5 Years on Twitter: What I've Learned

is on the Twitter Bandwagon, lets see how long this lasts
— Evan Barnes (@evan_b) January 13, 2009

That was my first tweet. January 12, 2009. I had no idea what to expect after I got convinced to join Twitter by my friend Bree. I remember thinking "Is this just like posting status updates or what?" and it'd be a fad I'd give up since I was so into Facebook.

Five years later, Twitter's become everything Facebook was back in 09-10 and more. A news source. An outlet of emotions. A way of interacting with people you'd never meet everyday. A community. And for me, it's been as much a part of life since 2009 as anything.

Back in 2009, I was looking for a spark. 2008 was a huge year for my newspaper and I wondered what the year would hold now that Barack Obama was President. Personally, I was slowly recovering from a breakup and wondering how I would start meeting people outside of work. 2 1/2 years out of college, I still had yet to find a consistent circle of friends to hang out with besides church.

That's when Twitter came along. I only knew that one friend and I ended up following President Obama and Dart Adams, a writer who had inspired me with his site Poisonous Paragraphs. I didn't know what to expect but I figured it was a bold new world. Plus I was just about to start this blog so the timing was perfect.

August 30th - Anniversaries to Remember

August 30th is a day that always means a lot to me. Thanks to Twitter, it now has two meanings (or 3?) and amidst a day of reflection, I was able to think about this a bit closer.

8/30/02. The 10th anniversary of the day I moved into my dorm to start my college years. I woke up in a hotel in La Jolla with clouds in the sky and looked outside the window not sure what to expect that day. I had nerves and butterflies because while I knew folks who went to college, I wasn't close enough to fully experience that lifestyle. All I had were my ideas and dreams.

My family packed in my Dad's BMW and we drove down the I-5 to the University of San Diego. On my headphones, I was listening to Incubus' "Morning View", one of the albums that put me in the mood for being away from home. We drove up to Maher Hall and saw all the folks unpacking their cars and shuffling boxes and suitcases all around. I stepped out nervous but excited because I was finally here. Finally a college kid.