True Twitter Confessions: At First I Couldn't Figure Out What The Big Deal Was About

At first I couldn't figure out why everyone was making such a big deal about Twitter. I mean, wasn't it just glorified IM-ing for grownups?

It took me about 100 tweets (messages sent to other Twitter users) to go from questioning the benefits of Twitter to getting totally hooked. (Don't say you weren't warned.) And once I was hooked, I started thinking about all the ways Twitter was becoming essential in my life -- and how it could be used to make life better for other parents.

I compared notes with other parents on Twitter in order to produce this list (very much a work-in-progress) of ways parents are using Twitter in their everyday lives.

Note: The strange-looking comments that are pasted in below are tweets – the messages Twitter users send to communicate with one another. Because tweets are limited to 140 characters, Twitter users resort to diy acronyms in order to squeeze as much message as possible into the limited number of characters.

You can use Twitter to stay connected to the outside world when you're at home caring for young children.

@NicolleWahl "If you aren't into the whole gymboree/"mom's group" lifestyle, twitter's a great way to fight the isolation/occas. boredom."
@DaniGirl "I've found twitter perfectly suited to the 5 minute bursts of free time that defines the day when mothering a wee baby in a family of five!"

You can Tweet pregnancy updates.

@DaniGirl "tweetd regular updates on the end of my prgcy when I couldn't bother to blog. Worked great!"

You can tap into the endless flow of news, parenting and otherwise.

Whether you want to keep on top of news headlnes, health news, product safety recalls, find out which celebrity is pregnant (@ParentDish: "Molly Ringwald Pregnant!") and which products are and aren't worth buying (earlier today, @frozenfoods described a particular brand of ready-to-eat family-size Salisbury Steak "dog food in a cesspool of gravy").

You can pick up new ideas.

Earlier today, I was reading a @shacker's page and I found a post that read "On the hunt for used/recycled lumber – back to building a fort with Miles." Then, a few lines up on the page, he reported on his success in scoring free lumber: "HUGE thanks to Ashby Lumber for donation of imperfect wood for our fort. Even loaded it onto car with forklift!" Clearly @shacker is a genius.

You get to hang out with people who are just like you or who share the same interests as you.

When you have dozens, hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of people pooling their collective wisdom, you can imagine how inspiring the conversations can be.

You can meet other people who aren't just like you.

That's part of the fun of twitter, too: broadening your horizons:

@Doulamama Wide network of diverse folk with resources, ideas and tips. My tip: broaden your followers beyond parenting and mama people.

You'll find out about cool widgets that have just been invented – and you'll dream up fabulous ways to use them.

How about mapping out your next mommy group argument over sleep training methods using this tool, for example? (Found via @TechCrunch.)

One final tip: It's a good idea to read up on Twitter basics, including Twitter etiquette, before you start firing off spam-o-grams or nasty rants. One of the best things about Twitter is that its culture generally favors nice over nasty, but not in an over-the-top or fake way. Here are some quick guides to Twitter that will help you to sidestep the faux pas while making the most of this incredibly powerful and versatile communications tool. Have fun -- and I hope you'll take a moment to swing back and report on the many uses you find for Twitter -- things I haven't even dreamed of yet.

Comments

[Penny]

I'm the same way, I didn't get it first but now use it often.

[Ann Douglas]

And once you start using it, it's pretty addictive, isn't it? :-)

- Ann

http://www.twitter.com/anndouglas @anndouglas

[Isabel]

I still don't get it, and honestly I don't even want to get it. Why would I need another technological addiction?? Email/blogs/message boards are MORE than enough.

Maybe it's because I'm an introvert and don't want to talk to that many people anyway?? I don't know, but it just doesn't appeal.

[Sara]

I'm an introvert, and that's exactly the reason that I love Twitter. My energy is easily drained in groups of people. This way, I can talk to people without having to actually talk to them. Love those real-world friends, but sometimes you just need a little bit of cyber love instead!

[Ann Douglas]

I actually find Twitter a lot more useful than email. (I hate email.) And I haven't used message boards in about five years (other than one parenting writers group I run @ Facebook). I find I'm gradually switching from one mode of communication to another as other more efficient (or more useful) methods come along.

Of course, everything is relative. What I find useful, other people might find totally annoying -- and vice versa.

Thanks for your comments, Isabel and Sara. It's a fascinating topic -- how communication is evolving.

[stacey]

I have a twitter account but have not really gotten into it yet.

www.slroman.webs.com

[andrea from the fishbowl]

I held off Twittering for a long time but eventually came around to embrace it. It's interesting to see how many people use it, and the different ways they DO use it, both professionally and on a personal level.

I use it to promote kid-friendly events in Ottawa in 140- character digestable bits. (I'm http://www.twitter.com/missfish)

I'd be interested to know ... who are your favourite Twitters?

(I really like http://twitter.com/BstTwt)

[Ann Douglas]

I love /BstTwt too. (You and I share the same bizarre sense of humor so there's no real surprise there, Miss Fish!)

I follow a huge number of people, because I have a lot of very different interests. Book people. New media people. Writers and journalists. Social justice and environmental change people. Political theory people. Pregnancy and parenting people. Scientific researchers. Vintage enthusiasts. Creative types (artists, filmmakers, etc.) Smart & funny people. Cottage lovers. People who love Canada without feeling like they have to hit other people over the head with a flag. I could go on and on.

Anyway, like a lot of people on Twitter, I look forward to #followfriday, when people recommend five of their favorite Twitter people to others.

When I post tomorrow, I'll pass along my previous follow Friday recommendations (plus the guide to my follows, which I publish after each #followfriday post).

I'll try to remember to post subsequent #followfriday lists here, too.

If I forget, remind me.

Ann

[Ann Douglas]

Stacey, once you start meeting people who share your interests in handmade/handcrafted items, you won't believe how much valuable information you'll be able to acquire and share via Twitter. It's amazing.