You know, I'm not a geek. I clearly remember facing my new IBM desktop computer years ago and trying to figure out what "boot" meant.
I am rarely an early adopter, but I am frequently a late enthusiast. Recently that enthusiasm has been Twitter.
I saw the buzz about Shel Israel's (@shelisrael) Twitterville, looked at the bright blue cover on Amazon, and decided I had to have the book. Once in hand, I ate it up quickly...in fact couldn't put it down. Here's why:
Twitterville is personal
Shel avoids the "curse of knowledge" that bedevils many social media experts. The curse of knowledge is from Made to Stick by Dan and Chip Heath. It refers to the fact that most of us, once we know something, can no longer remember what it was like not to know. Thus, we have trouble explaining what we know to beginners.
Shel starts with his own experience with Twitter...not when he began to use it, but the moment he realized its true power. That moment was not about marketing or customer relations. It was when a student, James Buck, was arrested in Egypt in the spring of 2008 and managed to tweet from his jail cell. Shel saw the tweet, and was one of many who retweeted it. That short tweet, simply "Arrested," led to a series of efforts by people on Twitter to get Buck out of prison in very short time. Buck tweeted later, "Free."
That story grabbed me, just as Buck's message grabbed Shel, and propelled me right through Twitterville.
Twitterville explains Twitter in plain English.
From the simplicity of the title to the humorous Tweets that pepper the text, Shel keeps Twitterville simple without talking down to us. Shel likens Twitter to the telephone, then to a blog. He contrasts broadcast with conversations, how Twitter runs on generosity, compares Twitter's community to a small town, talks about geography and global neighborhoods. At one point, Shel compares Twitter to a neighborhood pub, and we can imagine being in one, having a chat over a beer. I don't think he mentions "analytics" anywhere.
Twitterville provides historical context.
Shel recounts the history of Twitter and of social media in general. He takes his time and goes back to the beginning, using anecdotes and stories to let the Twitter history roll out. Learning the detours, the strokes of luck, the dumb mistakes, and the sheer goofiness that accompanies discoveries and startups is fun and engaging. Since the Twitter story is so new, learning its short history makes me feels like I am a part of that history now. When I tweet, I'm adding to it.
Twitterville features people learning how to use Twitter.
What is so cool about all these stories is that Shel used Twitter to generate most of them. He used Twitter to research Twitter. The amazingly candid stories, really little dramas, are all great examples of what to do, what not to do, and of the thought processes people have used as they approached this, sometimes bewildering, new tool.
Even though the subtitle of Twitterville is "How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods," it is not just about how business uses Twitter. Besides stories about the likes of Dell, Zappos, and The Coffe Groundz, Shel has included examples from individuals (Personal Branding), journalism (Braided Journalism), government (Conversations with Constituents), and nonprofits (Goodwill Fund-raising).
It was the last one that interested me most because that is my niche. Shel tells about Beth Kanter's (@kanter) work with Cambodian organizations, and how she broke new ground with personal fundraising on Twitter. There is the story of the Frozen Pea Fund that raises money for breast cancer research; Tweetsgiving that built a school in Tanzania; and the renowned Twestival, held earlier this year to raise money for charity:water.
Twitterville encourages beginners.
Shel reassures us that, "Most people in Twitterville tend to be friendly, helpful, and forgiving to newcomers who may be confused or make an occasional gaffe." He provides tips for those of us who are still new, while providing a glimpse of the darker side of Twitter and how to deal with it.
Right to the end, Shel keeps Twitterville at human scale. He speaks of clans, neighborhoods, family, and conversations. Like a friendly neighbor, he quells the reader's fears, provides an easy-to-follow road map, and suggests that this new age of conversation is a really good thing.
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