Twitter Village? Should Brogan be Mayor? Nominate your choice.

Last week Laura Fitton, aka Pistachio posted a well-received blog about the Twitter Village. It's more than a cute thought. It explains how a virtual community, managed by no one, designed to serve no brand or commercial interest self organizes.

In reality, the Twitter Village is fast becoming a megalopolis. Unofficial census takers say there are now over 700,000 denizens to the virtual place and it is growing rapidly. In fact, this doesn't really matter to the people who go there. Thanks to the self-organizing attributes, we keep subdividing into smaller "global neighborhoods," sorted by diverse interests. Laura and I belong to one of the largest of these neighborhoods, the one whose shared passion is social media itself.  We occasionally meander into other neighborhoods where the residents are more passionate about politics, sports, entertainment, cooking, etc.

But for the most part most of my closest Twitter friends are social about social media.

A couple hours ago, in some old fashioned email conversation, Connie Reece, an extremely well-respected and frequent Tweeter, as we call each other in the 'hood, suggested that Chris Brogan (chrisbrogan on Twitter) should be the Mayor of our Tweeter Village. In fact, Chris has lots of the attributes. To begin with, he's Boston. He's Irish. He knows just about everyone. He's a great virtual glad-hander. But, it is not for Connie and I to decide. Neither of us like that top-down approach. It is for all the residents to decide.

So I am now accepting nominations for who should be Twitter Village mayor.

In fact, let's nominate a whole slate of Twitter Village officers. Because it is virtual, not all out titles need to be the same as in a city.  For example, I don't think we need a fire chief. But here are a few titles that come to mind, for people in my neighborhood.

I nominate:

Connie Reece (conniereece on Twitter) Secretary of Health, for the work she has done building the Pea Foundation

Jeremiah Owyang (jowyang), secretary of community development, although I reserve the right to occasionally heckle him.

I (shelisrael) nominate me to be the Director of the Twitter Village Senior Center. I have seniority.
Scoble (scobleizer), of course, is the press secretary because of his hyperactive communications gene.

KD Paine as director of weights and measures. This, of course, is a step down from her current position of Measurement Queen, but it could pay better.

Hugh MacLeod (gapingvoid) is clearly our Illustrator in Chief.

Paul Walsh (paulwalsh). Secretary of State, For speaking out about doing evil in China and getting banned in one or two places.

Loic LeMeur (loiclmeur), Secretary of Tweesmic, a new bi-lingual post.

These are just my nominations. You can make yours. Do it on your own blog or in Twitter.  You can leave your nominations here, but warning: I learned to count ballots in Boston.

Comments

[Bernadette Feeney]

I vote for all of the above slated

[Chris Brogan...]

It's such a sprawl waiting to happen, Twitter. Have you ever hung out in the Public timeline for a bit? It's interesting to see these huge tribes that we don't really know. Just when we think it's all the same group of folks we're meeting from around the blogosphere, I discover entire hundreds of people I don't know. (Not even counting other languages).

Interesting post, Shel, and besides being fun, it makes for a larger question of how our view of assembly and organization go in a world where locality isn't the only distinguishing factor of our interests.

[B.L Ochman]

Interesting post, but what I like about Twitter is that it doesn't have that kind of structure and it is fluid and always open to someone new with something interesting to say.

[Christopher Penn]

I volunteer to be the first behind the scenes lobbyist in Twitter Village.

[Erica Ross-Krieger]

I'll cast my vote for the slate suggested, but I'll also do a few write-ins: Liz Strauss for Director of Arts & Entertainment; Doug Hudiberg for Lead Twam Patrol Officer; Guy Kawasaki for Chief Officer of Twitter Truemors' and Pistachio for Director of Twitter Village Development. Meantime, I'd like to run for the office of Director of Tweeters Anonymous (I'll even design the 12 step program:)

[yndygo]

Hm... well, I'll vote - and pretty much would support all of your nominations - but I like the informality of it all.

Then again, my metaphor for Twitter is less "Village" and more "Cocktail Party" - because of the nature of the interactions.

[Wonderwebby]

the bigger question...WHO is the village idiot?
;)

[BarbaraKB]

I believe Twitter *was* a village about six months. Now, as you write here, Shel, it's more of a fast-growing Metropolis or City. I agree. And there are growing pains especially for those of us who remember it as a village :) I wish all newcomers well as they find their "neighborhood" but I hope we, the Twitter community, find ways for new members to feel comfortable to venture out in our City and meet others. But we should honor others privacy (various ways of blocking) or honor the need to not "follow" everyone. For instance, I feel safer following those I already know or have interest in their work outside Twitter. Again, I welcome all but know that we are City and we want to feel safe. Thanx for allowing me to post here.

