What? You're thinking that sounds crazy. So, let me tell you a little story that happened to me over the last few days and see if it sounds crazy afterwards.
Right now on Twitter I "follow" over 350 people and I have over 250 people "following" me from all around the world. The idea that I would run across anyone that I knew or knew me or knew my family, etc. is pretty far fetched as estimates show less than 6% of internet users are currently on Twitter.
For those of you not hip to Twitter lingo, "follow" and "following" simply means that you've subscribed to what they are posting on the site. You watch what they write. They watch what you write. You probably interact from time to time online.
On Sunday either I added a new "follower" or this person "princess_belle" added me. I honestly can't remember. Anyway, I posted about a grass fire happening near my neighborood and Princess commented on it that my neighborhood looked very much like the one that her father lived in and that he lived in a town not too far from me.
Not a big deal. I live in a development by a pretty large home builder and even within my own city limits there are probably 4 -5 developments that look very similiar to mine.
I noticed on her site that she lived in Pennsylvania. I told her that I my best friend lived outside of Philly. Princess asked where and when I replied she told me that she had once lived a few miles away from that town. Okay, we were starting to get into that six degrees of separation thing.
Today, I commented on Twitter that the commentators at the Rose Bowl Parade had mispronounced a town here in Texas. Princess posted back that she went to college in that town. The same town that a friend of mine went to college. I asked about what years Princess attended and then asked about where she grew up. It was a bit confusing to me as her father lives near me and she went to school in Texas, but lived in Pennsylvania. I figured it would make for a bit more conversation, but probably nothing more.
And then HUGE surprise. Princess posted "My home town is WC." What?! Oh, my! I'm from WC. A tiny Texas town with a population just around 4,000. What's the likeihood? Seriously!
I asked her if she graduated from WC High and she indicated that she hadn't. So I asked, why did she consider WC as her "hometown." Princess replied, that's where her father grew up.
Right now on Twitter I "follow" over 350 people and I have over 250 people "following" me from all around the world. The idea that I would run across anyone that I knew or knew me or knew my family, etc. is pretty far fetched as estimates show less than 6% of internet users are currently on Twitter.
For those of you not hip to Twitter lingo, "follow" and "following" simply means that you've subscribed to what they are posting on the site. You watch what they write. They watch what you write. You probably interact from time to time online.
On Sunday either I added a new "follower" or this person "princess_belle" added me. I honestly can't remember. Anyway, I posted about a grass fire happening near my neighborood and Princess commented on it that my neighborhood looked very much like the one that her father lived in and that he lived in a town not too far from me.
Not a big deal. I live in a development by a pretty large home builder and even within my own city limits there are probably 4 -5 developments that look very similiar to mine.
I noticed on her site that she lived in Pennsylvania. I told her that I my best friend lived outside of Philly. Princess asked where and when I replied she told me that she had once lived a few miles away from that town. Okay, we were starting to get into that six degrees of separation thing.
Today, I commented on Twitter that the commentators at the Rose Bowl Parade had mispronounced a town here in Texas. Princess posted back that she went to college in that town. The same town that a friend of mine went to college. I asked about what years Princess attended and then asked about where she grew up. It was a bit confusing to me as her father lives near me and she went to school in Texas, but lived in Pennsylvania. I figured it would make for a bit more conversation, but probably nothing more.
And then HUGE surprise. Princess posted "My home town is WC." What?! Oh, my! I'm from WC. A tiny Texas town with a population just around 4,000. What's the likeihood? Seriously!
I asked her if she graduated from WC High and she indicated that she hadn't. So I asked, why did she consider WC as her "hometown." Princess replied, that's where her father grew up.
Not only I grew up in WC, but my mom and her family lived there since the 1940s.
Getting wierder yet?
Soon enough we were both online with each other and Princess was on the phone with her dad and I was on the phone with my mom. Yes, they knew each other. Her father was my one of my uncle's best friends growing up and apparently they were inseparable. They graduated from WC High back in 1957!
I've found what I would consider a long lost cousin of sorts all because of silly conversations and observations on a social website where we are goofy and caring and obviously very talktive.
Not only does it make me think, geesh, this is bizarre, but it also makes me think the world can sometimes be smaller than six degrees of separation. It can actually be a Twitter away.
Getting wierder yet?
Soon enough we were both online with each other and Princess was on the phone with her dad and I was on the phone with my mom. Yes, they knew each other. Her father was my one of my uncle's best friends growing up and apparently they were inseparable. They graduated from WC High back in 1957!
I've found what I would consider a long lost cousin of sorts all because of silly conversations and observations on a social website where we are goofy and caring and obviously very talktive.
Not only does it make me think, geesh, this is bizarre, but it also makes me think the world can sometimes be smaller than six degrees of separation. It can actually be a Twitter away.
1 comment:
Interesting story. I think the twitter community is quite a well connected one. Many of the London twitter community know each other personally for example (or in England at least).
It's an interesting idea to think of how we're connected to each other anyway.
Post a Comment