Yes. I’m Tweeting. Will my garden ever see me again?

 

If you’ve stopped by my blog in the last two weeks, then you know I am one social media application closer to permanently chaining myself to my computer and never seeing an actual garden again.  Thanks to peer pressure – always a very effective method with me – from my fellow designer and garden blogger Laura Schaub, I’m now enthusiastically tweeting away.

If you don’t know, Twitter is a social media application where you answer the question “What are you doing?” in 140 characters or less.  But most users tweet all kinds of things, like links to articles and websites, quotations and general observations on the human condition.  If you’re not sure that Twitter is for you, then my observations on how Twitter compares to two activities you already enjoy might help you decide.

Twitter and Garden Blogging
Both start with the same premise, i.e. “My garden is so interesting, I bet lots of people will want to hear all about it – at least once a week, and maybe even once a day!”  And amazingly, for many blogs this is actually true.  But with a blog, your posts need some sort of story line or theme; and to add even more pressure, new bloggers quickly discover that  some of the most popular blogs are the ones that are packed with photos.

With Twitter, no need to worry about having a lot of wisdom to share about the new crop of tomatoes you just planted. “Put in six tomato plants today – looking forward to yummy in the tummy come July!” is all that’s required.  Have a photo? No problem, attach a tiny URL.

See the attraction?  Now I can talk about myself more often, while taking less time to do it.

Twitter and Gardening
Except for the fact it doesn’t involve an actual garden, Twitter and gardening have a lot in common.  Garden tweeters in general are quite knowledgeable, with just enough baloney, misinformation and outright bragging thrown in to make the typical gardener feel right at home.  Tweeters also offer other tweeters unsolicited advice, again, just like all the other gardeners that I know like to do.  And while tweeting is nothing like garden design, with its emphasis on measured, thoughtful planning, it’s quite a bit like the impulse style of gardening many of us secretly prefer. I love the speed of the Twitter experience:  "Think it, type it, hit send" which is only a little faster than the speed at which many of us shop for plants "see it, like it, plant it."  We’ll worry about the details later.

FYI, my original topic for this post was outdoor lighting, but I’m missing the pictures I need to illustrate the concepts.  When I called my favorite lighting rep at Unique Lighting to ask if he could provide some photos for my blog, his response was “Sure!” followed by a long pause, and then the words “Now, what’s a blog again?”

 But I’m working on him.  He’ll be blogging and tweeting in no time.

Comments

[DaffodilPlanter]

Great parallel Susan, re impulsive plant grabbing and impulsive tweeting!

[Laura Livengood Schaub (InterLeafer)]

Thanks for writing this Susan, and for the shout-out as your pressuring peer ("First Facebook, now Twitter" you said "you're killing me!") But when faced with my infallible logic (do you want to promote your new website to your 100+ friends, in between quizzes and pokes, or would you like an international audience of like minded professionals, talented amateurs, and the creme of garden bloggers?) you saw the light, and it has been fun to see so much more of you!

[Catherine/gardenerprogress]

I'm afraid to start tweeting. I got sucked into the whole Facebook thing and then switched over to blogging. I'm afraid if I start my kids will never see me again. Can you follow someone but not tweet yourself?

[Rob(ourfrenchgarden)]

Hi Susan

I've got a twitter account but have never twittered.

I also have a 'twit this' gadget,widget thingy at the top right of my blog just to prove I'm in the 21st Century.

If I say 'blog' over here, I'm met with slightly vacant looks. If I say 'Le Blog' all is crystal clear.

A blogger is in fact a 'Cyber-chroniqueur'

Rob

[Michelle]

I don't dare start tweeting! I've had to go on a blogging diet because my garden was being neglected. How do you do it all?

[Susan (garden chick)]

Daffodil, I'm surprised your comment is so mild, since I think I may have been the one who peer pressured you into tweeting, the same way Laura pressured me!

Laura - so what are you getting me into next? Designing our own Twitter apps?

