Why tweet?

My remote-schooled teenager asked me today: Why do I do so many Twitter chats?

Well, honey, I changed careers during a pandemic. I was in public health for a long time, and I’m excited about my new profession. We don’t get to go to conferences right now. So I’m trying to meet colleagues and learn from them while we are all distanced and not getting to know each other personally. I have work (and I’m delighted about it!) but I also need people to talk to about editing.

And the background is that I ran an association (in public health) and so I know how this goes. You want to connect people and you only have so many tools in the box to do it.

I’ve joined two associations since I started editing: ACES: The Society for Editing (@copyeditors) and the Editorial Freelancers Association (@EFAfreelancers).

In January, I signed up for the ACES conference in the spring in Salt Lake City. I was excited to go meet folks and listen to presentations. Canceled. Let’s go to Atlanta in 2021 (hey, that’s where I live!)—6 months later—Egadz, get together so soon with all this rampant infection? Not-officially-but-about-to-be-canceled.

Mark Allen (@EditorMark) has been leading ThatWordChat webinar discussions this year. I “met” Mark at the MayDay substitute for the conference I couldn’t attend due to the pandemic. I’ve virtually zoomed in on several of his word chat sessions, including the one this week that asked about training plans for ACES. As an association director, such concerns were a major part of my portfolio in my past life. I’m glad ACES has hired someone to direct those needs, and I also understand getting volunteers to lead them.

I volunteered for the Twitter team of EFA for 2021. I’ll get to know EFA’s programs, answer Twitter feedback on editorial issues, and develop an understanding of the names and concepts during this experience. And maybe throw in a few jokes that people get.

Today I joined my first meeting of the Georgia chapter of the EFA, which was quite interesting. The topic was invoicing and bookkeeping. My microphone didn’t want to connect so I chat-boxed. Now I want to talk to the people I talked to.

So why do I attend so many Twitter chats—and webinars? Because they’re there? Because I meet people in my new profession that way? Because I learn from them? Because I can find people to discuss em dashes with?

And because people, even in a pandemic, are how we keep connected.

Peace and safety.