No really, I am.
In the classic cocktail party setting, I'm the one sitting quietly in the back by myself, staring at my phone while drinking a beer. I'm discreetly scanning the room to find someone that I know and who I can gravitate toward. It's my modus operandi, my safety zone.
For a large portion of my life – unbeknownst to some of my closest confidants and family members – I haven't been comfortable in my own skin. Yes, I'm the smart girl, the athlete, the band geek, the loud girl who swears like a trucker, the girl who'll bend over backwards to help you, and the girl who'll do just about anything to make a person smile. But that doesn't mean it has been easy for me.
Along came Twitter and its diverse people from an endless variety of backgrounds. And the subsequent cattle prod to the rump roast I needed.
I rolled the dice one day in 2008, and signed up for a Twitter account. I thought, no one on here knows me. I don't know anyone else here. I can be me: honest, blunt, caring, hopefully funny, and most of all genuine and authentic, all without the fear of being judged. I breathed a sigh of relief and just started launching 140 character nuggets out into the twittersphere. It felt pretty good.
Then people started to follow me. And @ reply me. I panicked and didn't know what to do. I questioned the content of my tweets. I questioned the animated actions I included in my tweets ( *face palm* anyone?). How could any of what I have to say really be interesting to anyone?
I am using an outlet that allows me to be me and hopefully inspire others to do just the same. My whole goal in using Twitter: have fun and leave others with a smile or a laugh because of the random thoughts that fly off of my mental shelf.
So if you recognize me at a networking event, or a gathering, and I'm off to the side, it's not because I'm standoffish or a jerk, It's because I'm actually shy.
What about you? Has Twitter helped you become more social, or break out of your shell? How do you help others become more comfortable? Talkback or tweet my way, I'm @bootyp.
Some may call her a digital wizardess. Others may call her a bolt of snark ready to strike. But we like to call her Katie. All ninjas must have a day job, and hers is with advertising agency Boelter + Lincoln in the Third Ward. As "BootyP," her wit, criticism and comedic banter have lit up the Twitter world in Milwaukee - and now she's attacking the blogosphere. Her faithful followers know her no-BS approach to most any topic.
Her snarky-yet professional personality makes her a must-read, must-know person in this city. You can find her 14,500 feet in the air, or walking down the street in a pair of stilettos with a yoga mat strapped to her back.
Want to bribe Katie? Best to deliver massive quantities of Diet Coke, candy (gummy candy more specifically), tea and music her way.
