Continuing yesterday's post on things I've learned about Twitter. (Again, this is purely ONE person's observations; what I get out if it might not be the same for you.)Following someone means you'll see their tweets. However, if follower A is chatting with Follower B, and they 'reply' to one another, unless you're following both, you'll only see one side of the conversation. There's a little icon in TweetDeck that will let you see what follower A is responding to, if you're really intrigued.
What I don't understand is the people who tweet, "I've just unfollowed everyone who isn't following me." Or "If you don't follow back, I won't follow you." I don't get that. Do I really care who follows me? Unlike Facebook, which has a ceiling for friends, Twitter doesn't. My take: anyone who wants to follow me can follow me. If you require I reciprocate, well…then don't follow me. You won't hurt my feelings. Pet peeve: people I follow who spend most of their time in what should be private conversations between the same 2 or 3 people. I have a separate list for these; they're worth keeping because they also provide good content.
Kathy Bennett has been a Los Angeles Police Officer for over twenty years, with most of her career spent working the streets of L.A. Most people see police officers as a badge and uniform. Today, Kathy gives us insight into how, even off-duty, police officers have to limit their public exposure.(Note: Kathy is not only out of town, but had a virus attack her computer. She's promised to check in whenever she can, so feel free to post comments, ask questions, and be your usual friendly selves.)
I’ve been a Los Angeles Police Officer for more than twenty years. I’d wanted to be, not just any cop, but an LAPD officer from the time I was twelve. Wearing the badge and uniform of the LAPD was a dream – and one, quite frankly, I wasn’t sure I’d achieve. I’m not the biggest, strongest, or even a remotely athletic female. But what I do possess is a strong determination. A trait my husband likes to call my stubborn streak. That resilience served me well in my Academy training where my physical endurance was put to the test daily. Another quality I’m blessed with, is a strong sense of opinion. I’ve got views on almost everything; and depending on how well I know you, you might hear some of them. But one thing I hadn’t considered in becoming an officer, nor was I prepared for in starting my career, was the way I’d have to censor my opinions.Oh, I’d expected that when I was in uniform I’d have to put aside my personal beliefs when dealing with the public. But what about when I’m off-duty? It seems reasonable I should be able to talk to friends, neighbors and say whatever the heck I’d like, right? Hold that thought for a minute.
What I'm reading: Death Watch, by John SandfordThanks, Susan for your thought-provoking post yesterday, and good luck with writing the book. I hope you do.
We had our first non-family guests the other day—a colleague of both mine and my husband's from my marine mammal conference days, his wife and his mother. They were interested in my writing and asked if they could buy a book, and if I'd autograph it. (No brainer, eh?). But what one said when I signed their books surprised me. She said she probably wouldn't get around to reading it, but she thought it was special to have a book signed by someone she knew.(Reality intervenes here—while I'd like her to read the book, and like it enough to recommend it to others and maybe even buy another one, I took her money without hesitating.)One thing I learned was that although writers are very supportive of each other, you can't expect reciprocity. When I first joined my local RWA chapter, authors would show off their new releases, and I'd gladly buy them, regardless of sub-genre, because these were my immediate writing colleagues. It didn't really matter that I probably wouldn't have picked up their books if I didn't know them personally.
