To tweet or not to tweet
The other day I spoke at a conference for the leading bloggers in Norway.
It was a little unnerving. Bloggers are a pretty fast bunch, so singing the praises of Slow to them felt like barbecuing a steak at a vegan retreat.
From the stage, I could see laptop screens glowing in the dark. An iPhone rang. Members of the audience tweeted my talk, their dispatches scrolling down a large screen behind me. In Norwegian.
Even so, the Slow message seemed to go down well. I was not booed, heckled or pelted with tomatoes. Okay, someone tweeted that I reminded him of Quentin Tarantino. But given the high geek content in the room, I’m going to take that as a compliment.
The surest sign that the Slow philosophy made sense to those Norwegian bloggers is that several of them will soon be blogging on Slow Planet.
But the conference left a mark on me, too. I lost my Twitter virginity there. I decided that the only way to balance all the tweets about me was to start tweeting back.
So what do I make of Twitter? It’s a question put to me a lot by journalists these days. My view is that, like all technology, Twitter is neither good nor bad. What matters is how we use it.
Twitter can be a fun, enriching and provocative way to air views and connect with people. It can even reshape the political landscape, as we’ve seen during the protests in Iran. Sometimes a heat-of-the-moment 140-character missive is just the ticket.
But I think Twitter is best enjoyed as part of a balanced diet. In other words, it should complement – rather than replace – other forms of communication.
The trouble is that it can be very tempting to do everything at the speed of a tweet. And I mean everything.
Two university students are now reducing some of the greatest works of English literature, such as James Joyce’s Ulysses, to 140-character tweets.
This strikes me as an amusing parlour game that might inspire some people to read the original books in their entirety. It might even add to our understanding of the English canon.
But it also plays into the cultural pressure to reduce all communication to high-speed sound bytes.
Already, research shows that millions of people are no longer bothering to update their blogs. Why? Because blogging is now too slow. It’s much easier (and quicker) to type a short update on Facebook or to fire of a tweet.
If the Slow revolution stands for anything, it stands for doing everything at the right speed. And that principle holds true for communication. There are times for a shoot-from-the-hip tweet, but there are also times for more reflective – or slower – forms of communication.
I’ll tweet from time to time when it feels right. But I’ll also continue writing blogs, emails, articles and even books.
If you want to follow my tweets, my username is carlhonore.
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I’m a blogger and a friend of Thomas Moen, and I was helping him at BloggCamp (doing the audio and lighting during the talks, to be precise). I watched your talk from the technicians booth at Kick, and I was very impressed. You managed to keep it simple and understandable, and you spoke in a manner that the audience could relate to, be it the young hip bloggers, or the slightly older and ’wise’ bloggers.
Don’t worry about people not laughing, it’s this strange Norwegian custom to not laugh during conference talks sometimes. I’ve yet to find a person that didn’t find your talk both fascinating, relevant and quite funny (at times). The whole philosophy of Slow is very interesting, and I’m hoping to get my hands on your book soon. Your talk convinced me of the value of slowing down.
Comment by Even
— June 27, 2009 @ 8:07 am
Hi Even, Glad to hear everyone enjoyed the talk. It is odd when people don’t laugh, and I’d been warned to expect that anyway. It helped that there was one guy sitting near the front who laughed uproariously at all of my jokes.
Maybe he was Danish…
Hope you enjoy the book.
And that you have a very slow summer (in a good way).
Comment by Carl Honoré
— June 30, 2009 @ 5:19 am
You have the rare ability to speak AND write well. Bravo!
I am also so glad to know you are on Twitter, Carl. I have found a nice blend of fast tweets and slow posts to be the right balance. And the cool news is you can tweet your blog post links automatically via Twitterfeed.com. I may be letting the geek in me hang too far out, but let me know if you need a quick intro. Oh, and I’m @hohlbaum.
Comment by Christine Hohlbaum
— June 30, 2009 @ 7:56 am
I enjoyed your book very much and plan to get my wife to read it and there in lies the problem - what to do when ONE parent is the worrier and the helicoptering kind and the other isn’t? This is not to say that I am perfect by any means but I did have two strong parents growing up and my wife had a divorced dysfunctional home as a kid - so thus she tends to over parent our kids like she is trying to make up for what she did NOT have - and you hit it on the head with the lack of confidence - she second guesses everything and I follow my instincts - which (not always right) but most of the time they are. I do believe if you have a strong foundation it is better to parent from the gut as opposed to trying to memorize power points from parenting books.
