Learning to EMBRACE Twitter

I have come to terms with the fact that I am the WORLD’S SLOWEST TEXTER.

There was a time when my typing skills were impressive. All I had to do was place my hands on the keys of an electric typewriter or a computer keyboard – and my fingers would fly!

Then, along came handheld devices, where the only option for text messaging was to type with your THUMBS.

It’s my own fault – I admit it. I have not kept up with the times, and it has cost me. While others were embracing new technologies like they were better recipes for hot fudge sundaes, I was blithely carrying on with the equipment I already knew how to operate.

There’s no way for me to actually prove this, but I suspect that I was the last North American, under the age of 50, to purchase a cell phone and text messaging plan. By then, I was so far behind in my skills development that it was downright painful to watch.

It’s not that my thumbs are dim-witted, it’s just that I INSIST on using proper punctuation and full sentence structure within my text messages.

I blame my mother for this. Being raised by a woman who was a school teacher for 35 years has its definite drawbacks.

Respect for the basic principles of grammar and punctuation is so deeply ingrained in my psyche that if I try to type the word “don’t” without using an apostrophe, I develop a noticeable eye and shoulder twitch.

The reactions of those closest to me range from discreet rolling of the eyes and quiet expressions of amusement to long, loud bursts of uproarious laughter.

Between this, and my outright refusal to use short forms (“BTW” for “by the way”, “L8R” for “later”, etc) it often takes me longer to send a text than it would to just pick up the phone and call the person.

For this reason, I am experiencing MILD ANXIETY at the idea of tweeting.

I set up my Twitter account months ago. Since that day, I have sent ONE tweet. One. It’s been so long that I should probably give my Twitter account a quick pass with a Swiffer duster!

The poor thing probably has abandonment issues.

Due to the 140-character maximum on Twitter messages, there really is no way to avoid short forms in order to say what you want to say. This limit also renders the use of proper spelling and punctuation a ridiculous waste of space.

I understand that, however it’s a long stretch between understanding something and being willing to accept and adopt it.

That said, I recognize that my personal resistance is no excuse for not embracing Twitter. That is why I have decided to start tweeting next week, or maybe at the beginning of September…

I’ll keep you posted.

Colleen