That is the question…
So… Here’s the thing…
I’m not big on gadgets!
Believe it or not I have a love hate relationship with them.
For example:
I love them when they’re simple. They save time. They work.
But I hate them when they don’t work. Waste my time. Are complicated and fiddly. {Or addictive.}
And most of all – I hate learning new things when it comes to gadgets.
I just can’t be bothered…
Funnily enough gadgets are the exception to this anti-learning rule. Because in every other area of my life I love to learn new stuff. I’ve no idea why I hate them so much – I just do…
Anyway, confession time:
I am only on Facebook to run a business page…
I gave up on Facebook on a personal level about 8 months ago when I went on medication for depression.
It wasn’t helping me.
So I needed a break.
Can’t say I missed it either!
BUT- you have to have a personal Facebook page to keep a business page so I never closed my account.
This year I’m doing more and more business on there.
Which is not a bad thing in itself, but with the exception of the fact that I’m finding the personal stuff sneak back into my life.
It’s so easy to get “distracted” with stuff on my way to my business page.
All of a sudden I notice I’ve lost half an hour reading status updates!
Hmmm… I have to keep a check on that!
Because it is such a time sucker.
And for the most part I don’t find it wholesome stuff.
Which is why I’ve never bothered to explore Twitter.
I spend enough time on the computer with distractions as it is…
Most of my computer quota I spend either blogging, flickring, banking, shopping, doing my website or answering emails.
All things I don’t plan to change.
Although they take up a lot of time, so I do have to limit them and be careful at times that I’m keeping things productive.
But I can’t help but wonder if I’m missing out on something by not “tweeting” {is that the word?}
Everyone else seems to be doing it, or is that just my assumption?
There must be something to it for so many people to do it, right?
I’ve heard it’s awesome for small businesses but quite frankly,
At the moment it is all a completely foreign language to me:
I mean hashtag? Huh?
What the heck does that mean?@! {that’s actually rhetorical – no need to get technical for me}
It just sounds like a label on someones drugs to me {hash = dope/pot/marijuana where I come from}
So:
What is all this twitter stuff about?
Do you “tweet”
What am I missing? Not missing?
I’d love you to give me the lowdown! 🙂
LOL! This is so me, pleased I’m not the only one!
I have a FB but never used it, the whole thing just baffles me!
I also have a Twitter account, but have only sent 3 tweets! Again, I kinda don’t understand it, perhaps this tech malarkey isn’t for me.
Maybe in a few years my kiddos can teach me, I’m sure they will understand this before I do.
I have a Twitter account which I started oh, mm, a couple of years ago. I’ve tweeted three times. I don’t see the point. I’d rather communicate by phone, Skype, text or even better, in person.
I only have Facebook so I can “pin stuff”! I don’t tweet and don’t see the point. I prefer to pick up the phone or go visit. What ever happened to the art of talking?
Personally, I think Twitter is kind of dumb, but I see the appeal. I know a LOT of people who use Twitter solely for following businesses. Lots of companies will release special deals and coupon codes via Twitter, so it’s a good way to get in on that action. I’ve heard other people say they like Twitter becuase it lets you feel like you’re friends with celebrities, lol. Bottom line, I know a lot of people who really like Twitter, but have never sent a single tweet, so I think it benefits people on different levels.
Hi Kat! Same here, couldn’t get it yet and don’t have time to stay in the fb or all the other link things. I have opened twitter becaus couldn’t put the google follower on my blog, but don’t use it much. Now because there is going to be changes in google friend connection, I have add Linky follower to my side list for followers. It’s quite new and looks good enough (as much I understand).
I hope it’s enough we send comments and dont’ need to ‘tweet’ or write to fb. By the way, I opened fb because everyone said that it’s necessary – I spent days to fix it and then it was locked by fb. So now it stays there, I can’t make any changes or delate it! That’s the end of the story.
Have a lovely day!
x Teje
I am SO with you. I don’t tweet because I need another time waster like I need a hole in the head. I have a FB page (both for the blog and personally) but again I found it was added pressure to keep up, to comment, to post regularly. Who needs it? Maybe that makes me an old fuddy dud, but I’m happier spending that time quilting.
i have a twitter account, but i have no idea what to do with it. facebook makes sense to me…twitter doesn’t. too many posts…too fast…i can’t communicate like that!
Ha! I’m very similar…. I don’t tweet, I don’t even have a cell phone, never owned one and I’m sticking to it!!
