Twitter Just for Moms

It’s only been three weeks since I’ve become a Twitter fan, but I’m spreading the news far and wide about how useful and fun Twitter can be. I see so many moms on Twitter, that I wanted share some helpful tips specifically for moms who use Twitter.

It’s all about you

Take some time to set up your profile before you start tweeting your life away. Add a good picture (yes, your skinny picture from 10 years ago will work as long as you don’t have a perm), and describe yourself in your bio. Your bio doesn’t have to be long, as mine is only two sentences, but definitely mention you’re a mom so other Twitter moms can find you.

If you don’t have a picture and a bio, you’ll probably find it difficult to find followers. Twitter is a social platform, so if you’re not willing to put yourself out there, people will probably pass you by.

Get the right tools

I spent two weeks using Twitter.com to keep up with my friends’ tweets (updates), and quickly realized that as I added more friends to follow, I couldn’t keep up with the stream of comments. But, then I found TweetDeck, and boy do I love TweetDeck! It allows you to group friends into different columns to make it easier to follow them (I have a column just for other moms). It also has other time saving features like one click retweeting and shortening of URLs.

Who should you follow?

You should follow other mommies of course! The best place to find active moms on Twitter is at Twitter Moms. I’m new to the group, but they’re an active, fun bunch. You can also follow moms on the Ultimate List of Moms on Twitter.

I also follow my friends, family, and some celebrities. But, I find other moms to be the most interesting to follow, because most share informative mommy-related links and funny mommyhood experiences.

What should you tweet?

I follow some moms on Twitter who barely send a tweet each week, and I wonder why. Twitter makes it easy on busy moms by only allowing each tweet to be 140 characters. So, no excuses!

Be interesting: The tweets that I most like to read are personal and funny. If you have something to say, try to find the shortest, funniest way to say it. Don’t just tweet, “I’m bored.” Why not tweet, “I’m so bored that I may actually wash the dishes for fun.”? I know that’s not hilarious, but it’s a lot more interesting to read.

Be helpful: If you find a great site on the web about how to potty train your child, or how to make yummy lasagna in 5 minutes flat, then share it! One of my favorite things is to get tweets to links that make my life easier.

How should you respond to tweets?

Like I said before, Twitter is a social platform. Don’t just broadcast your thoughts to everyone without responding to others tweets. If you do that, people will unfollow you because you’re either rude or a spammer. Respond to tweets you like, and retweet tweets that you think your followers may be interested in.

Most people in the Twitter community are kind and helpful. So even if you don’t know them personally, and you respond to one of their tweets, they’ll respond back.

And that is the beauty of Twitter. You can chat with, share with, and help people you’ve never met. And for a stay-at-home-mom like me, it’s a wonderful way to stay connected to the world outside and have a bit of adult interaction. Even if it’s limited to only 140 characters.

About the author

Erin Hill is a sometimes-clueless SAHM, just trying to figure out the hardest, most rewarding job she’s ever had. Her active 2-year-old son and her lovably geeky husband keep her on her toes. Check out her personal blog at mommyinprogress.com.