Catherine - you can follow people and not tweet yourself, but in that respect it's a lot like blogging; pretty soon you find yourself itching to join in.

Rob, be careful about admitting you have an account you are not using. My friend Plantanista did that, and when I mentioned this on Twitter she was immediately bombarded with followers. And I love the blog vs. le blog comment! I run into fellow designers, master gardeners, clients, etc. who say they enjoy my blog, but just as many who ask skeptically how the "blog-thingy" is going for me. Disdain translates in any language.

Michelle, I can justify the time because I am a professional designer and this is building my image and clientelle. Isn't that clear from the comments I get? Because I'm sure Rob is going to fly me to France any day now for a garden consultation! All kidding aside, blogging and twittering are helping me expand my professional network and generate more clients, but like everyone else, I really do it because I like it. And I'm about at the tipping point where I might need to spend a little time blog dieting as well (love that term!)

[Town Mouse]

I'm probably missing something very profound and meaningful here, but I honestly can't imagine spending even more time staring at an even smaller screen.

Read any good books lately, anyone?

[Susan (garden chick)]

Town Mouse, your comment is making me laugh, because you and C. Mouse post on your blog so frequently, I'm always thinking "how do they have time to do all that blogging?" LOL, so I guess it's all based on your point of view.

I think the majority of tweeters are self-employed, work from home or are stay at home moms or dads. Taking a break from working to see what's happening on twitter is the self-employed version of a coffee break with co-workers.

I am actually a voracious reader, and am now receiving excellent book recommendations from a fellow tweeter who likes the same authors I do, so thanks to Twitter, I'm reading even more.

[Plantanista]

So having been conspired against by several erstwhile tweeters, I have been brought under the wing of the great chirping machine. It's fun. I'm not under any illusion that I can possibly keep up, but jumping into the stream when time allows helps me keep up with, and be inspired by, the amazing things my friends are doing.

I love to hear about my buddies winning awards, publishing magazine articles, analyzing and critiquing a new book on gardening sustainably... I am in awe of my coHORTS!

[lostlandscape]

Not you too, Susan! If I started tweeting I'd feel like I'd need a cell phone, which I still don't have. And then I'd have to start limiting my rambles to 140 characters which I think would be totally impossib

[Susan (garden chick)]

Plantanista,
You mean "just ate a bagel for breakfast" isn't the kind of info you're interested in? I'll have to start winning some awards so my tweets are worth your time to check out.

James, Love your comment! 140 characters does impose quite a discipline. Can't imagine all my communication being this way, but I'm kind of enjoying the challenge. And we're not as different as you think - I rarely use my cell phone and do not text at all. When I'm outside of my office I like to focus on whatever is in front of me, not what is happening in some other part of the universe.

[Troy]

I love living in America - It's full of 'Big Brother' fearing citizens communicating to the world all of their hopes, dreams and daily doings. Social media is saving the NSA millions :P

Sand, silt and clay folks. Fingers are for getting dirty and picking noses if under five years of age... oh and the occasional blog.

[Carri]

I am so glad you started tweeting- I love your tweets! Someone should pay Laura commission for recruiting so many fabulous people to Twitter :) haha

[Susan (garden chick)]

Troy, I must admit you have captured America's schizophrenic attitude towards information (Look at me! Look at me! Hey, why are you looking at me?) But when communicating in full sentences becomes an anachronistic custom that only the hopelessly old-fashioned practice, I'll be well ahead of the curve with my 140 character discipline!

Carri, No kidding! But don't say that on her blog and she very well might start charging us ;-)

[wayne]

hmmmm-- you make some good points here, but more time on the computer???

[Terra]

Hi,
I enjoy tweeting. What is your twitter name? My tweets often touch on gardening, and I write garden articles for magazines too.
Say hi (all gardeners) to me at http://twitter.com/terragarden and I will answer.

Hi Terra - you can follow me on twitter via the link in the right hand column on my blog or go to http://twitter.com/susanlmorrison.