[Ike]

I protest this illegal and unwarranted assault on my freedoms, on behalf of the PGRTLF! (people's glorious revolutionary twitter liberation front)

[Mack D. Male]

The scary thing is I can't tell if you're joking or not.

[Connie Reece]

It's okay, Ike. We've walled off a section of Twitterville where you can have your own little republic and protest to your heart's content. That's the beauty of Twitter: just hit Unfollow and suddenly you're not polluting my neighborhood anymore. CLICK - I have banished you and your PGRTLF! :-)

[angela penny]

I think this is wrong and there are so many important residents that you're leaving out. What I like about Twitter is that the thoughts and words rule and it's an even playing field. I don't know maybe you meant it as a joke and I'm getting bent out of shape for no reason.

[Chris Brogan...]

For whatever reason, I'm thinking of the "Popular Front of Judea" from Monty Python's Life of Brian.

For the record, and officially, I think this is just an extension of the "village" post from @Pistachio the other day, and while interesting, I'm not running for any social network offices. I can't. I already am a Mayor somewhere else. : )

[chris]

I'm new to twitter. I follow people that I do not have an association with outside of that community, mainly because I don't get out that often (I live in an isolated area). If someone is uncomfortable with my following them, of course they can block me, or simply be rude and I'll get the hint.

I do not understand what a "mayor" would do, but certainly the title implies authority and dominance and I strongly oppose it.

Twitter is the first social networking site that I feel a connection with. I hope that it's popularity and future "improvements" don't ruin it.

[chris]

I'm new to twitter. I follow people that I do not have an association with outside of that community, mainly because I don't get out that often (I live in an isolated area). If someone is uncomfortable with my following them, of course they can block me, or simply be rude and I'll get the hint.

I do not understand what a "mayor" would do, but certainly the title implies authority and dominance and I strongly oppose it.

Twitter is the first social networking site that I feel a connection with. I hope that it's popularity and future "improvements" don't ruin it.

[shel israel]

Connie,
You called it Twitterville. I like that better as well. Maybe we should vote on the name.

[Connie Reece]

I like Twitterville too. Before Laura dubbed it a village, I used to call it the twittersphere or twitterland.

[Robert Scoble]

Oh, man, just what we need. More gatekeepers and politicians! :-)

You really think we can govern Twitter? I think I'll be more successful in herding cats.

[Jennifer Leggio]

While I love the word Twitterville (though my favorite phrase is Twitterfolk), I need to protect my rights as a member of the PGRTLF and abstain from voting. We cannot be caged!

[Vivian Cohen Leisorek]

Would love a post for Corporate Mythbuster to help spread the benefits past the firewalls, denial-modes and prejudices. And happy to see there's Strategic Planning, Budgeting Authority or Ministry of Defense.
Will Mayor Brogan get coverage in the French press even if he's if he's only a village mayor and not FB president? :-)

[Sarah]

Twitterville or Twitterdom?

As for who should rule... the simple answer is no one. The question of who is most influential on there is yet another question and not really anyone can answer. You can cut stats in any way shape or form. You can name a single person as a head of something but unless they have the following of the people or long tail as people so love to call it! Then it doesn't really matter who is appointed.

At the end of the day people choose who they follow and in some cases who is allowed to follow them. It's more of a trust network than a leadership model. So rather than searching out a leader maybe try searching out the most trustworthy.

[Doug Haslam]

These sorts of lists are lots of fun-- stimulating actual discussion about what Twitter is to us, while giving us some comic relief.

So, who IS the village idiot? I have some ideas, but perhaps I will keep them to myself.

We also need a Secretary of Crazy, Spammer-in-Chief, Class Clown, Chief Whiner (not Winer), and someone needs to be in charge of Jason Calacanis. Actually, no they don't.

Obviously, I will have to give this more thought.

And yes, Brogan should be Mayor. In true Boston fashion, he should get himself banned from Twitter and run for the post from Twitter-jail.

[Ontario Emperor]

I nominate @newmediajim as Ambassador to the United States.

And we can't forget the bots - @twitcrit, @tweetgift, et al. What position should they hold?

[Michael Bailey]

Hrmmm - so, why ruin a good thing by trying to organize it and control it?

Unless, of course, this is all just a big joke, in which case I'm ALL for it!

(once the colonies get established, I'll lead the revolution! I hear trumpets!)

[Michael Bailey]

WE BUILT THIS CITY ON ROCK AND ROLL!

PEACE OUT!

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