Comment by Mark
— June 30, 2009 @ 12:57 pm
Hi Mark, Very glad that Under Pressure struck a chord. It is very hard when two parents hold sharply different views on child-rearing. You were lucky to get that strong foundation from the start. Maybe the only way forward is to lead by example, which might help your wife build her own confidence.
Instinct over parenting manuals any day of the week….
Comment by Carl Honoré 95.177.28.66 not found — July 2, 2009 @ 2:10 am
Hello Carl
I was introduced to http://www.ted.com today and watched your talk on slowindg down. The whole concept resonates with me.
I am just about to start a blog myself and was wondering about the twitter side of things. I felt that it was going to be too much pressure, so, listening to you and reading your posts has helped me make up my mind not to go down that path. Twittering seems like a frantic way to keep in touch.
I was interested to read how you researched for your book Under Pressure. I wonder if you could provide some tips on how to go about writing a book? This is something I have always wanted to do. You researched for 2years? Was this a deadline you gave yourself? Do you start of with a plan or simply gather as much information on the topic as possible and then sort it out when you get home?
You have a very nice style to your talks.
I’ll be sure to bookmark your site and visit often.
All the best from downunder!
Jaine R
Comment by Jaine Ramanauskas
— July 6, 2009 @ 9:05 pm
Hi Jaine, I feel a bit weird about that TED talk. It was one of the first speeches I ever gave and I was still learning the craft. It feels very rough and unpolished to me. And having it up on the Web is like having the rough draft of a book posted online for all to see. Or like having someone walking in you when you’re half-dressed. Still, people seem to like it so maybe it’s not the end of the world…
Writing a book is a slow business. Or it should be. You need to let things percolate over time. I didn’t actually research Under Pressure for two years - that’s probably the time it took me from start to finish, including all the writing and editing. The bottom line is: don’t rush it.
And start with a plan - though be ready to alter it as you go along.
Good luck!!
Comment by Carl Honoré 95.177.28.66 not found — July 7, 2009 @ 4:26 am
While on a deeply needed vacation in Montreal last week, bought and read “In Praise of…” and wanted to thank you for it.
The presentation of the philosophy, combined with a writing style that’s elegant and witty, made for a delightful (and useful, provocative, and challenging) read. I am thinking carefully about how to incorporate more of these principles into my life (I live in an urban center, work all day with people in distress and people in conflict, and am very much involved with my elderly parents who live nearby; miss being able to pace life more comfortably, to be able to spend time with friends more leisurely, etc), and into my presence with those with whom I work.
Comment by Jon Richard
— July 9, 2009 @ 9:52 am
Hello Carl,
I sent this message by email, but to the very point of your blog I am thinking that perhaps responding to a blog is a better (faster?) way to reach you.I was so moved when I first read your book. Now I find myself at the helm of a company whose premise is rooted in slow design – selling the work of craftspeople and artists whose very being is slow. Individually creating or crafting items to live with goes against the grain of the fast world; living with handmade work provides an antidote. I am wondering if you have done work around Slow Design?
Comment by Lisa Bayne
— July 9, 2009 @ 1:39 pm
Hi Lisa, Glad to hear In Praise struck a chord. Yes, I’ve been doing a lot of speaking and writing on Slow Design, which has really taken off recently. Will write more to you via email….
Comment by Carl Honoré 95.177.28.66 not found — July 10, 2009 @ 2:59 am
Hi Carl,
It seems even mental health is not safe from the culture of accelleration - this link on ’speed-shrinking’ at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/nyregion/31therapy.html?_r=1&hpw sends shudders down my spine.
Comment by Simon Rogers
— August 31, 2009 @ 7:01 am
I am and have been a counselor at a school for kids with language based learning disabilities. I have often thought about the unnecessary paressure that we put our kids under. Thank you so much for your wonderful book “Under Pressure” I have already reccommended it to some parents and I will continue to do so. Well done! Jik kent counselor landmark school. prides crossing massachusetts.
