Angela Scott
  • Home
  • About Me

My Love/Hate Relationship with Twitter.

4/23/2011

25 Comments

 
Picture
I broke up with Facebook. We’ve agreed to take things slowly, see other networking sites, and I can happily say that Facebook and I have remained good friends. We can look back on the good times—wedding announcements, birth’s of babies, and reconnecting with people long since forgotten—but it’s those bad times (the 36 hour Farmtown marathon and constant pokes) that helped me to realize the relationship was no longer working.

Where Facebook was the aloof “boyfriend” of social networking, not quite giving back, Twitter has become the needy obsessive “boyfriend”, always giving,  always wanting to know what I’m doing, what I’m up to, telling me it’s only 140 characters, so why haven’t I tweeted something, anything, yet?

And once I do tweet, trying to be a good partner in this relationship, Twitter wraps its arm around my waist and pulls me tight, not wanting to let me go. “Follow this link, baby.” Or “FF that person”. And before I know it, I’ve just had a two hour make-out session with Twitter I hadn’t intended upon.

I like Twitter, don’t get me wrong. I like it a lot. Twitter has connections, knows important people, and has the ability to take me places I’ve never been before. And Twitter sure has a super sense of humor too—so funny. In only a few short months since being introduced to Twitter, I’ve met over a thousand people, writers who aspire for publication, just like me.

Facebook couldn’t do that.

All Facebook introduced me to was The Mafia.

So I don’t want to break up with Twitter.  It makes me so happy. It really does.

But I’m a writer who is easily distracted. It doesn’t take much to waste away valuable hours that should otherwise be spent writing. Twitter and I need to find balance in our relationship—an equal give and take. I’m slowly working on it, but Twitter doesn’t seem to understand my reluctance to make-out all the time (Twitter thinks it’s quite the catch—handsome and irresistible). I assure Twitter “it’s not you, it’s me” and we’re moving forward with a greater understanding of one another. Hopefully things will turn out well.

So is Twitter good for writers? Depends on who you ask.

Judd Apatow, writer and director of comedies like The 40 Year Old Virgin and Funny People, explained his active Twitter habit by saying, “I’m looking for any distraction not to write.”

Isn’t that what we’re all pretty much doing?

He went on to say (about the Internet as a whole), “I'm supposed to be writing a new screenplay. You know, it's hard to write, because the computer now isn't like a typewriter; [the computer] has everything fun on the world on it. So everything is a distraction from writing. I'm not looking at a screen; I'm looking at every episode of "South Park," every video ever made, every porno ever made. Every time I sit down to write I could just type in "kid vomits in dad's mouth" and not write for two hours.”

Isn’t that the truth. So yes, Twitter can negatively affect a writer’s ability to write. (Today I have written nothing except this blog about how Twitter affects a writer’s ability to write. Do you see a problem here?)

BUT, Twitter has an awesome side too:

-Networking with like-minded people who would otherwise be out of reach.

-Inspiration and encouragement from fellow writer. I can’t tell you how many times someone’s 140 characters has lifted my spirits—saying exactly what I needed to hear.

-All the up-to-date information in our writers market, the trends and advice every writer needs to be aware of right at our fingertips. Ask a question and a slew of answers will follow. Quick and fast. People are quick to help.

-Exposure and promotion. I know this is very big for a lot of writers who have something to promote. I’m still in the writing stages, so I don’t have anything to sell but my sparkling personality *flashes a grin and a wink*

I’m happy I met Twitter, but just like every new relationship, it needs to be taken slowly. A couple is only as good as each individual in the relationship. If I lose myself, allowing Twitter to take control, the relationship will quickly fail. I don’t want that.

I want this particular relationship to succeed.

So what do you think of Twitter? Love it? Hate it? Somewhere in between? What other benefits have you found by using Twitter?



25 Comments
Cat link
4/23/2011 04:18:07 am

Reply
Cat link
4/23/2011 04:26:27 am

Oops! Droid left that last blank comment. :). The real comment is ... Great and timely post! Twitter and I are are continuing to go steady but I've had to set some rules. No more showing up unannounced. The alert tools are great but a distraction. I only check it twice a day now instead of whenever I get a little birdie pecking on my window. It is an amazing tool though and the benefits have outweighed the detriments so far. Happy Saturday!

