I think of Twitter the same way you describe it – a place I can connect without worrying about developing friendships. I've been lucky to actually have some friendships start but some of those developed only after I connected with them on another social network (for many of them, Plurk).

I guess the real reason I wrote this was because most of the folks I'm connecting with are not in Birmingham, so it's the only way I can connect with real friends – virtually. Those that get to look in the window aren't necessarily looking for friendships and that's fine – for them. I'm trying to figure just what else has to happen to have some more meaningful connections in person here instead of relying on more trips to find them away from home…

Tough thing to grapple with I guess.

When I signed on to Twitter the first time (I guess two years ago?) I wasn't sure how I'd use it. I remember tweeting the entire Sheryl Crow concert, not knowing who the heck was reading my tweets. When I decided to use Twitter more fully, it was first to connect with other Methodist thinkers (I'm Methodist and I think a lot–therefore I'm a Methodist thinker). Then I realized I could connect with other people, and then with people who lived in my area. And that is how I connected with people whose ideas I respect and who are fun to talk to (the few times a month I actually see them in person).

Where FB became a place to keep up and catch up with people, Twitter has become my avenue to actually meeting new people who have the potential to be actual friends (and if they don't, that's okay, I can handle being “connected” to some people without developing a deep friendship).

I'm still worried about the rest of the folks who either I don't reach out to or who don't reach out to me who happen to decide to add as a friend. Friendships always take work and maybe this is a passive approach for some (though obviously not for others).