ION Digital

Reading Twitterville, it’s easy to get the feeling that I’m back in my home state of Texas, surrounded by friendly neighbors, family and loved ones.  Sort of a small town feel, where people leave their doors unlocked and even strangers welcome you warmly.

Some readers may challenge this description—isn’t Twitter a wild west environment, a raging river of commentary, observations and random chitchat?

But by framing it this way—as a “place” we can relate to—author Shel Israel set the stage for what turns out to be an engaging page-turner. (more…)

Q: Why did you write this book? What possessed you?

A: In April 2008, James Buck posted a single-word tweet “arrested.” He was being taken to an Egyptian jail. Because of that post he would be released and sent home in about a day. It blew me away and I posted someone should write a book about the incident. Someone tweeted back, “how about you?” That started a process that became Twitterville. So the credit goes to either James Buck or the Egyptian police, depending on how you look at it.

Q: What was different about writing Twitterville vs  Naked Conversations (ex: completely unchartered territory back then, easier/harder to write?) (more…)