Reply
Karina Lawrence-Davies link
4/23/2011 07:10:48 am

oh I do know what you mean... today I have sat with twitter open all day... and although I managed to proof read a chapter of my novel (and upload it to my blog http://kaysbook.blogspot.com/ cheecky advertising I know!) I have done no other form of writing that isn't actually on twitter today... It's brilliant, and that's what's so bad about it! Twitter is so good at doing what it was intended to do that it's become, for me, like one of those guys you date and after a short while start to realise he's so perfect it annoys you, just a bit, and then you realise you're not the settler in the relationship... =P great thought-provoking blog post as per usual!
xoxo Karina

Reply
Tracey Baptiste link
4/23/2011 08:29:51 am

I love that I learn things from Twitter that I wouldn't otherwise. Where else am I going to find all those handy industry links and articles? How else would I know that X agent is looking for X type of submissions? Where else would I meet other writers and be able to chat with them at scheduled weekday meetups from the comfort of my own home office? And yet, I hate Twitter. I hate the feeling of having to be there or I'd have no "platform." But then, I've always rebelled against things I feel like I "have" to do. In the end, I still do it because the positives outweigh the negative aspects. As for Facebook? I might be breaking up with "him" too.

Reply
Lisa Potts link
4/23/2011 08:58:47 am

I like Twitter and I woudn't say I've broken up with Facebook, but we're "taking a break".

I enjoy the fast pace of Twitter. I can be on there for fifteen minutes and feel like I've found out so many things. If Twitter could somehow find a way to feed info directly into my brain like in the Matrix, I'd be set.

Reply
Lisa Potts link
4/23/2011 08:59:02 am

I like Twitter and I woudn't say I've broken up with Facebook, but we're "taking a break".

I enjoy the fast pace of Twitter. I can be on there for fifteen minutes and feel like I've found out so many things. If Twitter could somehow find a way to feed info directly into my brain like in the Matrix, I'd be set.

Reply
Lisa Potts link
4/23/2011 09:00:42 am

I gotta stop drinking and posting. I keep hitting submit twice. : )

Reply
A. S. Andrews link
4/23/2011 02:26:43 pm

Great post! I just found Twitter this year, and I like it so much more than Facebook. The more I use Twitter, the less I use Facebook. Twitter feels more relevant to writing, like it's easier to connect to the writing world. In fact, I just came here from Twitter! Definitely more distracting than Facebook ever was though. Facebook's more like the date I finally went on so everyone would quit nagging, while Twitter is the one I was looking for all along!

Reply
Jess Byam link
4/23/2011 02:41:30 pm

Haha! You are hilarious! :)

I haven't used Facebook for any writing stuff at all, but I use Twitter almost exclusively for writing-related things. I have met a lot of really great writers through Twitter (like you!) and it has directed me to a lot of useful blog posts. But it sure is a time sucker, and I'm trying to use it more wisely.

Great post!

Reply
Ryan Schneider link
4/23/2011 08:47:37 pm

I only hung out with Facebook for about an hour. It was like the worst high school reunion in history. I knew within minutes that word would get around. And I didn't want that.

So I pulled the plug about an hour after opening the account. It felt great. My wife and I canceled them at the exact same moment, actually, since she didn't care much for it, either.

Twitter is much more fun. I've never played Farmville. I've never been poked. I don't think I want to, either.

My only complaint with Twitter now, though, is that I am following so many people that the whole concept has lost the functionality I originally enjoyed. I had about 50 people I was following, and I was able to actually follow them.

Now I follow something like 300. Knowing I can't keep up with it creates a feeling of despair because I know I can't keep up. And although I have a book I'm trying to promote because I believe it to be good and want to share it and want people to read it, it seems a bit hopeless at times.

So I think I may well open another Twitter account. A secret account. One just for me, so I can follow and keep up with the people I've completely lost track of. And I won't care how many followers I have on that account.

So I too both love and hate Twitter. I too have learned A LOT, and met some great people who are where I want to be, and other people who are where I was not so long ago, and that is encouraging.

So in the meantime I'll keep tweeting stuff which seems significant or stuff I enjoyed, and hopefully other people will enjoy it, too. It's supposed to be fun, right? I try to tell myself not to take any of this stuff too seriously, because that will just make you crazy. And if you're crazy, Facebook may well be the one to break up with YOU.

