If I wanted to write for the sole purpose of venting, I would write in a journal.  The reason I’ve been putting pieces of my heart online however, is with the hope of helping others. Social media is key in reaching the demographic I am aiming to help, and it seems that Twitter is king of the mountain for the time being.

I started using Facebook in 2009 in order to share my newborn with his family members across the United States.  I didn’t post often, and when I did it was mainly text.  Last year I started learning to text in earnest, and I am still an amateur.  I prefer snail mail to e-mail, and a phone call is much better than a text.  I downloaded Instagram and Snap-chat in an effort to keep up but neither of those apps lasted a week on my phone.

Hello Twitter

I’ve heard a lot about Twitter, and it seems simple enough.  I know you can only use a limited amount of characters.  People use the pound or number sign (#) in order to link to other people using the same keywords. I guess they are called hashtags now?  Even the President of the United States uses Twitter and I know there’s a huge potential for this blog to be shared if I can get my tweeting in order.

I tried for about two weeks with Twitter.  I made the account, learned how to tweet and followed other tweeters.  Pinterest and YouTube offered me help in the form of tutorials…yes, I used tutorials to learn about Twitter. An embarrassingly large number of tutorials.  This stuff does not come naturally to me.  I thought “Hey, it’s worth all this work if I can get some followers to share my content”.

Gah, No Twitter

The thing is though, I honestly can’t stand Twitter.  Things come across as snippity or a bit too direct at times.  “Click Here”, “Follow Me” or “Do This Now” just aren’t my style.  I was taught when I was younger not to tell people what to do, and it feels pushy.  I know it’s just the internet, and that I have to stay current…but it feels rude to me.

It’s also extremely busy.  Twitter is  visually distracting and a constant inundation of tweets make me feel like I can’t keep up. Maybe it’s the minimalist wanna-be in me, or the 90-year-old soul in my body…but Twitter stresses me out.  It seems like I can clear the notifications on my account and they immediately reappear.  Some people like that it’s so busy, and they like the constant updates.  I’m just not one of those people.

I felt disingenuous tweeting.  My attempt at helping other Moms feel good about being decent turned into me striving for social media perfection.  That was the exact reason I started this blog…other bloggers left me feeling like I was less than if I didn’t make Pinterest worthy snacks.

Goodbye Twitter

With that in mind, I closed the Twitter tab on my browser this morning. I have no intention to open it again.  This post is listed as a sticky post in Twitter, so there won’t be misunderstanding my intentions.  I have a plugin installed that will automatically update my posts onto Twitter.  It’ll still be there if people search for it, but I won’t be responding.

I really am okay with being decent, in all aspects.  I’m okay with being a decent Mom and wife, and I’m okay with a decent following online.  Mississippi Man says that I’ve finally joined the 1990 crowd instead of the 80s crowd…and that he hopes I join the 2000s someday.  Meh.  I love the 80s and 90s.

I want to help people, and I want to be successful with this blog endeavor, I do.  There are simply limits to what I’m willing to do in order to succeed.  I’ve read that Moms should learn how to say “No” to obligations that are pushing us into constant busy work and stress.

No Twitter.  Thank you for the opportunity, but no.

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