Back in 2010, Twitter (now known as X) was on fire in Boise, Idaho.
It’s how I was able to connect with PR people and explore the job market in this rare politically blue community nestled in a deeply red state when I moved there in December 2010. It’s how I came to know dozens of people I now consider friends and colleagues. People like Karen Rush Wilson (@KarenR-W), Jessica Flynn (@JessFlynn) of Red Sky, and so many others. It’s how I learned about @CaretoShareBoise and was able to get involved with my community.
Believe it or not, Twitter was how I learned my work at @WCA_Boise had earned Idaho Press Association awards after I left Idaho. Sadly, Twitter is also how I learned of the passing of two people I had come to know through this rarely used social media channel.
In early 2017, the beautiful soul Terri Nicholson died and her husband Scott posted a wonderful photo of her with the announcement. We had several Twitter chats during my time in Idaho, and I still follow her wonderful Twitter feed at @wwwrote. She conquered cancer once, but it returned and won the second round.
Late Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, I happened to catch a post on LinkedIn about the sudden passing of J.J. Saldana (@jjsaldana). He was so much larger than life – on Twitter and in real life. I left Idaho 10 year ago, and J.J. and I still tweeted to each other now and then. Like Terri, he died much too young.
I watched the tweets appear as news spread. J.J.’s friends and close colleagues from all over the Pacific Northwest expressed shock and grief in touching tributes to his work and his flamboyant personality. Fellow Voce board member described his death as “a rip in the universe.” in this excellent story by @DonLDay of @BoiseDev.
Sadly, so many of the people I came to know through Twitter I’ve never met in real life. I never had a chance to meet Terri. J.J. and I only met once – a chance meeting at a popular downtown Boise coffee shop that’s now closed.
When I shared on Twitter that I was leaving Idaho, J.J. tweeted: “We’ll always have Thomas Hammer.”
Godspeed, J.J. Rest in Peace.
Writer and Raconteur 