Reply
Nate Wilson link
4/24/2011 12:39:32 am

I'm not as enthralled as the rest of you, it would seem. I like The Twitter for its humor and for connecting with writers, but I prefer Facebook, where I can have an actual conversation and not feel like it's just a bunch of people shouting into the void back and forth at each other. (Of course, if I'd gotten sucked into MafiaVille, I might feel differently.)

Reply
Angie link
4/24/2011 04:18:07 am

I'm happy to say I have a pretty healthy relationship with these 2 social networks, I check on them for a minute and then leave before I get sucked into a void. The one I seem to have the most trouble with is Tumblr. Stay away from Tumblr! I think it might even surpass Facebook in the future.

Reply
Joy link
4/24/2011 12:52:17 pm

Hi, Angela,

Apatow said it so well. I downloaded Tweetdeck and it was too much of a distraction, so I hardly ever open the programme. I check Twitter once or twice per date, otherwise I get nothing done. I've sat at the computer for about seven hours today and haven't written or reviewed anything. Blogging is another sneaky culprit that has to be kept in line too. How is a writer to resist the world that opens up when she boots up the computer?

Reply
Joy link
4/24/2011 12:52:58 pm

My brain cells are dying...I mean to say you won a book on my blog. Congrats!

Reply
PK Hrezo link
4/24/2011 07:26:46 pm

Ha! I love this! It's so true. I broke up with fb too, and we're still friends, but I just can't feel the same about it anymore. Twitter is easy to jump in and out, and while sometimes I don't have energy for it, I force myself to dive in for a few minutes to see if I can't RT for someone or find something helpful. It's great for writers since we are all mostly helpful to each other.
On the flip side, I really hate stalking the agents and watching them tweet to each other. It feels so unsatisfying and wasteful to me. I'd rather follow tweeps I can interact with on a genuine level. But I play the game cuz that's what we do right?
As with everything enjoyable in life, it's all about moderation. we have to limit our social media time so we can get writing done. It's nice to know it's there should we need it, but the world does not revolve around it.

Reply
Brianna Renshaw link
4/25/2011 03:45:31 am

I've not met Facebook or Twitter. I think I'd like Twitter better, but blogging is taking up all my free time. I can't afford another time sucker!

Reply
Nancy Lauzon link
4/25/2011 10:45:29 am

Great blog, and so true. I do prefer Twitter, although I still have fb. But it takes a lot of discipline not to get sucked into the vortex. And for me there was (and still is) a big learning curve with Twitter(didn't know what a hashtag was until recently). I use Tweet Deck to manage my followers, and I use True Twit to handle spam. Eventually I'll get more comfortable (I hope!)

Reply
Joanne link
4/25/2011 01:30:49 pm

My friends all think I am crazy but I don't have twitter or facebook. I don't want everyone to know where I am or doing at every minute of the day and like you I know it would become a distraction for me. Great post. Blessings, Joanne

Reply
Shannon Lawrence link
4/26/2011 03:22:58 pm

I've been trying to decide whether to open up a Twitter account. When I asked about it on my blog I got a lot of glowing reviews. As it is, Facebook and blogging take up so much time! Yet I see the benefits of networking, and I was told it was a great tool for writers. We shall see!

Reply
Ara link
8/30/2011 03:17:49 am

YES. Twitter has hijacked my already frail ability to concentrate on writing by telling me the who/what/when/where of everything that's happening NOW that I seem to need to know about. That's how I found this blog post, after all. (SEE it has its benefits!) Twitter also kills my concentration on most days, so it's mostly an evil monkey that won't let me release my writerly superpowers upon the page. (More of a monkey than Kryptonite, wouldn't you say, as it tends to cling and hoot and holler and jump up and down?)

I've all but given up on Facebook. Your quote about FB introducing you to the Mafia made me laugh out loud--I never got into the games on there, but everyone's fascination with those games turned me off. Also, it seemed to be little more than a sounding board for whiny passive aggressive people. Dare I say Facebook is becoming the next MySpace, that abandoned playground we're all embarrassed to say we were once frolicking around years back?

