Throwing Stones in the Pond Until I See Ripples

Yesterday, I put my teaching hat back on (you know, the job in which the state of Michigan officially certified me to do until I signed up for this full-time SAHM gig and started chasing my dreams of being a blogger).  My friend teaches a social media class at Walsh college, and I filled in for her.  I was a *bit* nervous looking at all those faces as I literally watched the minutes tick by until I started speaking.

Once I got rolling, it was kind like riding a bike.  And by a bike, I mean standing behind a podium in a lecture hall with HUGE screen . . . which is not the same as a classroom full of junior high students looking as if they might actually die of boredom as I animatedly describe the difference between being subject, object, and possessive pronouns – this was SO MUCH BETTER!

Talking about why I love blogging and social media is way more fun than talking about the fine points of grammar – who knew?!  (Answer: 90% of the population;  the other 10% are composed of reading/writing enthusiasts such as myself, my mother, probably my Aunt Diane, and maybe my cousin, Ashleigh).

A question about Twitter came about, and although I can’t remember the exact words the student used, it was something along the lines of, “I don’t get Twitter.  It seems like a lot of noise.  How can anyone find you there?”

To which I responded, “This is exactly why it took three times for me to like and use Twitter.  One of the hardest things about using Twitter is that it is in real time.  Which is great if you can devote your undivided attention to it.  However, this is impossible given I have an active three year old who thinks pummeling himself onto pillows from the arm of couch is a good time.”

Then I continued with this analogy, “Social media, especially platforms like Twitter, is like throwing stones.  Often times you don’t see the ripples in the water.  But if you are consistent and patient, one day you will see those ripples, and you will be heard.”

For me, that someday was today.  As I tried to block out Thomas’s persistent cries to watch Imagination Movers, I was watching my English boyfriend, Ricky Gervais on the Today Show as he charmingly promoted his new podcast on iTunes.  I was going to tweet about it (as I usually do when I watch The Today Show), but I didn’t have his handle.  I searched through my stream, knowing that someone must have already tweeted about this.  But, to my surprise, no one did.  So I put a quick tweet asking anyone if they were watching Ricky Gervais and commenting how fun he was on the Today Show.

And this is the result of that one, little tweet:

O.M.G. The TODAY SHOW RETWEETED ONE OF MY TWEETS.  I have been watching this show since I was seven years old.  I tweet about it frequently.  And finally, I saw a ripple from one of my very own stones.

In the jubilant words sung by the inspirational group that is The Fresh Beat Band,

“It was a great day.
It was a super day.”

Have you seen any ripples come your way?