And, in order to know of this previously existing debate I will have had to be a part of the sphere, investing the time to do that, which I have an inexplicable aversion to because of the un-form-able question.

So yeah.

I guess it’s time for bed!

Following people in social media is like trying to define your information filter. Two apps that I use for this filtering are google reader and friendfeed. The people I follow give me some information that I would normally not see as I do not want to read some blogs all the time. For example, I read Jesse Stay’s reader shares because of the Facebook information, and Mike Fruchter shares good marketing information. If I did not follow them, how do I know how to find good information on these topics besides a generic google search? This prefiltering is fantastic when you start moving away from your normal area of interest.

Granted, this is an “insider” opinion, so the best answer probably lies somewhere between mine and yours.

Maybe it’s just not my “cup of tea” so to speak, but social media seems to be a kind of simulacrum of meaningful social interaction that people take entirely too seriously.

Look at Ijustine though and rather than address every single user by name she speaks to them as a group, more as an speaker.

They’re two very different styles that give people two very different feelings as to how twitter should be used.

Of course after that there are the smaller minds, the individuals in effect. They are not recognised yet but may be conversational. As a result of this you’ve got a nice dialogue that can form and future collaborations are possible. That’s not the only aim of course.

I find it interesting to avoid following the biggest names, and focus on those that focus on us. We get more out of the process.