It's been a funny old year. This isn't going to be a long, prosey post, more just a series of thoughts.
For the first time in about 6 years, I've taken to watching TV while it's being aired in the evenings. Why? Because British telly is much more enjoyable when you invite all your Twitter followers into your living room to chat about it with.
Hence it's the first year I've watched X-Factor, and enjoyed slagging it off. Also watching movies and TV series like Doctor Who become strangely interactive, with a certain section of Twitterers always seeming to be on hand to chat about the positive and negative merits of whatever's on.
Also: I rarely feel like I'm on my own in the house when I'm, well, on my own any more. Any time I need a chat or to vent some nonsense I just fire off a tweet - I'm usually guaranteed a conversation within minutes.
Messages of support and condolence came my way when I told my followers about the deaths of my Grandfather and Grandmother this year. Even though many of them came from people I have never met, they still meant something, and that's worth pointing out.
Twitter has been a great place to get feedback for the music I make with my band. It's always encouraging when complete strangers tell you they enjoy your creative efforts - even more so when they go on to actually pay for them...
I started a comics podcast with two fellow users, @pauljholden and @scott_evil. THAT wouldn't have happened without Twitter as a facilitator.
All in all, Twitter is entertainment on the go - it's a daily window into people's lives that is oddly reassuring - just knowing that at any moment I can fire up Tweetie on my iPhone and find out what everyone is up to. It's not nosiness, really. I see it as being the 21st Century version of chatting with the neighbours over the back fence.
Right enough of that. Here's some other nonsense.
Funniest User: @noberts. She cracks me up, although I don't interact with her that much. Her blog is outrageously hysterical when she can be arsed updating it.
Joy of Youth: @doorofkukondo - I enjoy seeing what he's up to, whether it be young love or organising @cupcakecampbelfast. I think he'll be a young man to watch.
Photographers: @carriedavenport and @icedcoffee are both great at what they do - both have blogs that make me wish I had talent in that field.
Bands: Both @ASIWYFA_band and @aplasticrose have made good use of the service to promote themselves - next year, more interaction lads!
Friendship: There are quite a few who are there everyday. I'll forget some, no doubt, but here's to @dressjunkie, @cimota, @rudedoodle, @3naturalsixes, @stuartgibson (all in Bangor, oddly) @leelowe, @marramgrass, @lisam75, @tinpot, @theeadversary, @tinpotray - all good people, all worth following. If I've forgotten you, I'm really sorry. This isn't the most organised blog post I've ever done, and I'm sort of winging it.
Oh, and I should probably mention my wife @karenquinn - she makes me laugh all the time, and her Twitter usage is no different.
Anyway, I'm done for now. Here's to another year of mindlessly sending messages out into the ether and expecting something worthwhile back!