I quiit FB on jan 1st, just have it to have my business page where I post my blog posts and nothing else, I unfriended everyone pretty much and told them to move over to my page instead and some have, some, well too bad for them. 🙂
FB is part evil I think, last year I saw two marriages plublicly break apart on FB, both saying hurtful things about the other, or just the one spouse, but still…
Oh and I used to be ADDICTED to farm ville, I had to quit that when i realized I spent at least 2hrs a day harvesting my crop and feeding my cows etc… ha ha
I still worry about privacy on blogger, I have certain people that I don’t want to see my personal life, so I try just to post about quilting, I don’t think I ever posted pics of my kids, unless it’s far away and you can’t see their faces.
keep doing what you feel is right for you and your family and go QUILT! 🙂
Heh, well I quit Facebook reading when I went away for a week to Skye last October, and I had limited computer access. I didn’t miss it a bit, and haven’t since whew! I need to get my business page going more, but at the moment it has an automatic feed from my blog keeping it ticking over, and when I have things to sell, I’ll update it more.
I’ve had a number of people trying to persuade me onto Twitter, and while I can see a use for it, I haven’t leapt yet because my phone is too ancient lol I will upgrade it soon though, and will tentatively dip my toe in the water, but I won’t be spending hours one it, because I just don’t have the free time to devote (or rather if I did devote something else would have to give!)
Glad it’s not just me thought that about the hashtag thing too lol
I had a FB account and closed it years ago because it was very distracting, and I didn’t want to deal with friend requests from people that I knew once but haven’t spoken with in 20+years. I figure if I really wanted to keep in touch with these people (or vice versa) we would still be in touch.
I’m really hoping that eventually businesses go back to having traditional websites because it makes me sad that almost all promotions and contests require us to go to FB pages. (I know it’s a great way for them to reach the majority so I’m not judging them.)
I really don’t get the twitter thing either.
I LOVE your blog and your creations 🙂
Believe it or not, I use different things for different aspects of my life.
For example, facebook is used to keep in touch with family, classmates, and close friends. We argue about things and keep in touch.
Twitter is only used to tweet giveaways I come across. And oh, chats on Tuesdays (#talknt). I don’t have much time for trying to follow tweets and the like. I do follow a few closely though (e.g. Fat Quarter Shop)
Blogging is just that, blogging about the things that interests me so much such as crafting, quilting, my cats, photography, my writings (sometimes), etc., and etc.
Each app or social media serves a different function. I know it’s weird. But, I’m weird like that.
I pretty much use Facebook only to play games and keep track of my chicken buddies. LOL
I do have a twitter account, but I only use it to follow people for giveaways. I have never tweeted and I actually don’t go and check out what others have tweeted.
I have a facebook account and have had it since it first came out for college students. I use it mainly to keep in contact with friends and family that are now all over the world. And to keep in touch with my kayaking friends to set up trips.
I do not have twitter and don’t feel the need to.
I just recently upgraded my phone to a blackberry from a flip phone. I like I can get wireless on it and that was the whole point. When I was at the store the clerk said, “what do you mean you don’t have twitter and….”
So glad that I am not the only one!
~Carolyn
I have a twitter account, I have tweeted about 3 times – I don’t want to get drawn in – I had it before I stated blogging, but basically only followed famous people – the usual, Stephen Fry, Tim Minchin, Dom Joly and that was ‘fun’, but I feel a bit odd about seeing what amount to other people’s texts to each other!
I check every now and again for offers etc from some lovely quilty shops, but I know if I start I won’t stop!
I joined FB long ago but as my eyesight worsened I found it less and less accessible, and more and more annoying!
Twitter on the other hand is great! I know I’m an exception in these comments, but for a blind person it works fantastically! I don’t actually do much on there, I follow maybe 20 people and tweet about what I’m doing once or twice a week, but like Lee Ann, I love the Talk Night chat… here people spend 2 hours (or as long as they’re able to) talking about sewing and quilting, and all tweets use the #talknt hash tag to identify it as the Talk Night chat! … Fat Quarter shop often sponsors with a giveaway or 2 of fabric for a lucky chatter, and MODA and a couple of other businesses have sponsored too.
And yes, a lot of businesses post coupon codes for special offers. Some people tweet ridiculously often and it can get tiresome, but it’s easy to unfollow somebody if you find it too much!
I provide transcripts of the Talk Night chat sometimes if you want to see what one of those hectic 2 hours of quilt chat is like – just let me know!
So for me it’s yay to twitter and boo hiss to FB! lol
I think the answers you get will be quite interesting! Facebook-I have one. I rarely use it. I occasionally sneak on to check on my kiddos (aged 17 & 19). Twitter-I don’t. I refuse. I have enough time suckers in my world. However, with that said, I am not running a business, so I am not sure how that would affect me…LOL. I know, no help here…but you are not the only non twitterer (it is my own word…LOL)
The comments you’ve received already are quite interesting.
