Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Being all atwitter with... Twitter & other networking thoughts

MOOD STATUS: "Excited". Doing a little early birthday party planning for the kiddo.


Well, it must be going to snow because--

Oh, wait. It did snow.

That must be the reason why I joined Facebook and twitter after I said I would be the LAST person on earth to do so. :) It was peer pressure, I tells ya!! PEER PRESSURE. I'm so weak.

And now I'm addicted. :)

Can I tell you what a crack up Facebook has been for me? It's like one GIANT party and everybody--including people you didn't invite--are there. LOL! I've talked to old boyfriends, old neighbors, old classmates, ex friends, and ex boyfriends of ex friends.
In the words of my daughter, "It's crazy nuts". :) But I have to say I'm having a lot of fun. Everyday I laugh at some message or some friend request that's come completely out of the woodwork. Good times...


Now Twitter... at first, I didn't quite "get" it.

OK, I still don't quite get it, but I am finally having a little fun with it.

At first it was like: What's all this gibberish flashing across my screen? Who's saying what to who now? And how can people be following me already when all I did was sign up? How did they find me?

Very confusing. Is there a manual out there? Kidding!

(Half kidding)

I'm still figuring both out, but it's all good so far.

I keep up with My Space too. It's gotten better, but it's still kind of lonely. Nowhere near the interaction that Facebook has. And of course, blogging is always kept on top of since it's my first choice in expressing my long bloviated thoughts. :) I'm keeping my hand in all of them, but Facebook and blogging seem to my favorite so far.

Are you facebooking, twittering, blogging, and linkedin, too?
What's your favorite social network?

PS. Going on an early break. Will catch up with you all later!

53 comments:

Not From Lapland said...

Twitter is fun, really, keep at it. Myspace frightens me a bit, isn't it just full of kids all pouting at the camera or is that one of those common misconceptions?

Tabitha Bird said...

I don't get twitter either. There. I said it. I. DON'T. GET. Twitter.

If you work it out. Post. Please. I'd love to know what all the darn fuss is about and why I need to spend my writing time connecting to tweets.:)

Jessica Nelson said...

I don't twitter either! But facebook I love. :-) Enjoy your break.

Sara {Rhapsody and Chaos} said...

Facebook is awesome. Like a big, interactive yearbook! And twitter gets much easier with time :) Check out inkygirl's posts about them: http://www.inkygirl.com/a-writers-guide-to-twitter/

Unknown said...

I feel the same way about facebook and I could really use a twitter manual. Not kidding at all!

Maria Zannini said...

I focus my attention on blogging. I'd rather do one thing right, then twenty things half-right.

Twitter: When I realized how much time it stole from me, I gave up. I do check on it from time to time.

Facebook has too much malware floating around. I also wasn't happy with the little stunt admin tried to pull a few months ago, claiming everything on FB was theirs. They recanted, but too late. It was the last nail in the coffin that turned me off.

Goodreads: I like it. It's not particularly intrusive and I've discovered a lot of new books and authors through that site.

If anyone else is on Goodreads, feel free to friend me. I'd love to start following you.

Hardygirl said...

Ah memories!!! I remember when I first joined Facebook!! It was like I had a whole other life . . .

I still can't do twitter. Maybe I'm just too old, but it moves too fast for me.

sf

Wendy Paine Miller said...

FB has been fun, but a little crazy at times. Had this one guy keep "threatening" to post pics of my in my bathing suit in h.s. Really, what did his wife think about this? He got to a creepy point. I defriended him eventually. Yep. I don't have time for stuff like that.

I forget who I follow on Twitter. I might already follow you?
~ Wendy

Robin said...

I there..Im a new follower..! Im like you..said I wouldnt..then I did..Now Im a little obsessed..only a few days into FB..I started a new one the other day..separate from work or family...its fun and funny..Have a great Day..!

Joanne said...

Just blogging here so far. I haven't wanted to take away any more time from my writing for the fb and twitter. Maybe some day ...

PatriciaW said...

I enjoy FB. Twitter not so much, probably because I only access these sites via PC, not phone. For Twitter, I think you really have to be connected real time, and I still don't have a desire to do that.

Still love blogging. Way too much as evidenced by the growing number of blogs I follow, even though I purge them by at least half every year.

Sherry Dale Rogers said...

So Twitter, I still don't get. Myspace got on my nerves. Facebook was forced on me by a friend and now I'm hooked. Goodreads was great at first but now I'm bored with it but above all I love blogging.

Anonymous said...

lol you are hooked now Jennifer :) I added you on both twitter and facebook! I do both, but I agree, when I can facebook and blogging are my favorite methods of communicating lol.

Tamika: said...

Blogging is it for me right now. I don't need one more distraction from my writing. Maybe after I have a few more manuscripts under my belt or I find representation.

I was at the edge of joining Twitter, but I feel I need to hold back a little.

Anne Riley said...

I do everything but MySpace. Twitter took me a while to figure out until I discovered the beauty of networking with other writers! Keep it up - you need all the PR you can get!

