I cannot really get this out of my head, just like the need to put up a high-speed internet connection at home: unless I write and share about it. Yes, another blogging issue for me if I may. Simply put it: Blogging rant.
Have you experienced being told to shut up on Twitter? No, this is not a direct message that is confined between the privacy of the two of you and to hell with everyone else if you both will do a fist fight or a word war.
Being told to shut up on the public timeline of Twitter and be told to twit twit twit this more worthy stuff than twitting crap?
Sounds nasty isn’t it? Yes it is.
Shut Up And Twit These Stuffs Instead
It happened two weeks ago while Typhoon Ondoy was wrecking havoc on Metro Manila and on many parts of Luzon. Yes, I was tweeting during that time braving the heavy rains and some flooding near our area. Good thing I have my own rubber boat. What was I tweeting?
Obviously I was tweeting my posts and my thoughts and all, like “Oh my goodness, when will this heavy rain stop?” and “Crocs on the Loose” and “Darn, I am so tired”…etc. And it is no accident for me to tweet socio-political issues and ideas nor was I just trying to piss off some very serious people out there while other Filipinos were drowning and wet and hungry and holding on to dear life. Was it like rubbing salt to bleeding wound?
Out of nowhere a stranger (a stranger in the most literal sense that made me ask myself why in the world have I followed this guy in the first place) twitted me saying: “Dude you should stop tweeting political stuffs. Tweets better used for info dissemination on typhoon right now. Seriously.”
Huwaaat??? Are you serious? Ok, I see it, you are.
I totally understand the predicament of this guy who tweeted me from somewhere. Maybe he was very very upset over what has happened with the flooding here and there and all the destruction in brought the metropolis.
But hey, you tweeted that on the public timeline. It was like it also rained on me so hard.
What to Do Someone Told You to Shut Up on Twitter
I tried to keep myself all calm and tried to re-read his message over and over again. Letter and words all in my brain. And after so many times of reading the message trying to confirm what I thought of, I still ended up thinking that he indeed crossed the border.
Here is how I handled the particular blogging issue:
1. Tried to re-read the message if it was indeed offending, or that he said some truth, or I was just carried away by my excitement to get back at someone who tried to tell me to shut up and twit these kinds of stuffs instead.
2. I asked another blogging buddy to examine the message if it was indeed offending. It is better sometimes to ask someone who is impartial to tell you of what he thinks on blogging issues. I just hope that blogging buddy I asked to assess the message was indeed impartial. *wink* And what makes this step more important is your BBFs (Blogging BestFriends) could also share some thoughts on how to easily handle these kinds of crazy stuffs.
3. When your blogging buddy told you his opinion it is now up to you to decide if you are to launch your warheads right to the direction of that nasty guy or just let is pass by as if nothing happened. Will you defend yourself against the accusations of this man or cut off the cheap online relationship? Or was he worth keeping?
4. As for me, I felt offended for he has no right to tell me what to say and not to say; he has no right to twit that for the whole damn world to know; and he does not know nor even read what is the content and context of my posts. He could have recommended on me to tweet those things that he wanted me to say on Twitter, that would have been all so fine but he choose to bully me outright. If I was not tweeting every second infos about the typhoon the, does that I mean I care less about the plight of our fellow Filipinos who were suffering the typhoon’s fury?
And it was the same thing that my BBF told me so I had to immediately cut short the shallow Twitter relationship. I immediately unfollowed the guy and cut off all relationships with him on other social networks. So that ended up our little online romance when he proposed to me to shut up. Hey, I am paid by speaking up.
It does not hurt anyway to unfollow people you do not really know and just makes your twitter counter bloated with uninteresting strangers. Unless this is a very close blogging buddy, I will certainly think twice of cutting off the Twitter relationship. I would rather trade barbs and show my punching power, for in the end it will just be a painful process of pruning and strengthening our friendship; than to totally cut off the friendship.
Blogging Issue Again? And more?
Well, blogging is a place full of issues, intrigues and nasty people. But don’t get all too afraid. The great, talented, happy and helpful people outnumber those who cannot live up what their mommas taught them during their younger years.
When confronted with blogging issues? Be calm. (Yes Bros, I now learned this rare blogging virtue). And consult other blogging buddies especially those who could be called “pros”, “veterans” or “more experienced” for their wisdom if you are uncertain on how to handle such irritating issues. Then, decide.
But certainly, never stop from blogging. There will be more of this kind of issue as you go along on your blogging endeavor; but at that time, you are already a “pro” by your own right.
