I tend to use twitter as a place to dump interesting thoughts. Many of these thoughts take the form of rhetorical questions or statements with implied questions such as:
That blog post you just wrote: does it lead us to an end? Or, is it just reaping the money to be made in deepening the problem?
or
trying to get the gap filler residue off my hands, stuff sticks like none other, and I couldn't find the turpentine
The beautiful thing is when people decide to answer these rhetorical questions, such as this one:
What are those ideals, however few in number or limited in nature, that you strive to live by and to die by? How do they define you?
Shortly after posting that, lo and behold, I began to get responses:
God, country, family. Take a knee each day, stand up when the anthem plays, and blood runs deep.
I value loyalty, trust, faithfulness, to family and friends, above all.
Give your best +10% and look yourself in the eye with honesty everyday, hug your family members, support & laugh with your friends
treat the land that we live on and the planet we call home with the utmost respect. Be kind to mother earth...
Stay true to those I care about, above all else. Be honest with myself. Do what is necessary, for the above. My actions make me.
Each of these answers, completely volunteered, provides a slice of a human face to these internet personas. It is a brief, but warm, moment of connection. These are the moments that make twitter, and many other pieces of social software online, so cool.