Can I be honest with you? I’ve always hated Twitter. Why? I’m not sure. Probably because I didn’t get how it worked, and even with a few very honest efforts I still didn’t get it.
Yet, I had an account, I threw a daily link to SDL out there, and over time, a few thousand people started following.
Yet, every day I felt this twinge of guilt. It was the kind of guilt that fancies the selfish party in an all-take no-give relationship. And so, I resolved to be a better Tweeter.
And I have been. And you know what? Turns out, twitter is awesome. I’m just going to say it right now. I’m hooked.
Before, I rarely responded to individuals. I thought that every time I did so, it would clog the home page feed of all 3,000 followers. Who’d want to be inundated with my flirtatious, self-absorbed, silly, and ridiculous tweets all the time, I would always think.
Well, turns out if you do it the right way, people don’t see all of those individual tweets.
That knowledge alone was enough to get me a little bit excited about twitter. I started replying to my followers and having little tweet chats with them. It’s been so fun.
And then, somebody sent me a link to a page that explains Twitter in words that even a twit like me could understand. Click here if you want to read it. It’s called, “Mom, this is how twitter works.”
So, anyway, yeah… twitter. Is it for the birds? A couple weeks ago I would have told you most certainly. I’ll bet I tried figuring it out at least five or six times before that, always leaving it behind puzzled and confused.
But now I wish a lot more of my friends were on it, and I wish a lot more of you would get on it and tweet with me! If you do have a user name, add me (@danoah) and then let’s giggle about stupid things together.
I also like Twitter because I can be a *little* less inhibited over there. But don’t tell anybody that.
I have to maintain my squeaky clean image and all.
Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing
PS, what do you think about twitter? Have you been frustrated trying to figure it out? Are you hooked on it?
Okay, so weird. I didn't read this post when it was originally posted, and I think I deleted my account on Saturday. We're in sync. Not like the boy band.
I went kicking and screaming into Twitter -- and I'm addicted too! LOVE IT! It's like college -- there's always somebody out there to talk to!
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I admit I am still in the learning curve with Twitter...some days I love it, other days I am bored with it. I wish I could fully utilize it and grow my networking. I think I might need a crash course again, LOL.
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Thanks for posting the "Twitter Cheat Sheet." I must be honest, though. I'm going to have to get out little dolls (or Fisher Price people) and attach the name tags to them to make myself work through all the nuances of tweeting.
To be honest i resisted twitter for a long time when everyone around me was on it. I didn't need another addiction lol.. but then well i signed up, signed on..and well i'm well over 8k tweets ..actually closer to the 9k tweet side haha. I do have my twitter account locked..as i don't like *spammers* so an add request is needed..but if i can tell you're human ..you'll generally get allowed as a follower, and i'll more than likely follow you back. you can find me at @phoenyxflower
happy tweeting.
Yea, I don't get twitter so much either... I am going to read your instructions tho as it sounds really fun!
See u there!
Cherryl
I used to have a serious addiction to Twitter. I followed a bunch of other writers, agents, and editors. But I found that they were always linking to interesting things. And my whole day could be sucked up if I let it. I still tweet when I post to y blog. And I follow a few people whose tweets get sent to my phone. But other than that, I avoid it as a timesuck.
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I've never even looked at Twitter until I followed your link, and I think it would probably drive me around the bend. Even with the "simplified" explanation, it lost me. I spend too much time online anyway, as I am a Facebook junkie, and I would go crazy with the character limit. Speaking of which...I need to quit reading this blog and go to BED!
I have a twitter account I NEVER use...I feel sorry for all the saps who follow me because we ain't goin no where folks! Guess I'll read your little article and give it an honest chance.
I tweet - once in awhile I have tweet chats... it's definitely gotten easier for me the more I figure it out. And I use HootSuite which definitely helped me clear up what was going on! :)
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I have tried twitter three times, I have an account but right now, my son, my daughter, and my husband are my only followers and followees. I will have to read over this link, it may help. I had actually decided to cut out a lot of what I was doing online, and was enjoying it, just a few friends on facebook was what I had narrowed it down too. Now I been rather busy at your community and reading your blog, and now I'm tempted to go back to twitter. I did love reading tweets, but struggled with replies and all. So, you are turning me into an "online junky" again Dan! hahaha...
It definitely is a learning curve to using twitter. But I think it's a good tool for bloggers. I've been able to connect with people I wouldn't otherwise. I've met other blogger "friends" and found great information via their blogs via twitter.
