I was asked recently why I’m on Twitter.  It’s all about serendipity.

The metaphor that I use to describe Twitter is that it’s a neverending cocktail party that’s full of people I like.  Just like a large cocktail party, there’s lots of different conversations going on at once.  You can participate in them, or not, as the mood strikes.  And, just like a cocktail party, the topics of the conversations vary widely.  There’s always someone talking politics, there’s always someone sharing something banal about their life, and there’s always someone talking shop.

Likewise, as at a cocktail party, it’s okay to leave to go get some fresh air.  I don’t think that anyone expects that you’ll read every single tweet.  I certainly don’t expect it, nor do I read everything.  I ignore Twitter with aplomb and have no guilt whatsoever.  After I’ve gotten my fresh air, I can come back into the cocktail party, and it will have continued on just fine without me.

Twitter is great for serendipity.  I’ve randomly learned that a friend is nearby, so we’ve taken advantage of the proximity to grab a coffee and catch up.  I’ve helped answer questions that I’ve noticed, helping someone else out.  I’ve had someone find me at a conference to thank me for my assistance.  It’s all good.

I had another example of that kind of serendipity late last week.  One of my VMware colleagues, who I haven’t yet met, tweeted that he was out in the field helping out with a vCloud Director installation.  This is perfect timing: I’m in the midst of some longitudinal research, and wanted to add a vCloud Director customer to that effort.  I sent off an email, and received a lightning-fast response from him.  He’s happy that someone in the company saw his tweet and reached out to him, I’m happy that it looks like I’m going to fill a need (and improve my research too!).

And this, this is why I tweet.  Yes, I admit, I’ve tweeted about cats, cocktails, and the coast.  I’ve also tweeted about projects I’m working on, like Horizon.  It all comes together in one big tweetstream that represents who I am, and hopefully will continue to create serendipity.