That being said, Twitter demands constant play, which is a good and bad thing. It's good because it drowns out those who might only use it as a sounding board like Facebook, and it is streamlined with no frills, which was another turn-off of Facebook. I hate all the pokes, likes, games, memes, "See who talked about you" spam links, etc. of FB. Because it has no frills, Twitter is fast, and if you don't check in, you miss out on the conversation flow. That keeps a lot of people off it, I think. But checking in pays the toll on writing, so it's good to give yourself extended breaks. Scheduling those breaks is the part I have trouble with.

Reply
srpoteet
8/30/2011 03:38:40 am

I like twitter, don't do facebook.

Reply
Veronica Messegee link
8/30/2011 03:13:07 pm

I love how you describe Twitter as the needy boyfriend! Been on twitter for only a couple of weeks and I was feeling like Id fallen off the codependent recovery wagon!

I'm glad it's not just me. :)

I was thinking of limiting my activity on Twitter, give myself some structure to help keep me from being so distracted, but then I decided to get on and Tweet a message real quick to a person that retweeted a link to this article.

But look at what I would have missed if I'd had even the smallest trace of willpower in this body of mine!

*sighs*



Reply
T. Crosby link
9/15/2011 03:08:37 am

Can't be all bad, just helped me find this great blog. ;)
My name is Tammy. I am a twit-a-holic. Nothing sucks up time faster than twitter. The whole WW and FF thing is okay, but i'm now going to limit my self to 2-3 people a week. everyone ww and ff's everyone, sort of makes it moot really and it takes up WAY to much time. jmo. ;P

Reply
Allie link
9/23/2011 03:07:14 am

Great article. I am completely and ashamedly (is that a word?) addicted to Twitter. I don't like that I am but, at the same time, I have found it to be my only real way of connecting with people and getting them to my blog. Don't get me wrong, I have 'met' some really cool people on Twitter, but I do wonder sometimes if the benefit outweighs the 'cost' of my time and attention. I also wonder if my expectations are too high in what (I think) Twitter can do for me. I wonder if I'm being duped into thinking that all that time spent (wasted) Tweeting and reading Tweets is really doing anything for me (my blog) at all. Maybe it's all just a sick joke! :)

Reply
Kara link
9/29/2011 03:08:55 am

This post describes where I am at exactly. I use FB for your typical mommy stuff, arranging playdates, sharing pictures--so it's a good separation from my writing world. But Twitter...I feel like I have to get in there all the time to stay revelant, and when I am really writing, it is so distracting. Sometimes I feel like it wastes so much time, and the more "followers" you have, the harder it is (it seems) to connect with the friends you have made on there. *sigh* Still learning, I guess!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    NEWSLETTER

    Now Available!
    It's HERE! Get your copy today!

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    My Books

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Click for more info about Mallory Rock, Cover Designer
    Picture
    Click for more info about Megan Harris, Editor
    POPULAR BLOG POSTS

    Write under a pen name? What are you hiding from?

    The Jekyll and Hyde Aspect of Editing

    What kinds of WEIRD stuff have you researched for your WIP?

    Wow. Some book reviewers can be NASTY! Check it out

    Do you view other writers as friends or foes? (Conquering the green-eyed monster)

    3 reasons most writers give up & 3 reasons why YOU shouldn't

    My Twitter Pet Peeves

    How can I promote my book without ticking off the masses?

    10 Ways to promote your book and get surefire results!

    FUN LINKS
    ZOMG SO COOL


    DUDE I WANT THAT

    ALL THINGS ZOMBIE

    ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS

    Fun Stuff

    Picture
    Pixel of Ink
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    If you're ready for a zombie apocalypse, then you're ready for any emergency. emergency.cdc.gov
    Picture

    My BLOG Awards 

Photos used under Creative Commons from Jonathan Rolande, Leslie Richards, Su--May, mugwumpian, Say_No_To_Turtles, pedrosimoes7, tiannaspicer, comedy_nose, Lord Jim, corcell_usa, keepitsurreal, Dushan and Miae, Martin Pettitt, Chill Mimi, THX0477, Svenstorm, Grzegorz Łobiński, tsakshaug, Richard Elzey, epSos.de, ▓▒░ TORLEY ░▒▓, Asim Bijarani, Eddie~S, paul-simpson.org, ilovememphis, Sweet Dreamz Design, HockeyholicAZ
  • Home
  • About Me