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November 2009

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Moms are A-Twitter

By Karen Waldkirch
Sunday, Mar 8 2009, 08:50 AM
Do you love talking to other moms?  Do you find it cathartic and reassuring to share the ups and downs of this adventure called motherhood with someone who is dealing with it too?

Do you sometimes have random thoughts about being a mom, parenting, your kids or maybe just a stinky pile of laundry?

Ever wish you could share those thoughts with lots of other people without working too hard or taking too much time?

Moms, meet Twitter. The very popular online social networking site that has the whole world well, a-twitter! Of course Facebook is still the big online kahuna when it comes to social networking, but Twitter is breathing down its neck.

I think of Twitter as Facebook for people with short attention spans. This is probably why it’s become wildly popular. Nobody has time, but everyone wants to be connected with everyone at all times. In fact, a comedian created a “backronym” for Twitter – Typing What I’m Thinking to Everyone Reading. Although an oversimplification, this is the essence of Twitter.

You tweet (which is what it’s called when say what you’re doing) and sometimes people tweet at you. Sometimes people retweet (re-posting of an interesting tweet) or ask for a retweet back.

If you’re especially prolific, you can tweet from your cell phone so you never miss an opportunity to share your brief (and brilliant) thoughts.

The goal on Twitter (and perhaps, in life) is to be “followed.” Sure anyone can read your tweets on Twitter, but the goal is to get people that have them as part of their regular “feed.” Because really, what’s the sense of saying something if nobody reads it?

And never underestimate the resourcefulness of a woman to connect a mom or two with a social networking tool like Twitter. Somehow, TwitterMoms found me. This brand-specific networking site has blogs, forums, photos and a direct connection to Twitter. If you’re a mom, there’s a place for you on TwitterMoms.

As a newbie to Twitter (a “Twewbie”?), I’m just getting my feet wet. But there’s something about it that appeals to my sometimes obsessive need to share my random observations with the world around me. If you try it, feel free to follow me and I’ll follow you back. And be sure to check out TwitterMoms while you’re there.

I’ll leave you with this: Twy it and you might like it. (Sorry. I couldn’t resist.)    

 

Don't Fear the Facebook

By Karen Waldkirch
Sunday, Jul 27 2008, 06:33 PM

Hi. My name is Karen and I have a Facebook page.

 

That’s right. I’m a mom and I have a Facebook page. I’ve been there and I’ve been back and I’ve been all around and I’m here to say that Facebook, although not perfect, is not the devil.

 

Here’s the story: I ended up with a Facebook page totally by accident. If you want to find out the details, read here.

 

Nevertheless, it was my choice to keep my Facebook page. I could have taken it down, but I didn’t. In fact, from the time that I created my page, some of my fellow moms also created Facebook pages. Suddenly, my peers were Facebookin’. Huh. Who knew?

 

So I stuck with it, mostly because it was the path of least resistance. I have a whopping 29 friends. 29. To my kids, that’s kind of pathetic. But I don’t care.

 

Oh and since my first exploit, I re-invited my kids to become my friends and they continue to reject me – multiple times. They've welcomed my brother-in-law and one of my best friends with open arms. But me? No, I’m like the plague. No thank you.

 

(Sidenote: my kids’ friends continue to allow me to be their Facebook friends. They think it’s hilarious that their friends, a.k.a. my kids, reject me and so as sort of an act of pity they add me. You’d think my own would let me in, but no. Not gonna happen.)

 

That’s OK. I know that someday they’ll come around. In the meantime, I update my status and I add to my list of interests, books, music and I even add a photo or two. It’s not much, but I kind of like it. As a mom, I like understanding the attraction of a social utility like Facebook. I like knowing what brings them back time and time again.

 

You see, I’ve always had this feeling that before I condemned my kids’ interests, I should at least try and understand why they like something. To me, that’s part of my responsibility.

 

What do you think about Facebook?

  

 
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