I’ve been on Twitter for five years now and I’ve had several friends from different spheres of my life ask me recently about Twitter and my feelings on it. I’ve written this to a few of them, and thought I’d share here, as well.<\/p>\n

As an initial disclaimer, I don’t love Twitter like I do Facebook, but I\u00a0 I do think it can be very fun and interesting. If you need help with getting started on Twitter, my friends have found the article How to Use Twitter: Tips for Beginners and Bloggers<\/a> helpful.<\/a><\/p>\n

Once you have a grasp of it works, I find that Twitter is a lot like a cocktail party.<\/p>\n

When you first get there, you’re not sure what’s going on, but there are a lot of people talking, all at once. You may want to head for the door, but things improve the longer you stick around the more comfortable you get. Sometimes it’s really fun, other times it’s just not amazing.<\/p>\n

As at a cocktail party, there are a variety of stereotypes that you can spot on Twitter. There’s the person who talks a lot, meaning a constant barrage of tweets that don’t really say a whole lot of anything. Then there’s the oversharer. And the joker who is a little too desperate for laughs. There’s likely someone who wants to sell you something. Then there’s the person who is actually really funny.<\/p>\n

Add in the slightly weird individual, the folks who are just plain offensive, and those whom you find fascinating and awesome, and you’ve got the full complement of both party guests and tweeters.<\/p>\n

There’s also the chance to sometimes rub elbows with famous people, or at least those whom you really admire. I admit I’ve totally fangirled when someone I like but don’t know retweets me, like when the Pixar director of the short film Feast did the day of the Oscars. (Yes, I know I’m the only one who would get excited by that.)<\/p>\n

As at a party, you can hang back and observe, or you can jump right in to a conversation. It’s personal preference.<\/p>\n

Also, manners go a long way. Thanking people for retweeting you is always appreciated, and rudeness is not.<\/p>\n

The beauty of Twitter is that you can enjoy what you like and leave the rest. If it isn’t melting your butter, you can move on without having to claim you just saw someone across the room. Should the noise gets to be too much, you just leave.<\/p>\n

Not everyone at every party is going to be your cup of tea, or wine of choice. That’s okay. But there’s also the chance to connecting with a like minded person whom you wouldn’t have otherwise met.<\/p>\n

I’ve been on Twitter two Twitter accounts, @MomFactually and @Tween_Us<\/a>.\u00a0 I’ll admit that I started the second after realizing that tweeting about my support of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish usually resulted in a loss of followers.\u00a0 As a Twitter newbie, that freaked me out, but they’re free to leave my party. It’s not for everyone, and that’s okay. I do find that not everyone wants to talk all adolescence all the time, so the Tween Us account is specific to that, and Mom Factually is more for general consumption.<\/p>\n

My husband loves Twitter, more than I do. He’s also a bit more concise than I am, and the idea of 140 characters allowed per tweet feels harder to me than it does to him.<\/p>\n

I think it’s a case of different strokes for different folks. If you’re on Twitter, I hope you’ll swing by and say hello, and that you have a great time at the party!<\/p>\n

You May Also Like: <\/strong>Why I loved Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt<\/a><\/p>\n

Prior Post: <\/strong>Doc McStuffins Pet Vet app review by my 4-year-old niece<\/a><\/p>\n

Please like Mom Factually on Facebook<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can also find Mom Factually on Pinterest<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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