Overall, I think it's fun and a good tool. But, I spend too much time on it. With all the tweets that lead to blogs that lead to reading and then commenting, I find that I spend a lot of time on the computer. I've gotta learn to find a little balance in it all.
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ok, i read that page and i STILL don't get it :P
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I follow people on Twitter, but I don't have an account myself (meaning, I keep their pages in my favorites folder so I can view and read their tweets w/o them knowing). Yeah. xD
I prefer facebook, if only because the word count limit would drive me absolutely crazy. Guess it's cool for some, not so cool for others. : )
I'm still a Twitter Twit--tried once and didn't grasp the concept. Maybe since you put up a link for *Twitter for Dummies* I may give it one more try. No guarantees I'll "get it," though!
I was spending 6 hrs a day on Twitter--lots of news feeds and links to political action (writing reps), and very little of it from individuals. I do miss the Dalai Lama's thoughtfulness for the day, but I just had to walk away.
Thanks for the link! I can't wait to see if that will make Twitter make sense to me too.
I am going to read that link, and perhaps finally understand Twitter. At this point, I am numb trying to understand it! Hahaha!
i have never used twitter, tired a few times, and never got it. FB is enough for me, that plus skype, and I'm covered.
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I really enjoy Twitter. I have a blog and I'm on Facebook, so Twitter is just a natural addition. Plus it lets me engage with people I wouldn't normally ever interact with. Y'all can follow me if you want, I'm @sieglinde1963. Going to go follow @danoah now.......
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I TOTALLY do NOT understand how Twitter works! I've been *on* there for a long time, but I've never tweeted. ~:/ Maybe by reading the link you provided I'll get understanding. I did add you to my "following" list, though. ~:)
Guess I should figure it out! It'd be good to have somewhere I can let my hair down a little more than FB or the blog!
I use Twitter but I think I would be doing better if I knew more about it. I'm still fighting the good fight and I'm following you so I must have done something right-- --I think (Ha Ha)
Clay
My recent post How Do I Know
I must admit at first I did not like at first. Not only did I not know how to use it but I wondered how the heck am I gonna get followers. SO I kept the acct open and stopped tweeting. I eventually started tweeting again and gained lots of followers. Now most of my tweets are devoted to my blog and a few other tweets throughout the day. Now I can say I honestly like twitter. Especially when I am bored with Facebook. If you like feel free to follow me @tiffanicharise tweet me when you do!!
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I LOVE Twitter. A lot more than facebook. But I am still figuring it out. That guide is awesome! Thanks! I follow you on Twitter already.
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I'm still figuring twitter out so I will be reading that article and I sent it to my mom :) So far, the more I use twitter the more I like it. I was just like you, thinking what the heck? I don't get it. But I've gained a lot of readers and followers this way so it obviously works! :) I already follow you on twitter but haven't seen your tweets, not sure why. I wish you could hide some followers like you can on FB.
Blessings,
Mel
Please feel free to stop by: Trailing After God
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So my three-year-old just walked in and saw the bird at the top of the post. He said, "Hi bird!" then walked out again.
As for Twitter, never tried it and don't know that I want to. I spend enough time wasting my life on the computer, I don't need to do it on my phone too.
I used to be all *meh* about Twitter before joining...and now I'm hooked. I completely agree about being a little less inhibited on Twitter. ;)
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I've tried to tweet. It keeps telling me my password is wrong, and I change my password, and I still get crap. I hate it. Good for you that you're enjoying it, though...
I still can't stop thinking about your aversion to drinking out of a glass. I quit using straws when I found a dead bug stuck in one. No straws for me. My grandmother refused to eat ice cream cones after finding a dead fly in the bottom of a cone once. Funny how pavlovian we are, huh?!
I'm so proud of you Dan! You've got hashtags and everything! :) Nice work!
I use it, but not as much or as well as I should. I guess it's cause I find my feed is too cluttered with @replies that I don't know what anyone's talking about. Really helpful article that you posted, though.
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had an account for a while, never really spent much time to figure it out though...
You know what I find funny?
"I also like Twitter because I can be a *little* less inhibited over there. But don't tell anybody that.
I have to maintain my squeaky clean image and all." (But in your post you called yourself a twat. Squeaky clean?! Nice try buddy! ;)
You already know how I feel about twitter......(join us) ;)
He called himself a "twit".
Oh, Freud...
All right, I've had a few people say I shouldn't use the word twat. It has no real negative connotation where I'm from? What does it mean to you?
I've never gotten the point of Twitter, and therefore I've never given it an honest chance. I've been getting more curious about it lately, which is the first telltale sign for me that I'll be breaking down and checking it out soon. >.
