Twitter Idea Party with Barbara Sher - Live!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! It was something of a tradition in my family to wait for my father to greet a new year, either at a birthday party or when the clock struck midnight on New Year's eve, by putting his arms around my mother, giving her a warm smile and saying, "Well, there's another year shot to hell."
We'd all raise our glasses and wait for my mother to answer, "Yeah, well. What do you say we give it another try?" And we'd all toast that lovely thought.
So, if you didn't get going on your dream last year, what do you say we give it another try? This time with lots of help.
Let's make our own New Year's Eve & Day TWIP!
TWIP stands for Twitter Idea Party. We did the first one 2009 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Wishcraft. It was such a big production that I think we were still tired in 2010, but in 2011 I decided to do one on my own. Lo and behold, I was not alone. I was joined by lots and lots of superb brainstormers and we launched one dream after another.
So I think I'll do it again. I'm not giving you much of a warning, but no matter what you're doing on New Year's Eve and the following day, you're sure to find time to come online a few times. And if you have a Wish, and an Obstacle (or many obstacles) we will make a very big fuss over you and try to give you whatever you need to make those obstacles melt away. , but I was thinking that we could add to it our own New Year celebration with a Twitter Idea Party. A global, more-than-24-hour Twitter Idea Party is one of the finest ways to celebrate that I ever saw. At least 3 reasons come to mind:
First, to me at least, a party you don't have to drive to is always good thing. Celebrating in one's pajamas seems almost kingly, somehow. Second, launching people's dreams — and one or two of yours to boot — puts a lovely shine on the future. And third, although all idea parties are magnificent, a Twitter Idea Party brings in people from all around the whole, entire globe, so I like it better than any other. So what do you say we start our own tradition: let's launch your dream and help others launch theirs every time one year slides into the next.
How does it work?
1) You head over to Twitter.com and search for #IdeapParty. Or, even better, you head over to Tweetchat.com and punch in IdeaParty at the top of the page where it says 'Enter hashtag to follow' in the space provided. Or do both in one step by going to Tweetchat.com/room/IdeaParty. On Tweetchat you won't see anything but our tweets. It will be free of all those distractions that act on us like a Scanner sighting a squirrel.
Possible Computer Complication: If you haven't yet got a public account at Twitter, Tweetchat won't talk to you. I want you to know that now. A public account is one where no one needs to ask your permission to follow you. And you'll be asked to 'allow' Twitter to do all kinds of creepy-looking things, like find out your password. It's really okay. I've been doing it for years. If you're like me and have a low frustration threshold when it comes to doing things on the computer, I'd really love to have you avoid this problem, so get an account on Twitter before New Year's Eve.
2) You write: "W: (and briefly state your wish)" and then you write "O: (and briefly write your obstacle)." If you can't do it briefly enough for Twitter, then write your "W" in the first tweet and your "O" in the second. Just try to do it fast enough so not too many tweets separate one from the other. (But don't worry, we'll find yours anyway.)
3) You wait a moment: Nothing happens for about 3 seconds. You think, oh no, I knew I was boring or foolish. After which you will suddenly find yourself in a high-speed conversation with people who want to know more so they can help you get that wish, even if they don't know you even slightly. Because they will soon know you, and in the best way for strangers to know each other: by hearing, and caring about each others wishes and obstacles. Watch and you'll see.
Anyway, that's the whole thing. When an Idea Party warms up, it's like fireworks. So many good things happen it's better than Xmas and your birthday rolled into one.
This 49-hour TWIP starts as soon as New Year's Day begins at the first place on the planet, which is — wait for it — Christmas Island (Kiritimati)!! And it doesn't end until New Year's Day ends at the last place on our particular planet, Midway Island.
This means it runs most of New Year's Eve, all of New Year's Day and then some in Europe and the US.
To see when it starts where you live: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=TWIP&iso=20121231T05&p1=179
It ends 49 hours later: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=TWIP+Ends&iso=20130102T06&p1=179
I'll be hovering over my computer, hanging out at Twitter and eagerly listening to hear the little 'bing' that means you've tweeted your Wish and your Obstacle. I won't be alone, because a number of people who know everything and everyone, and others who can (eerily) find anything on the Internet (anything!), have told me they'll be there too. I know they wouldn't miss it for the world.
If you get a kick out of solving problems and you love ideas, I know you'll be there. BUT I ALSO WANT HEAR YOUR WISHES AND OBSTACLES.
It's grand to help someone else launch a dream. It makes you feel both good and smart and kindly. It's a fine thing to do. It's not as comfortable to say what you want, and why you're pretty sure you can't have it. It leaves you vulnerable. You sense the kind of danger you might feel on arriving at a place you thought was a nudist colony, walking in the door just the way you arrived on this planet, and finding everyone else fully clothed.
That's why I'll be granting a prize to three of you who post your sincere wish and obstacle: A free download of Barbara Sher's Idea Book (http://geniuspress.com/details/ideabook.htm), my jolliest book. Winners will be announced in the Twitter Idea Party.
Okay, come on over any time after 2013 hits Christmas Island and until New Year's Day is over on Midway Island, and we'll get started. Most of us will grab a bit of sleep sometime after our midnights, but we'll be back at our computers with our eggs & coffee from the morning of Jan 1 'til the cows come home.
Whatever you decide to do today, remember this: You have a dream, whether you admit it to yourself or not. And you can make it come true. You just need a little help from your friends. (That's us.)
