One wheel on the front, three wheels on the back- my experience riding a bike as a kindergartner.

I remember the moment I decided to ride without my training wheels. Was I afraid to ride without support and risk hurting myself with bumps and bruises- yes.However, much like Twitter, I thought about the long term. My friends rode faster than me because they didn’t use training wheels. I didn’t want to fall behind them and miss out on opportunities to venture through the woods of Mendota Heights.

Twitter, like a bike, is a vehicle of transportation and movement.

Earlier today, I walked with two of my friends (J and M) from a journalism course today and we spoke about Twitter . It was interesting to hear their views of Twitter vs. my friends in the business school, who have the mindset of “oh Twitter, it sounds so stupid.” My friends looked at the bigger picture, seeing the different ways that Twitter functions in society. Although some people  (a few on campus) update with random tidbits, my friend M mentioned that Twitter has the ability to connect individuals, regardless of social status. Twitter moves you quicker than other media, much like a bike gets you from point A to point B faster than simply walking.

I’ve been using Twitter for about a year now and looked back at my first few tweets. My messages were rocky, lacked personality and seemed to mimic a Facebook status.

Comparing my first five tweets to my most current tweets (wow, I feel like a bird right now), I see the progression I’ve made in my writing and information dissemination. Now, I connect with others instead of only saying if I am hungry or tired. I use Twitter to learn about breaking news and strong feature pieces. For God’s sake, I won a free t-shirt and $10 gift-card from the WisconsinSchool of Business by simply answering a easy trivia question, all because of one little tweet.

Tomorrow, I’m cranking up my social media another gear and will have my first online-to-offline interaction with a Twitter user connected with UW-Madison and, on Friday, will meet up in a similar fashion with a fellow journalism student (promotion: ColbyWG) at a convention for a national business fraternity. I am excited to see how online conversation will translate into offline conversation.

Do I still hit bumps and want to jump off- yes. I have some days where I simply don’t want to tweet or think that Twitter is stupid/a waste of time. However, when someone connects with me, my passion for Twitter seems to rejuvenate itself and I realize why I enjoy Tweeting.

I still have much to learn about Twitter. As the following months proceed, I foresee myself integrating the idea of Twitter into the topics I currently study in the J School and B School.

Vroom Vroom- look how far my Twitter bike has traveled in the past year!