Ha! Your squeaky clean image?! Sure thing, Dan! :)
Anyway, I am going to read that link for sure. I am on Twitter as well, but I don't get it AT ALL!! Thanks for the post, and maybe I'll see you around there!
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*sigh*
In a world of face-to-face work, family, friends, volunteering, church, laundry (!) Twitter is not on my radar screen. Sometimes one needs a break from being in other people's heads.....
Friends tell me I HAVE to get on Twitter. I feel like I can only handle so much social media at one time. I jumped on the myspace bandwagon. As soon as I started loving it, Facebook overtook the world. So I HAD to join FB. Now they want me on Twitter. Like you, I didn't really get it and wasn't blown away. I (obviously) can't limit myself to (what is it...160?) chararacters. Maybe I should give it a try again....???
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Twitter does not interest me at all. I have no desire to know every stupid thought that pops into people's heads. Facebook is bad enough! ;) My husband follows a bunch of sports analysts and the like, which doesn't bother me, but I don't understand why people want to know/share everything about everything.
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I was like you...confused....I kind of still am but I am getting more into it. I am starting to like it more than FB :) I'm @ZombieMomComics. I'm gonna check out that link you posted.
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I have had a twitter account since it began. You want to know how many "tweets" I have sent? Zero, nada, none, absolutely nothing. I still have it but I just can't get that excited about it for some reason. I like my Facbook and will stick with it until it gets stupis like Mysapce did. lol
I cannot, for the life of me, get excited about Twitter. One of my best friends loves it and really only communicates there so if I want to talk to him, it's by text messages. I end up missing a lot, but I can't make myself get excited enough to try again.
I have one and I have used it exactly zilch. "Mom, This is how Twitter works" - LMBO!!!! Perfect title! Guess I'd better go over there and read it. Then if I get a text plan on my next phone I might actually use it. My current phone doesn't have texting, so there's really nothing in it for me. Then why did I sign up? Because a friend invited me and I thought it was just another Facebook type thing. Ah well. I'm middle-aged, so I can live with that embarrassment. For a while. ;)
I Twittered before Twitter was cool. I loved it. I followed tons of people and they reciprocated. It was awesome. My husband is in the military and was a commander so when we had to go to mind-numbing military BS events, I could tweet things like "Most boring guest speaker ever. Please send vodka." And when I was feeling sad or cranky I could share and get some nice, supportive feedback.
Then, I discovered that my husband was (still) having an affair. AND that somehow he had gotten my password and hijacked my acct on more than one occasion to post things to me. AND that he had given HER my password (that he figured out after I changed it...I'm a little too blonde that way) so SHE posted crappy things on my Twitter for everyone to read. Classy.
So, now I don't Twitter anymore. I do love and adore Facebook, however. But I have a hella complicated password for it. Also? I will soon have an EX-husband. Because I deserve much better.
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That is SO sucky. I'm sorry for your situation. She sounds like quite a work of art. And not the good kind. The kind you see in sleazy motel rooms and wonder why anyone would have purchased, much less make a print of that painting.
Good luck with your fresh new start.
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I could suggest a few passwords that are harder to figure out--mixing upper & lower case, numbers, and some places, puncutation marks and symbols are ways to make it harder to guess, as is making sure that you don't repeat any character. If there are two lettersthe same, then make one uppercase. Doesn't help in a situation where everything's to be lowercase, but that's when you use longer words with no repeating letters.
Your soon-to-be-ex's actions and behavior are truly awful, and I'm glad to hear you'll be shut of im soon. If you haven't pointed out the Twitter password hacking to your attorney (if you're using one instead of a mediator), do so. In some places, that's illegal by one statute or another.
May he/they reap what they've sown.
Another good idea for locking up your password: use a word and/or numbers you can remember, but use ascii characters in place of letters and numbers, i.e., $ for s, @ for a, ! for 1, % for 8, ( for C, & for G, 9 for g, etc. When you do that, it qualifies for your upper case requirement. You can also substitute numbers for letters, such as 3 for B, 0 for O, 7 for T, 1 for I, 5 for S. Then, intersperse them with whatever word you choose to use. For instance, "October skies" would be 0(7o3er5k1e5. Dare them to decipher something like that!
As for the small people, they're beneath your contempt. You are absolutely right. You deserve a *lot* better, and it sounds like they deserve each other.
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Squeaky clean image? What fun is that??? :P
Completely hooked on Twitter. I'm actually supposed to be working right now, but then I saw your tweet and here I am. Major time waster if you're not careful! I'm a TV geek so I like following the showrunners for spoilers, photos, etc.