Tweet, tweet, tweet!
Something strange happened to me this week. I realised that I’ve started to like Twitter more than Facebook. This is actually kind of funny, because Charlie was annoying me for years telling me to start using Twitter, but I tried it for a day or two, and just couldn’t see what all the fuss was about.
Then when I started blogging last year, Charlie mentioned Twitter again as a good way to publicise my blog, so I figured – why not? I signed up again, this time as @Mamadotie, and I started to tweet about my blog posts. For a while, this was all I did. A few weeks passed, and I wasn’t really following anyone, and no-one was really following me. So Charlie explained that to get the most out of Twitter, I’d have to start following people. I wasn’t sure where to start with this. Who would I follow? He recommended a few people to me – some big ones like @stephenfry, and some local ones like @clodaghkelly.
Whenever I saw a Twitter profile on a blog I visited and liked, I made sure to add them. I started to gather quite a collection of Parenting Bloggers this way. And then my Twitter feed started to change. Every time I logged on, there was something new and interesting to read. I downloaded the Twitter iPhone app, and lost hours scrolling through my feed, and finding my way out to interesting and wonderful articles all over the net.
I started to interact with others on Twitter. I learned about tweeting and retweeting, Wordless Wednesdays, and Friday Follows. And then this week, I saw a tweet in my Twitter feed asking whether people preferred Twitter or Facebook. It suddenly struck me that I prefer Twitter. Sometime in the past three or four months, I got hooked!
And why not? Because of Twitter, these are just four of the articles I got to read this week:
Why am I defending Princesses? tweeted by @AchillesEffect
Breastfeeding Success Story tweeted by @thegnomesmom
Is this the way the brain learns? tweeted by @braininsights
Using Angry Birds to teach Maths retweeted by @ShelleyKramer
As well as the great reading opportunities, Twitter has allowed me to connect with a community of great bloggers, both in Ireland and abroad. To find some of my favourites, check out this list of Irish Mammy Bloggers.
So what about you? Do you prefer Twitter or Facebook? Have you always had the same preference?
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Incidentally, if you want to follow Mama.ie on either Twitter or Facebook, you’ll find me on Twitter @Mamadotie and on Facebook on the Mama.ie page.
I use Twitter and Facebook for different things: Facebook to keep up with family and friends (particularly those in the US) and Twitter for fun stuff and news/pop culture. I don’t tweet all that often but when I do it’s for minor stuff – eg I was tweeting during Eurovision. Facebook is better for posting photographs and emailing groups but Twitter is what I read on the train!
I’m starting to prefer twitter some days, I connect with so many more people & I feel like I can also keep up with what’s going on in the world rather than just in my facebook bubble. Thanks for the link too 🙂
You’re right Sara – I use Twitter and Facebook for different things too. Maybe it’s not totally fair to compare them, because it’s not like I’ll just use one or the other – I’ll continue to use them both. Mostly I’m just fascinated that after refusing to use Twitter for so long, I now finally see what all the fuss is about!
The Gnome’s Mom – you are a perfect example of why I love Twitter. If it wasn’t for Twitter, I’d never have heard about your wonderful blog, and I wouldn’t get to hear about the Gnome’s adventures all the time!
I am so pleased to see a post like this. I found getting to grips with Twitter so tricky. When I started blogging I knew that I would have to ‘try harder’. For a while it felt so much like I was an outsider at a very cool party. No one was talking to me… and then I downloaded Tweetdeck and realised that I had a few mentions, a retweet (oh the blush-making joy) and an introduction. People had been talking to me, I had just hadn’t picked up on it. I wouldn’t say I was a superuser, I don’t seem to be able to find the time, but it is fun. I use facebook to keep in touch with family and friends as they are all so far away.
Thanks Bibsey Mama. You reminded me of the first DM I received on Twitter. I was so excited. I logged in to check it, and that was when I got my first taste of Twitter Spam!
One major downside is that there’s so much to read, I’m going to go blind reading on my iphone…
I wholeheartedly agree though…twitter just opens up the world and Facebook is more like a private bubble…