Twitter Unsafe by Guhmshoo on Bitstrips

Cartooning is an almost forgotten part of social media  You see them included in newspapers, online magazines, and blogs across the net.  Some of them are crafted totally by hand, others designed with tools from the Internet, like Bitstrips.

InventorSpot did a round up of their Top Ten Social Media Cartoonists. A long time Twitter bud and fellow online cartoonist, Guhmshoo, made the cut.

What makes one a social media cartoonist? It’s honestly not about the method of creation or how the work is shared, it’s that the creator targets social media. I dabbled a bit in this when Bitstrips, Toonlet and other online cartoon creation sites sprung up.

Bitstrips was the first to make adding multiple characters in a panel easy. Guhmshoo embraced this has his primary outlet and went on to create some conversation sparking cartoons.

Guhmshoo uses his cartoons to echo things going on in the social media universe. The one above is a reflection on the safety of Twitter. In another strip he pits Bing against Google.

If you’re not into cartoons, then I still recommend Guhmshoo on Twitter.

I found this fascinating quote today:

While there are some celebrity Twittizens who are legitimately in need of Social Networking Rehab, the staff at INVITATIONS has been inundated with a rash of applications from some more dubious tweeters, claiming to be in need of help dealing with the pressures of maintaining their tens of thousands of followers, while at the same time engaging in, shall we say, less than sincere social networking practices. This behavior is not unlike someone “admitting” to having used marijuana, and then saying they never inhaled. Who would ever make such ridiculous claims???Jeff Sass, Social Networking Rehab: 28 Digital Days, May 2009

Jeff Sass made me laugh with this article and cringe as well.  Here he tackles in a funny way those folks claiming to be twitterati and addicts, but just maybe they’re something else.

Read the article to see all of his 10 point check list for fake addicts, but here’s my favorite.

10. The words “SEO”, “MONEY”, “CASH”, “PROFITS” or “WEIGHTLOSS” are part of their Twitter name.

Go Jeff Go.

How do you know when you’re a social networking addict? Here’s a few of my favorites.

• your contacts dread when you’re home for a sick day
• you Twitter on the way to bathroom
• the only way to get you out of the house is a Tweetup
• folks online can tell when you ‘got some’ the night before
• social networks start blocking you from sending updates
• you’ve reached every networks follower limits

Yes, it happens, Twitter goes down, or wonky or kaput. Whatever you call it, your favorite social networking tool is not there for you, so now what? Here’s a few suggestions.

1. Rediscover that book you bought at Amazon and never read. Yes, the one on 100 things to do online.
2. Visit with your kid.  Yes, the one you just realized graduated high school.
3. Mow your lawn.  Oh, you forgot that your house has a front yard?  It’s out there, calling your name.
4. Give your fingers and the rest of you a rest; kick back and have a tequila or your beverage of choice.  What? You have those all the time?  Well this time, try enjoying it offline, perhaps on a sun drenched porch.
5. Take some pictures.  Don’t have a full blown camera? Use your cell phone.  Rediscover the fun of annoying your spouse, kids, cousins, neighbors or dog. Snap away.
6. ……

Hmm, that’s only 5. Well how about helping me fill in the rest?  Give me your list of things to do when Twitter is down for the count.

So they gave us these fancy new toys and left us to play.  I’ve already highlighted a few of the cool things people have done so far, such as a live music jam on Yahoo! Live and myooVooday.com.  But those are just the tip of the iceberg.  Here are my top 10 suggestions for more fun and interesting things to do with multiuser video chat.

1.  Improv Comedy

2.  Sci-Fi Panel Discussion

3.  Small Class Teaching

4.  Book Club

5.  Writer’s Critique Group

6.  Family Time

7.  Limited Access Interviews

8.  PC Help

9.  Learn sign language

10. Reenact Monty Python Skits

So what’s your list of top suggestions for multiuser video chat?  Share one or two?