@isomeme @null @palin Here's the problem, though: It's easy for folks to feel like they're contributing to Twitter when there are celebrities or important public figures, often saying something extreme (e.g., some other celebrity sucks, some ethnic group is not really equal to other ethnic groups, some election results are false). They can respond, "That's right," or, "You suck more," and either way, that's it, that's the tweet.

Being here in an environment where you truly are an equal, may be scary. Suddenly, it's up to you to decide if there's anything important going on in your life, your world, your work, your family, your planet, that's important enough to merit global publication. The spotlight here is brighter, even though the stage is smaller.

Here's where we come to an important, counter-intuitive, revelation: Twitter, and to varying extents, other social channels, have cultivated a generation of shy people. Like folks who act like stone statues in person, but explode in fits of road rage behind the wheel, they leverage their personas on the threads of others with higher follower counts - of things that makes them look bigger, while at the same time hiding their true visages.

Now, here we are, on a system where their relevance levels are not determined by the levels of those they follow. And suddenly, the question becomes, what do we say to one another that's important enough to merit being read? What do we believe as individuals? Have we done anything people at large would care about? Are our own cats or dogs funny enough for sharing their antics?

The onus is on us here. And the only way to help folks answer these open questions, is to be more open to how they feel, what they do, and who they are.