On to you now guys. Have you experienced being told not to tweet what you are tweeting on the public timeline of Twitter and look tweet for some more worthy stuffs? How did you or would you handle such incidents and blogging issues?
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jan geronimo (10)
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MinnieRunner (6)
yatot
5 months ago
if you have been reading twitter’s TOS, it is stated there that all of our tweets are in our possession… meaning they are OURS! so whatever we tweet on twitter, we have the right and the prerogative to write whatever we like things we would like to twit… regarding this issue, i think, no one has the right to manipulate us or perhaps confront us or even censor us in whatever things we tweet… like, hey… this is a free-blogging country / world, isn’t it? we can say, do, blog and even tweet whatever things that we want to express… i am guessing that someone will mention here that there is no absolute freedom… but then again, freedom is abstract and relative… you cannot really describe freedom, in this case, freedom of expression, because its, like i said, abstract and relative… i hope that helps!
yatot´s last blog ..New images on the New Hubble Telescope! (Video)
elmot
5 months ago
Uy, you are back! Wow, kamusta ka na Bro?
I will agree Yatot. I am not pissed off when someone told me to stop what I do because of the fact that I can say whatever I want to say on Twitter so long I am not disrespecting anyone directly. It is because of the manner he told me.
I tried to scan his tweets and all that he was tweeting were stuffs, like, oh the flood on this street is this high, oh cars are all flooded, oh…oh come on, is that the way he wants me to tweet important infos to disseminate? Thank, no thanks.
Whatever, absolute freedom or non, the barometer is always respect. I guess he also tweeted all the hundreds of other guys tweeting about links of their posts and online businesses.
Does that mean that I care less about the plight of the victims just because I am tweeting some political commentaries which are by the way scheduled posts and tweets?
Gem
5 months ago
I think I know THE GUY WHO said that to you. I was one of those people in Twitter who was trying to help others during the Ondoy tragedy. During that time I devoted my tweets and my time to retweeting anything Ondoy. The reason why I was compelled to help: there were actually lots of Tweeters who were shouting for help at the height of the typhoon – yes, they were able to manage to tweet for as long as their cellphone and laptop signals and batteries are able to while being trapped inside their flooded houses! They were desperately crying for help!
As Yatot had said, the Twitter’s TOS does not really restrict us of what we say in Twitter. Even our country to where we live in doesn’t also restrict us in what we write on our blogs. But sometimes we need to “feel” what the community is up to: everyone had been telling each other to stop discussing politics and instead to do bayanihan during that time.
And I was one of those who gently reminded everyone that, but I did not do so individually. It was up to others who listen to my tweets/FB statuses whether they want to help out or not.
Gem´s last blog ..The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
elmot
5 months ago
Hi Gem! I agree that Twitter helped alot during that time, and I was also helping as much as possible by RT infos about numbers to contact and the likes.
But I am not totally happy when some others are just tweeting stuffs like chismis lang patungkol sa bagyo at sa suffering ng ibang tao.
And you said it right. There is no big fuss for me as to trying to take a break from all these political stuffs that some people has understood as simply non-sense politicking…it is just the manner to which someone who is by the way a total stranger to me sent that message for the whole world to see.
Knowing that some of my tweets especially about my posts are scheduled tweets…
Holly Jahangiri
5 months ago
Uh, yeah. Hurricane Ike “Off Topic” Only I guess you could say that I was the one obsessed with the storm and its aftermath. And of course, it’s a big country, the U.S., so not everyone was all that interested (you’d be amazed – I mean, one Typhoon can pretty much affect all of the Philippines, right? But we can have a Cat 4 hurricane here, and people in other states can remain, for the most part, blissfully unaware that it’s raining). So, yeah, I was told to move on, already – that Hurricane Ike was “off topic” in one of the forums I was frequenting at the time. And I had to concede that it probably WAS off topic for the majority of users. That’s why we blog, right?
Holly Jahangiri´s last blog ..Inspirational Thoughts and Stories from Bloggers All Over the World
elmot
5 months ago
U.S. a very big nation. And good thing you reminded me about that point. During the typhoon, it was not experienced here as much as the effects it brought other places. So after getting out from the office I went to nearby internet shop and did the tweeting (which reminds me I am always getting caught with typhoon everytime I go online on an internet shop). And at that time, I did not know the havoc that the typhoon has brought.
Anyways, I like what you said…that is why we blog. That is why I blog. Because most people here in our nation got so much stucked on watching telenovelas that they had forgotten to make the government and officials and all of us be accountable for all the lapses in institutional and individual efforts to protect whatever that has been given us.
And the only logical thing for me to do is to unfollow that person, especially when some of our friends told me that this guy has indeed crossed the line.