And, if it didn't happen in 2012, what do you say we give it another try? :-)
Yours,
Barbara Sher
email: [email protected]
web: http://www.barbarasher.com
P. S. I hope you'll join me on Facebook and Twitter!
We'd all raise our glasses and wait for my mother to answer, "Yeah, well. What do you say we give it another try?" And we'd all toast that lovely thought.
So, if you didn't get going on your dream last year, what do you say we give it another try? This time with lots of help.
Let's make our own New Year's Eve & Day TWIP!
TWIP stands for Twitter Idea Party. We did the first one 2009 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Wishcraft. It was such a big production that I think we were still tired in 2010, but in 2011 I decided to do one on my own. Lo and behold, I was not alone. I was joined by lots and lots of superb brainstormers and we launched one dream after another.
So I think I'll do it again. I'm not giving you much of a warning, but no matter what you're doing on New Year's Eve and the following day, you're sure to find time to come online a few times. And if you have a Wish, and an Obstacle (or many obstacles) we will make a very big fuss over you and try to give you whatever you need to make those obstacles melt away. , but I was thinking that we could add to it our own New Year celebration with a Twitter Idea Party. A global, more-than-24-hour Twitter Idea Party is one of the finest ways to celebrate that I ever saw. At least 3 reasons come to mind:
First, to me at least, a party you don't have to drive to is always good thing. Celebrating in one's pajamas seems almost kingly, somehow. Second, launching people's dreams — and one or two of yours to boot — puts a lovely shine on the future. And third, although all idea parties are magnificent, a Twitter Idea Party brings in people from all around the whole, entire globe, so I like it better than any other. So what do you say we start our own tradition: let's launch your dream and help others launch theirs every time one year slides into the next.
How does it work?
1) You head over to Twitter.com and search for #IdeapParty. Or, even better, you head over to Tweetchat.com and punch in IdeaParty at the top of the page where it says 'Enter hashtag to follow' in the space provided. Or do both in one step by going to Tweetchat.com/room/IdeaParty. On Tweetchat you won't see anything but our tweets. It will be free of all those distractions that act on us like a Scanner sighting a squirrel.
Possible Computer Complication: If you haven't yet got a public account at Twitter, Tweetchat won't talk to you. I want you to know that now. A public account is one where no one needs to ask your permission to follow you. And you'll be asked to 'allow' Twitter to do all kinds of creepy-looking things, like find out your password. It's really okay. I've been doing it for years. If you're like me and have a low frustration threshold when it comes to doing things on the computer, I'd really love to have you avoid this problem, so get an account on Twitter before New Year's Eve.
2) You write: "W: (and briefly state your wish)" and then you write "O: (and briefly write your obstacle)." If you can't do it briefly enough for Twitter, then write your "W" in the first tweet and your "O" in the second. Just try to do it fast enough so not too many tweets separate one from the other. (But don't worry, we'll find yours anyway.)
3) You wait a moment: Nothing happens for about 3 seconds. You think, oh no, I knew I was boring or foolish. After which you will suddenly find yourself in a high-speed conversation with people who want to know more so they can help you get that wish, even if they don't know you even slightly. Because they will soon know you, and in the best way for strangers to know each other: by hearing, and caring about each others wishes and obstacles. Watch and you'll see.
Anyway, that's the whole thing. When an Idea Party warms up, it's like fireworks. So many good things happen it's better than Xmas and your birthday rolled into one.
This 49-hour TWIP starts as soon as New Year's Day begins at the first place on the planet, which is — wait for it — Christmas Island (Kiritimati)!! And it doesn't end until New Year's Day ends at the last place on our particular planet, Midway Island.
This means it runs most of New Year's Eve, all of New Year's Day and then some in Europe and the US.
To see when it starts where you live: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=TWIP&iso=20121231T05&p1=179
It ends 49 hours later: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=TWIP+Ends&iso=20130102T06&p1=179
I'll be hovering over my computer, hanging out at Twitter and eagerly listening to hear the little 'bing' that means you've tweeted your Wish and your Obstacle. I won't be alone, because a number of people who know everything and everyone, and others who can (eerily) find anything on the Internet (anything!), have told me they'll be there too. I know they wouldn't miss it for the world.
If you get a kick out of solving problems and you love ideas, I know you'll be there. BUT I ALSO WANT HEAR YOUR WISHES AND OBSTACLES.
It's grand to help someone else launch a dream. It makes you feel both good and smart and kindly. It's a fine thing to do. It's not as comfortable to say what you want, and why you're pretty sure you can't have it. It leaves you vulnerable. You sense the kind of danger you might feel on arriving at a place you thought was a nudist colony, walking in the door just the way you arrived on this planet, and finding everyone else fully clothed.
That's why I'll be granting a prize to three of you who post your sincere wish and obstacle: A free download of Barbara Sher's Idea Book (http://geniuspress.com/details/ideabook.htm), my jolliest book. Winners will be announced in the Twitter Idea Party.
Okay, come on over any time after 2013 hits Christmas Island and until New Year's Day is over on Midway Island, and we'll get started. Most of us will grab a bit of sleep sometime after our midnights, but we'll be back at our computers with our eggs & coffee from the morning of Jan 1 'til the cows come home.
Whatever you decide to do today, remember this: You have a dream, whether you admit it to yourself or not. And you can make it come true. You just need a little help from your friends. (That's us.)
And, if it didn't happen in 2012, what do you say we give it another try? :-)
Yours,
Barbara Sher
email: [email protected]
web: http://www.barbarasher.com
P. S. I hope you'll join me on Facebook and Twitter!