I started using Twitter as an intern in 2008 at the Patriot-News.
Since then, apparently, I have tweeted more than 11,000 times.
Now, Twitter is allowing its users to relive the fun of that first time they tried to fit an expression into 140 characters.
I have to admit … I was hesitant to download my Twitter archive.
It felt too much like the time I tried to hunt down the old Xanga page where I’d post angsty rants about my parents with total disregard for the Internet’s public nature.
But I did it. Behold, my first Tweet. If I had known I’d still be looking at these in 2013, I might have said something more intelligent than …
doesn’t understand twitter
— laurenboyer (@laurenboyer) July 28, 2008
Even better are the posts that come after this one. Most of them involve wanting Twitter to die, because I didn’t understand it. That’s how my 20-year-old self dealt with frustrating things.
Here’s a gem that came about an hour after I joined the Twitterverse. I clearly wasn’t an expert yet.
Still doesn’t understand how to use this thing. What. The. Hell.
— laurenboyer (@laurenboyer) July 28, 2008
Here, I even extend a warm “thank you” to the person who brought Twitter into my life.
Thank you daniel victor for showing me how to waste time via Twitter.
— laurenboyer (@laurenboyer) July 28, 2008
I also found a lot of disjointed random thoughts that were probably “you had to be there” funny comments. It was, afterall a great summer.
It was a summer of sperm.
The features intern is teaching me about sperm.
— laurenboyer (@laurenboyer) July 31, 2008
A summer of high level thinking.
is wondering who on the citydesk has back hair
— laurenboyer (@laurenboyer) August 13, 2008
And a summer of intelligent statements like this one.
has come to the conclusion that, when it boils down to it, interviewing is basically flirting.
— laurenboyer (@laurenboyer) August 4, 2008
The early tweets were the funniest. Back then, I had no idea how useful Twitter would become in the journalism world. No one really did.
I can also tell I grew up (a little?)
But, as they say, some things never change. I know this one hasn’t.
wants to write a story with lots of potty humor
— laurenboyer (@laurenboyer) August 11, 2008
To download your own Twitter archive, follow these directions. You can view them in an Excel spreadsheet.
You’re welcome.