I have FB but only use it for friends. I’ve stopped adding people that don’t keep in contact on a regular basis because we aren’t really friends anymore if we don’t talk! So most people on FB are close friends or relatives.
I’ve thought about using Twitter but I really don’t see the point. Every social website requires time and I only have so much of it. If I spend time reading about life, I won’t actually participate! I can get so caught up in reading quilting blogs that I don’t actually quilt. And I don’t see the point of tweeting if I’m not going to read other people’s tweets. It just feels selfish.
My blog is mostly for me. I’ve made a few friends through it that we comment back and forth through blog posts but I haven’t really found my “voice” so I just write about what interests me.
If your business is doing well already, I say don’t bother with Twitter! Especially if FB wasn’t a good idea. It’s just another time waster that will take you away from living life. Of course, if you need the advertising for business purposes, then by all means find a way to make it useful… just my opinion! 🙂
LOL! I just had an hour long coversation this week with my younger colleagues about the whole #hashtag thing LOL!!!
I joined Twitter for work (I’m a paralegal and had to keep tabs on the other side who were using the web for their views), other than that, nothing… then I noticed Etsy let you tweet when you uploaded a new item, so I do that… and other than that I mostly use it to get extra giveaway entries (but they have to be worth the effort LOL)…
So, no… I don’t think it is worth it…
Ah Kat…see you are not alone.
I use Facebook to catch up with folks because I have moved so many times. I have 2 business pages but don’t actively invite business…that is time consuming and I would rather create.
I pin to Pinterest to get great ideas for projects.
I have not joined the Flickr revolution but I feel that I am missing out on seeing lovely projects.
I blog mostly for myself to keep moving forward with projects and I find the arbitrary deadlines kind of do that…re: WiP Wednesday, Menu Plan Mondays.
Always smile when I read your blog…so keep going with it.
Cheers, Fiona
Haha! When I saw your post title, I could only think of that Tweet Tweet Brown Trees fabric!
Seriously though, I’m going to come at your question from a slightly different angle:
(1) Ephesians 5:16 – I struggle with redeeming my time which is why I don’t blog let alone tweet! Is Twitter really going to help you use your time wisely?
(2) When making decisions, I have started trying to ask, “If this going to draw me closer to God or take me further away from Him?” If I am honest with myself, I think most social media (including Facebook which I DO use), tends more to the latter as it consumes my time which could be better spent elsewhere (see point 1). It also tends to be very “self-centred” rather than “God-centred”, if you know what I mean…
A disclaimer here: obviously I am not trying to run a small business so I know you need to consider other aspects of it.
Anyway, that was probably a little heavier than you expected but just food for thought 🙂 xx
I use it for giveaways only, I don’t have enough time for anything else. I think it’s fun if you have the time but otherwise I wouldn’t bother. Blogging and reading blogs is way more fun for me!! I doubt Twitter is as inspiring! 🙂
IT does seem to take up a lot of our time these days….what ever did we do before we had it? I know I had a cleaner house! I FB to keep in contact with my friends from all different walks of my life whereas I used to write a lot of letters and spend ages on the phone. I blog to keep track of my creativity and to connect with other creators and be inspired by their creativity. I think because I am rural its a nice way to connect without having to drive for miles. I don’t tweet, I have an account but I never use it its too confusing. Probably haven’t helped you much in making your decision but you seem to get a fair bit of custom thru your blog and FB so why not stick with that?
Well, I think I am out of step with all the other commenters here, but I loooooove twitter! I have had FB for years, but use it very little these days. I keep my account up and check it once a day (takes no time at all because I have deleted most!) to keep up with my kids who live interstate. Twitter is very different. I use it as my source of news (I never sit down to watch the news on tv these days, or current affairs programs.), to keep up with closed roads/traffic reports, to keep up with my favourite quilt shops (giveaways, sales) and favourite designers. I discover new blogs via twitter, new ideas, view photos, read newspaper articles and take part in conversations with family, friends and strangers. And with each tweet only 140 characters long you find some really interesting, succinct quotes. Of course there is a lot of mindless drivel in twitterland, but I don’t see any of that. (Honestly, give a thoughtful, interesting media to teenagers and those who act like teenagers and the result is not pretty! Just view the worldwide top trends on twitter!) For me it is a quick look at the world, which is exactly what I want. And it is the world that I choose to follow or be interested in!
So, should you tweet? If you want to. Your twitter world can be made to fit you exactly! Do you have to? No, but I thought you should hear from someone who loves it!
I don’t tweet. I doubt I will ever tweet. I have never even read a tweet. I have no desire to do so. I seldom facebook any more, not that I ever said anything about myself – just read about others. Blogging takes up enough of my life and I am in a happy but busy balance with it. I cannot add to that busy stuff because I would implode.