And so my vacation has come to end. I usually try and check out for a bit, but am never able to completely disconnect. I am too interested in what my friends are doing, and in a way, its a bit like being at your own funeral.

If you dont see a tweet, does that mean the person ceased to exist?

This vacation was an opportunity for me to really try and come to terms with the quality of my communication versus its shear volume. At what point does volume outstrip quality? Is taking a measured approach to communication better for all parties?

I often have my four email accounts auto checking, several IM windows open at the same time and twitterrific, posting in them all, sometimes copying and pasting statements from one medium to another.

In physical life; I talk. A lot. Verbose. Gregarious. Talkative. These are all adjectives that have been applied to me at various times in my life. They are all true. So, in the virtual world, do I need to be a talkative, verbose, gregarious tweeter/IM’er/emailer?

At what point does quality and quantity intersect?

I am trying out three things.

1) read David Cohen‘s post on Inbox Zero. Beyond the management of email, the first thing I have done is stop the auto check. 30 minutes is where I am at (I dont have the balls to see if I could last at one hour).

2) read Twitter Equilibrium on Michael Lopp’s blog RandinRepose.

For me, I?ve achieved a Twitter equilibrium following roughly 100 people. For whatever reason, at around 100 folks, I?m finding a pleasant flow of new, interesting content whenever I glance over at Twitterrific.

I have found that is about the right amount for me as well. I have culled my following list from 150+ to around 80 or so. I am going to add back people slowly. The folks that look at Twitter as a public instant messaging platform will not be added back.

To be that severe, I need to adhere to my own rule. I will not use twitter as a public instant messaging platform. I promise.

3) I can think before I write, even if I dont before I speak. Before I bang out a quick blog post or tweet, I will think to myself “is that additive?” It doesnt have to be a cure for cancer. I will settle for not boring.

I am sure I will fail often and spectacularly in my attempts to provide quality over volume. But I wont stop trying.

I need to keep reminding myself that just because I want to say something, doesnt mean I have to say something.

I need to come to the realization that not everything I say is pithy or valuable, and if I take a measured approach to communication, then quality and quantity should intersect at the right point.

One can hope…