Monday News & Views | It's All a Matter of Perspective
5 months ago
[...] to STFU, or try to control what you say online? Elmot Lumot shares a recent experience in his post, Stop Tweeting Political Stuffs, Bro. Seriously. I couldn’t help but flash back to last year, when someone pointedly asked me to change the [...]
ceblogger
5 months ago
it’s like willie asking the network to stop showing the cory burial because he has a show which is supposed to be fun.
bad boy he is. but maybe he has good intentions.
ceblogger´s last blog ..Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) Experience: Of Badminton and Flooded Metro
elmot
5 months ago
Somewhat like indeed what Willie did on his show, that warranted him to go on leave…ehhehe
I was also thinking about that too bro, he may actually have good intentions…but the manner to which his “maybe good intentions” was done in bad taste.
That is where I find it problematic and offending.
Zorlone
5 months ago
Bro,
There are certain people who got carried away and let their emotions get the best of them, but for goodness sakes man, tweeting like that in a public timeline??? What the….!!!
Even if he knows you personally, it would have still been impolite and a disrespectful act to just tell acquaintances to shut up.
Z
Zorlone´s last blog ..A Call for Minds
elmot
5 months ago
Yes Bro, he tweeted on Twitter’s public timeline for everyone to read and leaving me in the bad light of other Twitter peepz perception.
Yeah, that is only a negative perception maybe that left me with on Twitter but that is all that we are building on the blogosphere especially with those that we do not even know.
Jhay
5 months ago
You should have not let that guy get under your skin so easily. So what if you were tweeting about political stuff when there were a lot more who were doing much more irrelevant things while typhoon Ondoy was battering Manila.
May mga tao lang talaga na kulang sa pansin.
Jhay´s last blog ..The awesome Relief Operations Volunteers of DLSUD
elmot
5 months ago
Kulang nga lang sa pansin un bro.
And when I looked at his tweets, his tweets were all I can also considered irrelevant.
Hay, many people are just so happy meddling on other people’s affairs… in short, loves to bully others.
I just replied that man courteously…I don’t want to have fist fight or word war with him, coz I discovered his message late and it was already on twitter hanging for hours.
jan geronimo
5 months ago
I hope you did not engage him in an argument over that. Of course you need to explain your side, but there’s a threshold beyond which it’s not fruitful anymore to explain your views. Some people just don’t know how to conduct proper discourse in the social media. Unfollowing is a good option. If the situation warrants it, block this user.
A Pinay college student directly sent me a message on Twitter that I was a spammer. Her reason? I was tweeting most links. My tweets were full of advertisements, her words. When I examined her time line I saw she asked other Pinoy tweeters if indeed I was a spammer.
At that point, I almost got mad. It wasn’t a wayward tweet at all. She’s tweeting her preconceived notion of what spamming in Twitter means. I replied evenly explaining why I was tweeting blog posts and how these were different from ads. She preempted me with, don’t block me now, I’m just asking you.
Suddenly I was answerable to a tweeter whose avatar displayed a scantily clad teenager? WTH. Before the hour was over she asked her apology. I checked her conversations. Apparently, those she asked told her my tweets were not spam.
Oddly enough, I did not unfollow her. Must because she apologized and did not tweet me again. But next time, I’d not be gracious.
jan geronimo´s last blog ..Speed Limit: 500 Words
elmot
5 months ago
That teen is maybe just having her “emo” moments, eheheh!
She never realized if you are his friend, you are going to tweet all her posts that she considered as spams, wahahhaha!
I did not trade barbs with that guy, it is all useless anyway. I just replied courteously and told him that I don’t have with me infos to tweet that he is expecting me to tweet. And he did not reply. So no apology, no whatever…and obviously, that gave me the clear signal as per your advice too to cut off being “friends” with him, if that is at all you can call an online friendship.
Next, I’d be not gracious too, ehehhehe!
Hey, you tweeted this post??? Oh, that is a spam, wahhahaha! But you are one generous and helpful spammer ehehhe!
Jena Isle
5 months ago
Hi Elmot, I would say people should have the simple common sense to know when to say something publicly or not. It’s a sign of respect for others. There are matters that when said correctly – even if the content is unpleasant – would be accepted graciously.
It is bad taste to tell someone to shut up in a public place, especially if that someone is just expressing what he/she truly feels. A DM should be the most appropriate thing to do.
Now, I’m curious about this person. Could you DM me, pls? lol
Jena Isle´s last blog ..Teaching Boys How to be Sensitive
elmot
5 months ago
Hi Mam! Indeed! What is problematic is, this common sense is now becoming very uncommon, LOL!