Comment by jim
— August 31, 2009 @ 9:38 am
CARL HOLA! TE ESCRIBO EN CASTELLANO PORQUE SÉ QUE ENTENDÉS. EN ALGUNA OPORTUNIDAD TE ESCRIBÍ, SOY FONOAUDIÓLOGA DE LA ASOCIACIÓN ARGENTINA DE TARTAMUDEZ (AAT), LEÍ TUS LIBROS Y ADHIERO TOTALMENTE, REFLEXIONO SOBRE ELLOS Y LOS RELEO SIEMPRE. ADEMÁS LOS UTILIZO COMO MATERIAL DE TRABAJO EN CONSULTORIO CON PACIENTES DISFLUENTES.
TE CUENTO QUE ARGENTINA FUE ELEGIDA COMO SEDE DEL CONGRESO MUNDIAL DE DISFLUENCIA Y ENCUENTO DE PERSONAS QUE TARTAMUDEAN EN 2011 (LA AAT ORGANIZA DICHO EVENTO, CON MUCHO ESFUERZO). LA INTERNATIONAL STUTTERING ASSOCIATION (ISA) NOS ELIGIÓ COMO INSTITUCIÓN.
TE PROPONGO LA IDEA QUE VENGAS A DAR TU TESTIMONIO Y CONTARNOS SOBRE TUS LIBROS SI LO DESEÁS, SERÍA EN MAYO 2011, FECHA A CONFIRMAR (EN FIN, TODO A CONFIRMAR).
SOLO QUIERO SABER SI TE INTERESA LA IDEA Y ESTARÍAS DISPUESTO, PARA NOSOTROS SERÍA UN HONOR TENERTE EN EL CONGRESO (VENDRÁN PERSONAS DE EUROPA, AMÉRICA Y TODO EL MUNDO). NOS COMUNICAMOS, GRACIAS! JULIETA
Comment by JULIETA
— September 21, 2009 @ 7:50 pm
Hola, Julieta. Mil gracias por tu mail. Y por la invitación! Me interesa mucho. Te escribo directamente por mail…Un abrazo desde un Londres de lluvia, Carl…..PD: Acabo de mandarte un mail y me rebotó! Tenés otra dirección email?
Comment by Carl Honoré
— September 22, 2009 @ 1:29 am
SÍ CARL, AHÍ TE ESCRIBÍ OTRA DIRECCIÓN DE MAIL. ES LA PERSONAL.
MI ESPOSO ESTÁ EN LONDRES POR TRABAJO EN ESTOS DÍAS, ASÍ QUE SI NECESITÁS QUE TE ACERQUE INFORMACIÓN, DECIME Y TE LA ACERCA.
UN AFECTUOSO SALUDO Y SI ESTO SE CONCRETA VOY A ESTAR FELÍZ, NO SABÉS CUÁNTO… JULIETA
Comment by JULIETA 186.18.124.7 not found — September 23, 2009 @ 11:37 am
Great stuff, Carl. Good for you for helping to encourage lots of folks to slow down for a moment and think about what they’re doing, and why. You’re contributing something quite valuable to the conversation.
Comment by John Ettorre
— October 6, 2009 @ 2:28 pm
No te conozco, pero espero poder hacerlo a través de tus libros, con la gran expectativa que puedas darme a través de ellos la solució que necesito para mi.
Desde ya agradecida de que expongas con tanto espíritu, esta que puede ser (deberia) el nuevo camino de vida.
Gracias!
Comment by Angie
— October 8, 2009 @ 4:01 pm
Gracias por su mensaje, Angie. Espero que los libros la ayuden. Buena lectura!
Comment by Carl Honoré
— October 12, 2009 @ 10:34 am
Hi Carl, we wanted to know if you could help us, in case the mail doesnt get you here is my mail… I hope you really could help us, WOULD BE EXCELLENT
Comment by Natasha
— October 15, 2009 @ 6:28 pm
Carl,
Thank you so much for “In Praise of Slowness”.
This is one of a very few books that have inspired me to make actual concrete changes in the way I live my life.
Rivka Schmell-Meister
Israel
Comment by Rivka
— October 18, 2009 @ 2:39 am
Hi Carl
Not sure if u check back to old posts’ comments, but, just in case…..
considering the content of your posting, isn’t it funny how your recent posts here are kinda twitter/facebook length?
(Btw just in case u’r wondering, I do like your work and notions, I’m just probing a bit as I’m sure the answers will be interesting)
Ollie
Comment by ollie 109.79.57.27 not found — July 27, 2010 @ 5:30 pm