Entering the Twitterverse

[Catherine Bott]

Greetings all - the Early Music Show, now in its tenth year, is officially hip as well as HIPP, apparently, so R3 has asked me to Tweet, in line with most of my colleagues. I'd managed without Twitter until now, but have agreed to sign up, as @CatherineJBott. I'm certain that no-one gives, well, two hoots about what I spread on my breakfast toast, so I intend to confine myself to musical matters: all Tweetings will be my idea, and in my own words, with cawing or chirruping where appropriate. You can read them without joining Twitter, apparently: someone at @bbcradio3 retweets via the R3 website. No idea how that works.

So far, I've sent 3 tweets, and have 20-odd followers (note that crucial hyphen). If Tweets are the call of a teeny ringtale ever so sweet then mine will probably sound more like a glurk trolling.

The real question is: who's interested? This isn't an appeal for Followers, I'd really like to know what, if anything, you'd like to hear about.

Feel free to ignore this post but do keep listening: meanwhile, chiruk-quark-honk-honk-chiruk-quark (would the great Geoffrey Willans be Tweeting if he were alive today, I wonder?), Catherine

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Good to have you with us, Catherine. I'm a non-Twitterer myself, but might be considered a flat-earther by some.
But yes, stick to musical matters and (you never know) I might even consider signing up for Twitter myself.

[Bryn]

Sorry, Catherine, but not even you presence there is likely to induce me to sign up to the Twittershpere (or Facebook, come to that). While I trust such things as on-line banking, those 'social' network sites' (in)security aspects are enough to keep me away. Do please pop back here as often as possible though.

[french frank]

This was my message in reply to Catherine's which I deleted by mistake

Hello, C.

Just had lunch with my brother who has finally joined Twitter (he tells me), but only to keep in touch with wife and daughter holidaying in Canada.

I check the R3 tweets but don't find much of interest (although there may be the odd reminder of an upcoming programme). On the whole I keep in touch with schedules via the R3 website and wouldn't rely on tweets to mention what I was interested in.

This may be the difference between those who habitually use their smartphones as diaries/email and the rest of it. (I had to spend some time trying to find my invariably misplaced mobile before going out). It would be interesting to know how much people here do use Twitter - I'm probably not the most typical person

Given the high profile of Facebook and Twitter (and the R3 blog) they don't get a lot of listener response yet R3 staff seem to spend a lot of time posting contributions. I wonder how useful they are? A bit like programme trails but easier to ignore????

[Catherine Bott]

Dear FF,

Hearing you loud and clear, every para, but as you might expect, "...I couldn't possibly comment!"

[BBMmk2]

Great to hear from you again /Catherine. It bhe good to have more R3 presenters ob here to I think(?)

I'm on twitter too but confine myself to musical matters mainly. I am @brassbandmaestro

[Frances_iom]

the 'official' pushing of the commercial Twitter and the totally privacy busting facebook by the BBC was raised on the last 'Feedback' program - why the BBC should push these USA based (and thus effectively beyond any EU court's control) defeats me as does the stupidity of those that are prepared to give advertisers full details of their social life - CB's program is one of the few intelligent programs left on R3 and the thought that yet another good program is being dumbed down to the level of the twitteri just fills me with despair at the process and disgust with the present R3 management

[Thropplenoggin]

@Thropplenoggin for all your lexical prestidigitation needs. Well, when I'm not riding the circumbendibus, that is.

It is most welcome to see someone from the R3 posse here. I once wrote to CD Review via their email address, requesting that they make all the past episodes of Building A Library available for repeated listening and searchable in the same way that Desert Island Discs now is. Reply came there none (the blighters!)

[vinteuil]

Kierkegaard will be turning in his grave

[Catherine Bott]

No programme changes in the wind for the EMS - I'm glad you find it relatively un-dumbed. This afternoon I tweeted about next Saturday's programme, which features as much as we can fit in of a splendid recital given by organist Kimberly Marshall at the 2012 Lufthansa Festival. You will be pleased to hear that as I seem to be missing out the essential step that would enable @BBCRadio3 to put my inanities on its website, they will be read only by the handful of people who have decided to become my Followers (which makes me feel more like a below-stairs character from Downton than a wise guru). Which makes me glad of the 140-character limit to Twitter - I'm taking much longer to reply to you, thinking about what I write, and it's more of a pleasure! Best wishes, Catherine

[french frank]

Heh, heh! But you're here in case anyone wants to take a peek ....

[jayne lee wilson]

Yes, good to hear from you Catherine - still as glam as ever I hope... (I'm not giving up yet).

I avail myself of most technological innovations and laboursavers - but not twitter or facebook, unless to check some scandalmongered starlet or footballer's name suppressed in conventional news outlets...

Shame we couldn't all communicate our views on culture politics or the weather in Haikus - that would be a good habit to form...

[Richard Tarleton]

Catherine, good to hear from you, you and Ms Skeaping are by a country mile my favourite R3 presenters and EMS my favourite show. But although I have dropped R3 the odd email I'm afraid I won't be tweeting.

Your last line almost a phonetic rendition of the song of the reed warbler.....now departed these shores for the winter, not to be heard again until next April.....

[Catherine Bott]

Sadly, Miss Pringle thought it was a corncrake. Molesworth reckoned it was Gillibrand bloing his nose....thanks for your kind words about the programme. Suspect Tweeting is supposed to bring in new adherents, not preach to the converted.

[french frank]

I suspect this isn't the best place to seek Twittererpeople given the indignation when the R3 messageboards were closed and we were told that there were now so many different ways of 'talking about R3' - as if MBs were now dépassés.

Suspect Tweeting is supposed to bring in new adherents, not preach to the converted.

Ded rite: Facebook and Twitter are commercial-style promotional tools for the BBC/R3 not for listeners (they require a special language too, btw, and must include Wow-Woohoo-Yay!!!, plus 'amazing-stunning-brilliant-fantastic' at regular intervals).

Which is a good enough moment to remind people that this forum is for listeners and would-be listeners to have-their-say about Radio 3 and all the genres and programmes it covers (and indeed step in and learn about classical music). To talk up the things that are good and scathe about the things which ...

23 November 2010: In the ten years since the Radio 3 message boards were launched, the internet has changed dramatically. There are now many different ways to talk about Radio 3 and talk to each other.
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