He should have sent me a DM, but he did not…oh, unless he does not know how to send a DM via Twitter…but I doubt that coz he is a computer programmer/web designer, ehehhehe!
That is one clue already! Hehhehehe! Now this becomes a guessing game here, ehehehhe!
I will DM you Mam, ehehhe! Juicy!
darbs
5 months ago
Bro. I should say, continue what you are doing. and since he made it public as what you said (twit-twit using twitter), can you please give us the link of that bully. you can email / or give the link here/ and/or leave the comment to our exodians blog. what do you think? Go! go! you could not stop now because somebody told you so. But again… you are the last decider… I am just suggesting.
darbs´s last blog ..Do I know where I’m going to: The Christopher Columbus effect
elmot
5 months ago
Thanks Darbs! Of course, I will be doing what I am doing…this is what I do best and I am happy with that I am doing here in my humble blogging abode.
Link? Hahhaha! You got guys the first clue already on my comment to Mam Jena’s reaction. That is, “he” is a computer geek.
Second clue? Hmmm…he smells like a paint, eheheh!
I guess that is for now Bro.
bloggista
5 months ago
owww, these kind’ o stuff again. LOL. My thoughts? Nahhh, let the other people judge what these are doing. If it happened to me, I would just let him twit like that, and still maintain the “relationship”. Sometimes, winning friends doesn’t always come in the usual “nice and pleasant” way. Great friendships sometimes born out of the greatest adversaries.
bloggista´s last blog ..Google Sidewiki: Good or Bad? A personal review
jan geronimo
5 months ago
Great point, Bloggista. Wish I had beaten you to pointing this out. Ahehehe.
jan geronimo´s last blog ..Speed Limit: 500 Words
bloggista
5 months ago
Awww, I did leave such comment? I must have been drunk when I visited your blog. LOL.
I guess I have to celebrate Jan, this very rare instance where I have beaten you for a few milliseconds for something your territory. Hehehe.
bloggista´s last blog ..Google Sidewiki: Good or Bad? A personal review
elmot
5 months ago
Wow, nice view Bro, ehehhe!
In fairness, I did not trade barbs with him on Twitter. I courteously replied on his message to me, and waited and waited…but he never replied.
And I guess that was the signal for me, that he is nothing but there to police on other bloggers and people on Twitter and is not really willing to have real conversation or become friends with me. And I would not spend my time I guess with such kind stuffs.
Millionaire Acts
5 months ago
Congrats Elmot! Taas ng Alexa rank mo ha. Sabi ko na malalagpasan mo akin e. Hehe…
Millionaire Acts´s last blog ..Different Types of Investors
elmot
5 months ago
Thanks Tyrone! hehehe…Sa awa ng Diyos at readers ay umaayos naman ang Alexa ranking ko ehehhe!
Pwede bang i-convert to cash ng Alexa ranking? LOL
pinoygossipboy
5 months ago
Mine was just an ordinary Tweet day. However, I received the same message via FB. Not directed to me, of course. It was his status. He was asking people to refrain from taking quizzes for the meantime to focus on Ondoy. You know who said it? Mr. Oposa.
PS: I took a couple of quizzes though.
pinoygossipboy´s last blog ..Katy Perry concert pushes through sans David Archuleta; Nicole Scherzinger in negotiations
elmot
5 months ago
That was funny Bro, eheheh! Mr. Oposa?! LOL! Love that guy.
Well, no one can stop you from doing some quizzes on FB…
jan geronimo
5 months ago
Let’s summarize. You’ve been called out publicly as regards how you tweet. The implication is that you’re unfeeling of the havoc of Ondoy on your countrymen. It was bad form on his part. You’ve unfollowed him.
Matter is closed? Nah. You wrote about it.
Lesson learned: Every tweet, every comment you make in blogs, every Facebook update is a reflection of your brand.
That guy must have been feeling so righteous right now about his positive contribution to raising social awareness for worthy causes. What he doesn’t know is that he’s being talked about – sliced and diced if you will in a blog although he’s not named and humiliated. Think of the other ways – emails, IM, DMs. It’s likely he came off as a jerk to other people as well.
He meant well perhaps, but it didn’t come out that way. Poor guy. He should have talked with me first to learn the art of snark. Ahahaha
jan geronimo´s last blog ..Speed Limit: 500 Words
elmot
5 months ago
Wow, you are great forum moderator Bro!
I should have tweeted him to talk to you first so that he will know how to become an accused spammer on Twitter, wahahhaha! LOL
Poor guy.