By Nihal Tharoor-Menon

 

Confessions of a Twitter introvert

 

On Wednesday we had a master class with seasoned creative and Bucks course leader Lynette Murphy.

 

A few weeks ago Lynette sent an email – through Honor – asking us to introduce ourselves before she came to speak at SCA.

 

I found this a peculiar request.

 

I have never been comfortable establishing new relationships online. For me first impressions are meant to be face to face, and so I suppose I allowed this email to slip my mind.

 

At the master class we found we had been allocated seats.

 

Soon into her talk Lynette revealed that students had been seated according to how memorable their email responses were.

 

The spectrum went from those who left a strong impression, to those who sent a simple pleasantry, all the way to the students who failed to respond.

 

I, of course, was in this far corner.

 

This grouping put me immediately on the defensive.

 

I had been incredibly diligent in following up with the creative directors I met on our agency visits! I poured all my energy into our briefs so far! Why should I be shamed for failing to email someone who I had not even met?

 

In my upset and agitation I knew Lynette had made important point.

 

Ad land is a bubble and word gets around fast.

You cannot afford to be reserved when it comes to communicating.

You have to stand out and be remembered.

 

People buy people. And today you must be selling yourself online.

 

Nowhere is this more vital – and my efforts more lacking – than on Twitter.

 

I have sent only a handful of tweets in the last three years.

 

It always struck me as unnatural to share your thoughts constantly with the world. However, there is no denying that Twitter has strong benefits.

 

Lynette gave us varied examples where Twitter had grown the profile and led to new career opportunities for young creatives.

 

I have always felt a nagging feeling that I should embrace Twitter but never had the consequences been spelled out so clearly:

 

You are limiting your career potential without an active Twitter presence.

 

That I cannot abide.

 

So today marks a new beginning in the Twitter presence of Nihal Tharoor.

 

For better or for worse, I will now be broadcasting my poorly crafted thoughts and half-baked observations for all to see.

 

I can only imagine the wild excitement this announcement will trigger across social media.

 

Why not get a front seat for the show? @NihalTharoor