And there's so much self-promotion going on it's like LinkedIn on speed. Which is, of course, why I went on Twitter in the first place, having been told that I needed to build my profile, not just for my business but also to get my book published. If I'm honest it just feels grubby.
There are positives. For starters Nathan Hughes tipped me a 14/1 winner, which was nice, and some bloke published one of my poems which was even nicer. Also, it's a very good forum for sharing links. Much better than facebook. I've come across a load of stuff I never would have hitherto. Some of it interesting.
Including Tania Kindersley's blog. Tania hit my feed with her coverage of Royal Ascot, a stream of grunts and squeals, much like Sharapova in full flow, as she shared her love of the ponies. It acted as a nice reminder to someone doing his conkers that there's more to the sport than just gambling.
Her latest blog-post includes this observation.
When I started this blog, I wanted to make my book go viral, build a brand, make some commercial hay. It was a hard-nosed business decision. Of course, none of that happened. I built a small readership, but nothing like enough to have any effect on sales....
Now the blog has become more inward-looking and less polished and, in an odd way, less needy. When I was busking for custom, I did sometimes get it. Now the thing exists easily, in itself, not trying to gain anything or prove anything or score points. The dear old blog does not mind if the numbers are small. It is just what it is, comfortable in its own skin, operating without fear or favour.