There are a lot of people talking about Twitter right now. I can’t tell you why everyone else loves it, but I can share why I’m glad to have joined in all fun.
In a nutshell (or a Twitter-sized, 140-characters-or-less post):
I like Twitter’s short, sweet flow of information. And the way it allows me to choose what information to follow.
Here’s more about that:
I love it when someone tweets about something and then includes a link for more information.
If I want to learn more I can, and right away. Or I can follow the link and bookmark it for later enjoyment. I like it when the authors themselves tweet as well as when someone who just found the information valuable (or entertaining) tweets the link.
Sure, some people use blog readers to keep up with their favorite blogs, but, although I subscribe to many, many blogs I intend to read, I rarely actually make it even to the reader to see what is available. It’s easier for me to follow my favorite bloggers and hope they tweet about their posts. Then I can decide immediately if I want to take a look. This is probably how I do the bulk of my blog reading: I jump in on the post tweeted and stay for awhile, meandering through other posts.
That being said, please understand that I don’t see self-promotion as the sole purpose of Twitter. I think it is really a way to get conversations going and thoughts shared.
Which takes me to the second reason why I love Twitter:
I love listening in on other people’s conversations and sometimes taking part.
Twitter allows me take part in lots of mini-conversations throughout the day… if I choose to.
I can listen in to a mom sharing her struggles or successful strategies. I can ask for advice or input. And I can get inspiration in whatever area I need/ want it at the moment.
By following people and organizations with interests similar to mine, I can keep my mind in the conversation, yet only speak when I want to. And at my own pace.
No, I do not agree with all of the conversations I read and yes, there is a LOT of self-promotion that can get irritating. But I just tune those tweets out and move on to what I like. Or I stop following those I don’t want to hear from anymore.
I have found Twitter to be a great sounding board and a great place to gather ideas. And it can also just simply be a lot of fun: Where else can you take part in real-time conversations with people all across the globe about any variety of topics at any time of day? Twitter sounds pretty good to me!
Plus, I love all the new cyber-friends I’ve met in Twitterville! Although we may only communicate in short messages here and there, I still feel a connection and love keeping up.
If you aren’t familiar with Twitter, you might be wondering how to get started. I am certainly not an expert, but I can give you a few pointers:
First you need to create a free account and pick your Twitter name. If you use a mobile device, texting fees will apply as dictated by your provider. I just use Twitter via the internet, so it is free for me.
Find some people or organizations to follow by typing in names you know or do a search using any words or phrases that might interest you and see what pops up. Then follow anyone that looks interesting.
Consider a Twitter application like TweetDeck that allows you to manage your lists and easily respond to tweets. You might also want to use Tweetchat to have a specific conversation with a lot of other people. (You’ll use this to keep track of conversations with hashtags and a word at the end.) Or there is TweetGrid to follow several conversations at once. There are several other Twitter applications, just do a little searching.
Then, get in the conversation when you feel like it.
You might ask about a specific birding spot, a long-lost recipe, school advice, restaurant reviews, movie suggestions, recycling how-to’s, inspiration or re-live shared childhood memories with strangers or even close friends.
Step out of the conversation when you want to, as well. I have found Twitter to be pretty guilt-free. Sure I miss some conversations, but I cannot live my life online-there is too much to take in right in front of me as well! With Twitter I can jump in and out whenever I want to.
Twitter can serve so many purposes other than just what I love about it. If you haven’t yet, give it a whirl and see what you think. Once you find your voice (either to listen to or share) I bet you’ll love it, too.
And, please, let me know what you think about Twitter. I’d love to know!
If you think I should follow you, leave me a note with your Twitter ‘handle’ and why I should.
And please consider following MomsToolbox, as well.
This post is a linked to Works for Me Wednesday.
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