I’m on the hunt for some broader perspective.
I suppose it happens to people in every industry; you get a bit inured to the voices and repetition that surrounds you in your world of expertise. Annoyed by some, even. I’ve a feeling it’s a bit more acute in the world of online work, but even so, I know it’s not unique to my profession.
However, I’m not much of a proponent of whining about something you’re not willing to fix if you’re able. Enter one small bit of changing my perspective and surrounding myself with some new and different people: My Broad Horizons Twitter List.
I wondered whether or not to make it public, but it was getting to be too good to keep to myself. I want other people to discover new friends and new voices. Not everyone on that list is the perfect profile of someone I’d find myself. We don’t all share the same interests or values. And that’s exactly why it’s awesome.
The list was built through recommendations from other Twitter friends. I just ask around once in a while for things and people that are inspiring others. Sometimes, I ask for the caveat that recommendations not be people in social media as a profession. Sometimes I don’t, which brings to the surface people that I might be familiar with but that are doing work that inspires others and causes me to go back and revisit. I’ll be continuing to add to it as time goes on.
Some of these folks are slowly but surely making their way into my personal Twitter lists as we get chatting. It’s a nice funnel for me to switch up my current circles of interest on a regular basis, and meet and chat with new groups of people.
Follow the list if you like and hopefully find a new connection or two. Better yet, start and share your own lists so that we can find the people that inspire and encourage you to think bigger.
Oh. And the stuff I need to find? It manages to make its way back to me through the network. The stuff I don’t? I haven’t missed a bit.
It’s a little thing, but for me it’s making a big difference.
Have you given your perspective a good shakeup recently?
Great idea, Amber. Another way I try to broaden my horizons by commenting on and tweeting about new voices, people just getting started. One of the best ways I encourage myself is to do more to encourage others that would never expect my encouragement.
I’ve been doing this for quite a while..Twitter has also given me the opportunity to connect with interests that I have had for years and can now fulfill
Thanks for this. It seems I try to do this, but end up keeping up with the same people I always have. You’ve inspired me to do this again. It’s funny how we end up putting ourselves in a box as wide open as the world is to us. I’m off to check out your list!
jil
I have cultivated some fantastic lists that I add thought leaders too, people who are not even involved in my sphere and people who just have great stuff to say. I really enjoying filtering out the rest to tune into their words of wisdom, their unique insights and to learn from them.
I love the way you’re handling your lists… and yes, that line, after a few conversations can go from biz to friends almost instantly. I love that about engagement.
Shaking up is good, thanks for the reminder. I subscribe to a lot of local blogs written by friends and acquaintances who write about different topics than I do and that helps, plus I can keep up with what’s going on in their world. I also like to dip into my All Friends column for that same reason. I follow of folks who have the same interests, personal or professional, but a lot of others, especially local ones, are into all kinds of things — well, I guess we all are. Keeps it interesting.
Shaking up is good, thanks for the reminder. I subscribe to a lot of local blogs written by friends and acquaintances who write about different topics than I do and that helps, plus I can keep up with what’s going on in their world. I also like to dip into my All Friends column for that same reason. I follow of folks who have the same interests, personal or professional, but a lot of others, especially local ones, are into all kinds of things — well, I guess we all are. Keeps it interesting.
Very good idea Amber – I know that I personally have been finding it difficult to reduce the homogeneity of twitter followers –
without expanding our thinking – we just begin to share brains with those that think like we do!
Regards and thank you!
Wait.. does this mean that if I’m not in your broad horizons list… I may well be one of the annoying repetitioners? :O LOL!
Its a good list, i like the majority of the names you put there, will try to follow your list regularly 😀 and do mine 🙂
I’ve also been pondering the need to get a broader perspective in the last week or so. I’m learning so much from all of my social media peeps but it doesn’t help when my clients come for advice on how to engage with their non-social media audiences. Thanks for the prompt – I’m off to set up my own broad horizons list.
Nice. It’d be nice to throw twitter into a blender and see if it blends. A nice mosaic of people and experiences. This post is exactly what drives me (inure is too big a word for me) to talented pros like you and Tamsen — I’m a nonprofit guy hanging with the for-profit movers, shakers, shaking and shaken. Your post certainly promotes exploration — it’s how we grow, learn and connect. Many thanks for the validation and motivation.
Very nice. At some point I think all of us have thought of expanding our horizons. Now with the proliferation of social media, it wouldn’t be that hard. Facebook and Twitter are both good sources or ways of broadening said horizon. Thanks.