Tara McClendon said...

Hmm. A Twitter manual. Sounds good to me. I blog and do FB. I'm also on MySpace, but I don't like it as well as FB. Let us know how you continue to fare with the new social networks.

Laura Pauling said...

I've been on Facebook, but I keep that personal. It was a great way to connect with highschool friends. I don't post much, unless its really newsworthy.

And I just recently joined Twitter, and have no clue. All I do, is post links and my blog posts. I haven't had any interaction with anyone. But I'm there, just in case one day, I actually understand how it works. :)

Chicki Brown said...

Jennifer,

It's funny that you wrote about this topic today -- the day I was about to break down and sign up for Twitter.

Originally I'd said I wouldn't join the Tweeters until I had a book to promote, but there are so many authors I'd like to follow, I've recently reconsidered. Before I take the plunge, I'm going to read up on how to use Twitter effectively.

Tana said...

I do twitter, blog and facebook. It's the new socialization for me and honestly it's all I have time for. Sounds like it all came right on time or I'd be bored out of my mind. I'm so thankful for the writing circles especially.

patti said...

Jennifer, you're funny!
Sigh. Just FB and blogging swamp me to the point that I need one more hour a day to check things!

I do like to write the blog posts as warm-ups.

However, my reviews are screaming because of my inattention!

Enjoy your break!
Patti

Jen said...

Teehee! I'm on Facebook but I haven't been "on" facebook since before Thanksgiving! Ooops...

Twitter? Don't get it. Simply don't. I mean, who cares that I'm STILL sitting at my desk starring at a computer screen. It's all I do all day. If I have something to say, I"ll blog about it. Why would I want to tweet. Wouldn't that make me a twit? I don't know. But hey, to each their own!

Happy Wednesday,
Jen

Susan R. Mills said...

I couldn't quite figure out twitter either. It's one of my goals this year. Have a nice break!

Kristen Torres-Toro said...

Woohoo for facebook! Find me! I'm on twitter but have never used it. Just not feeling it. Don't know if I ever will.

Unknown said...

Welcome to the social media craze! Facebook is fun, twitter is too once you get addicted like me :)

Kara said...

I joined Facebook and it has been a lot of fun catching up with old friends. I didn't get twitter either, but finally started. It's still a little out there for me, but I try to keep up with it:)

Brittany Andress said...

I love facebook...had to delete my myspace account because there was too much spam surrounding it.

With Twitter, I have a love/hate relationsip. I suppose that I should use it more...I don't know...I just don't know.

Jamie D. said...

Followed and "friended" you - glad you're expanding past the blog. :-)

Blogging is my first love too, but I simply adore twitter, and enjoy facebook as well.

Kimberly Franklin said...

YAY! You've joined the rest of us in our addictions. Social networking is such an addictive thing. Have fun!!! : )


PS - I didn't get Twitter at first either. : )

CKHB said...

Joined Twitter last week. Still recovering.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Hmmm...

me + twitter = clueless
me + facebook = bored
me + blogging = happy sigh
Me + linkedin = what is that???

Lesley Speller said...

Wow...first...my Word Verification is "peeing" I kid you not! LMAO

Secondly, Yay Facebook and Twitter! I'm so not a myspace girl. I used to use it, but I don't even remember the last time I logged on. It was AGES ago. You'll get the hang of it. It just takes time.

Cassandra Frear said...

Three Blogs and Twitter. That's enough for me. I like Twitter, but it takes too much time. I probably should use Hootsuite or Tweetdeck, but I don't yet. I have a facebook page with nothing on it. I keep thinking of the time it would require. (I am working on some longer projects)

I know, I know, three blogs sounds like I am a nut. But each one is for a different set of friends and a different need. I'm with you on the user manuals. Social networking is developing so fast that relevant ones don't exist.

Amy DeTrempe said...

I enjoy facebook and probably spend way too much time there. I haven't been to my myspace in ages and not sure I even know my password any longer. As for twitter, I post things but I still don't get it. But, I think blogging is my favorite.

Jemi Fraser said...

I haven't signed up for Facebook & don't plan on it at the moment. I have NO extra time!

I do Twitter, but only a bit. @writechat (Sunday afternoon), @kidlitchat (Tuesday evening), @yalitchat (Wed evening) are the best parts for me.

Blogging is my favourite!

Angie Ledbetter said...

I've bitten the Twitter bullet, but am resisting the FaceBook time suck so far...but I'm getting weak. :)

Tiffany Neal said...

Oh my gosh. I just started Twitter tonight also. I really don't get it. Yet. I mean, I'm not stupid, but I just don't get it.

Soon, young grasshopper will understand the ways of the twitter.

Debora said...

Um... I tagged you, details on my blog. :)

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

I don't understand Twitter. I just lurk around after agents, authors and other bloggers...I rarely comment...

