self righteousness is never a good combination. I wrote:
Calling your story “We Asked, You Twittered” [March] was like Alice on the Brady Bunch waving a peace sign to Marcia and Greg- not a lot of street cred.
I was so taken aback with Bradymania, my good sense became blindsided. I could have taken a journalistic turn for the better at this point by stating this was merely my opinion and one shared by hordes of Tweeters, but the evil snarky shadow self I reserve only for people who cut me off on the freeways and threaten my offspring came out full force.
I decided to speak not just for myself and those who share my opinion, I chose to speak on behalf of the TENS OF MILLIONS of Twitter users.
Yeah, big shoes to fill and perfectly poised for the ultimate takedown as I continued:
In the Twitterverse, we “tweet” about things; we don’t “Twitter” about subjects.
Like I went to college and majored in Twitter terminology, right? Just wait it gets better. I could have stopped there, already having dragged the ever-loving Ann B. Davis in the mix. But not only do I want to prove myself to be the school marm of Twitter, I now take Inc Magazine over my knee for a good spanking:
I realize that the world of Web 2.0 terminologies moves fast, but for a magazine purporting to be on the cutting edge, it’s important to get the lingo down.
(It seemed so apparent they needed help in understanding Twitter, especially after I checked their Twitter profile and it was anemic in its numbers. But that will be for another post, I’m still unraveling my own personal train wreck.)
They responded by flipping me over and pinning me to the mat:
We decided to check directly with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone on this pressing matter.
Oh crap, I think as I read this. Those f***ers! Why didn’t I think to consult the source? Having a Chris Farley meets Paul McCartney moment. The rebuttal continues:
Stone responded in an email:
“Ultimately, whatever gets used more will probably win out, but twittering is the verb that refers to the act of creating a tweet, which is the noun. However you may catch me tweeting one day so don’t hold me to that!”
Do you love what a stand up guy Biz is? Not wanting to get in the jargon wars, he took the high road and was probably thinking “Why are they asking me stupid questions when I have a web phenomenon on my plate?”
So what have I learned as I reach for a toothpick to get the final bits of crow feathers out from my smile?
Words aren’t worth fighting over. Me, a writer and reformed English teacher should know better. I’m a lover, not a fighter. Let’s all just get along, OK?
New stance: I’m Pro-Tweeting, not Anti-Twittering.
My publicist pal Shannon Cherry suggested I start a Tweet is a Verb movement and carry on the crusade.
I may do that, but first I am going to get a doggy bag for this yummy piece of humble pie in the hopes that my unchecked self-will can remember the lessons of Tweeting, Twittering, and firing off emails before acknowledging the whole sprectrum of opinions.
About Nancy Marmolejo
