Yes, Twitter Was My Gateway Drug
Hi, my name is Minjae. Some of you also know me as @thebaggageclaim. I’ve been blogging for about 10 months now. I picked a topic near and dear to my heart - handbags - because I figured if I were to devote time to writing anything, it might as well be about something I truly love. It may sound shallow to you, but I am really passionate about this little hobby/obsession of mine. I just wish I had more money so that I can actually participate in the sport that is serial shopping, instead of staying in the commentary booth.
You can read more about why I started blogging in my first ever blog post. Why start a second blog (photo blogging isn’t as time consuming, thanks to my BlackBerry and Tumblr, so I wasn’t really counting this as a second blog yet), you ask? I do have a little more time now than I ever did in the past few years, but more importantly, I feel I am holding something back. Talking about handbags, believe me, is a fun task. In fact, I end up revealing more about myself than the bags in some of the posts, because The Baggage Claim is essentially a tiny glimpse into my world. It just happens so that all of the topics and metaphors are, well, handbags. I’d like to think my true voice comes through even when I’m just talking about bags.
While I have no intention of deserting The Baggage Claim - after all, it has become essentially linked to my identify on Twitter and elsewhere, and I am rather proud of the name - I think I need another outlet. I do have a lot of thoughts swirling in my mind beyond handbags (hard to believe, I know), and I think it’s time to let them out. Words have been squirming in my head, and occasionally in my notebooks (and boy, do they squirm when handwritten) for a while now and all it took was missing BlogHer 2008.
I guess everything does happen for a reason.
Long story short, I’ve had a few changes in my career track in the past few months. Some were intended. Others, not so much. I’m still in the process of trying to figure it out and I have never been happier. I would have never quit a solid job like the one I had earlier this year, just to try out consulting (oops nearly misspelled it as “consluting” though that has a certain ring to it…) or fly solo.
Yet somehow it happened.
It may have been a divine intervention. Being suddenly out of a job and starting fresh, I found myself poking my head into places like Twitter and started meeting some amazing women. Having worked in PR and marketing environments, I knew, in theory, women bloggers are powerful voices and key influencers to any brand trying to seize upon the ever-changing momentum of social media. In practice, whenever I used to drop in on Twitter, I was always doing so with a client’s end goal in mind: how exactly do I get in there and get these folks to take interest in my client’s product/cause? Mind you, I wasn’t half bad at my previous jobs because I was always encouraged to be a considerate, knowledgeable, and savvy marketer. However, despite being a relatively active participant in many social media communities personally and professionally, I think I trapped myself in a certain kind of mindset, picturing self as The Little Match Girl looking into the window of social media.
When I really started interacting with the women on Twitter on a personal and peer-to-peer level, I began to experience and understand how truly amazing and influential these women are. I didn’t jump into Twitter to kick start a new career or anything like that. It was just something to do and keep myself occupied while looking for new gigs. I’m talking about some random-ass yet memorable conversations. I found out, just as @JessicaKnows was on the verge of scoring her awesome new job, that she is a fellow DC area resident who loves a good bowl of pho. With @FabGirl, I’ve discussed hair issues and being American living in Canada vs. Canadian living in the US. @lizwebpage, who appreciates my comment about homeless dude and stuffed animal, got me to spy on and take a picture of my chain-smoking neighbor. @snowcialmedia and I, while lamenting our misfortune of not being in attendance at BlogHer 2008, dreamt up a whole new business scheme based on our love for tea and handbags. @MrsStranahan and I got each other through one hot afternoon of boiling chicken carcasses. @pprlisa and I support each other’s Ritz crack(er) habit and lead the “don’t let your parents stalk your siblings on Facebook” coalition. I also met and connected with my blogger crushes, @Studio747 and @VivaLaLauren. @WendyM and I discovered we both used to sneak clumps of sugar behind our moms’ backs but we both turned out fine (we think). @ShoeSmitten might as well have been out with me on the town while I was bachelorette partying it up in Baltimore last weekend. I’ve even connected with people like @missusP and @SusanKangNam outside of Twitter, connecting on LinkedIn and exchanging emails. I also had fun sharing random cabbie stories (and mutual shame regarding Bryan Adams) with @abfdc, whom I’ve met in person only briefly and am enjoying getting to know better. Most importantly, I’m loving being able to keep in touch with friends and colleagues from “real” life, watching their lives float by in a stream of Twitterverse like a captivating documenary film, as @beautifulthangs would say.
So yes, Twitter was a gateway drug for me. And by “gateway drug,” I mean an awesome and eye-opening introduction to a group of inspiring women, who are running their own businesses, looking after their family, and collaborating with each other on a daily, hourly basis. I am touched by how openly and generously they share insights, resources, much needed virtual hugs, and snarky jokes that make me laugh out loud in public, prompting stares from strangers. These women have inspired me to stop using The Baggage Claim as my Kelly bag to conceal the pregnant thoughts so this one is for all the women of Twitter.
P.S. None of this about the extraordinary women of Twitter is news to anyone, but I just had a moment so let me hold on to this for just a little longer, mmmmkay? ;)
P.P.S. Apologies to the men of Twitter. I like you guys, too, but with BlogHer fully raging on, it’s a rather estrogen-filled week.
Image: Courtesy of Hot Brand Club.