FB is a lot of fun. I too have connected with a lot of people from the past. Last week, I had a friend request from someone I had never heard of, turns out they were an aspiring writer and had seen me on Hope Clark's friend list. Then I had another one...I decided to keep FB for friends only...

Marianne Arkins said...

I don't get Twitter either... I link my blog to it, and then link it to FB, but otherwise I don't do a lot there anymore.

Myspace mystifies me. Always has. I'm almost never there.

But Facebook? Absolultely addicting. Fun. Interactive. Awesome.

I'll go look you up :-)

Keri Mikulski said...

Love Twitter!!

Facebook can freak me out sometimes.. :)

Off to find you. :)

Hopefully no more snow.

Kristi said...

Hi Jennifer!

I have yet to try Twitter mainly because it seems way too addicting and I'm already short on time! That's my slacker excuse anyway!

BUT I used to be completely addicted to FB...been slacking lately since the blogging has kept me so busy...but it can totally be addictive.

Speaking of addictive - been doing the apple cider vinegar in my water and am LOVING it. The hubs thinks it's gross but I don't even enjoy the normal water anymore!

Have a great weekend!

Clementine said...

I'm glad you like it, but Facebook drove me nuts. I couldn't get the games and invitations from filtering through my email. I never have understood why anyone would care about what I'm doing in the bread aisle of Food Lion, and after reconnecting with long lost friends, I ran out of things to talk about, lol!

Kerrie said...

I enjoy them all. I was like you and held off taking part in all of them as long as I could. Twitter is the one that sucks me in the most.

Unknown said...

I use Twitter as a writing exercise - how to say a lot with a few words. The Haiku challenge is my daily writing when the day job takes up so much time I don't have time to wait for Word to load!

My Facebook unites my family which is large enough to be a tribe.

I liked it when my Mum was here - she knew who everyone was: "No, that is Uncle Phil's son Paul not your cousin Paul in Yorkshire or the one in Dublin, he's from Birmingham! No! Not your Aunty Joan's daughter Paula's son Paul - he's 17 not 21."
I have a family tree like a forest! And it is all growing on Facebook.

dolorah said...

I have face book but I don't think I'll ever twitter. FB is complicated enough for me. It seems everything is eaten up with Farmville, Animal Zoo, and giving hearts. I don't play all those games, so I understand the comment about peer pressure because everyone I know gives me funny looks for not participating.

Oh well.

Good Luck with both adventures.

........dhole

Z(Aasiyah/Nolwynn) said...

hey Jen

I'm on FB and Twitter, and lol, both are lots of fun. FB was mostly for family but I'm on a lot for writing stuff too. Gotta change my name there, I think. It's on my real name and many writers may not 'get it' that way!
Twitter - once you get past the I'm-talking-about-myself-to-myself silly angle, it gets to be fun!

Big hugs

Linda Lee Foltz said...

I'm far behind you, just set up a blog. Haven't gotten to facebook or twitter or My Space yet. I suppose I need to, build a platform for my second book and all - but although I need all those people, I think I'm a recluse at heart.

Some days I'm sure it wouldn't take much for me to fall into a pattern, wake up, months later, having forgotten to shower, and eat, or change my clothes, although a full glass of wine would be sitting next to the keyboard, as I write away, long beard and all - okay no beard, I'm a woman, but you get the picture...will facebook and twitter distract me from that thing I so love to do - my writing?

Linda Kage said...

I'm more into Facebook than anything, mostly because I know more people who are into it. Twitter...yeah, I still don't get it much. And I'm also in MySpace, but don't use it much.

Facebook book is addictive though. I'll have to look you up there!

Jill Kemerer said...

I like all the sites--except MySpace. I don't get that one! But the other ones are fun ways to connect!

Cynthia Selwyn said...

I still don't know why they're called "tweets" and not "twits"...

Christine Danek said...

I do facebook but I have not kept up with it. I also have a linkin account but never check it.
I'm addicted to blogging --it is my time sucker. I have not tried twitter yet--I think I am scared of it. I most likely will be sucked in though but for now I am resisting.

Jumpin' Jeff said...

Hello everyone. Next to, "What's with that island on Lost," the question, "What is Twitter?" Where Facebook resembles more of a group or community (with a stream of messages that flows throughout the day), Twitter is more like a cocktail party.

There are some people at the cocktail party that you know (friends and family) and would talk to, there's also influencers of some sort you would like to follow to see what they are saying (You may never talk to them, but you want to keep ahead of the crowd), and also people whom you may have similar interests (When you are marketing something for Disney, let's say, you can follow people that are interested in Disney.

Suffice it to say, I take a Marketing approach, but it works.

One final story. I follow people all over the country and the world. I was in Arizona for business, and a friend I follow from Orange County tweeted about an earthquake 30 minutes before CNN even thought to mention it. I called my wife who works in Orange County, and asked her if she was okay, and she asked how did I know about the earthquake.

Social Networking sites are powerful tools, as well as great resources to make the world smaller and keep us connected.

Nishant said...

I don't twitter either! But facebook I love. :-) Enjoy your break.
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