When David Jakes spoke up about how he “would like to see some other voices step-up and lead”, I took it as a gentle encouragement for others to actually step up and lead. As a result, I volunteered to facilitate a discussion about blogging and Twitter etiquette at NECC Unplugged. In doing so, I had also hoped that others would follow suit, eagerly adding their names to the list of Short Talks, Speed Demos, and Facilitated Discussions.

Sadly, at this point in time, only a handful of people have followed suit.

It’s pathetic, really - to phrase it honestly.

As I think about the throngs of Twitter enthusiasts that continue sign up for Monday night’s Twitter dinner, I can’t help but feel sickened by “our” overall hesitancy to teach - particularly in light of Twitter with all of its “educational value”. Are we not teachers? Do we not educate for a living? Or has Twitter, and blogging, and everything else 2.0 changed how we feel and what we do best?

Sorry folks, but Jakes was right on every level:

At its best, Twitter is a place to share a resource, a link to a new blog post, or an insight, and even a place to have a little fun. It’s a place that could be about learning. At its very worst, Twitter is a self-indulgent exercise in self-promotion and pettiness.

Combine this thought with our apparent infatuation with Clay Shirky and his Here Comes Everybody and now I’m about to blow a gasket. Is it just me or doesn’t everybody find it oddly ironic that the comments on the “Here Comes Everybody” blog have been “broken” for nearly a month?

Here comes everybody? I guess not.


Image Source: Flickr user schnaars

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