Twitter Bitter?
Posted on August 26th, 2008 – 11:39 AMBy Kay Krhin
Cribsheet reader Barb recently sent an e-mail that struck a chord with me. Here’s Barb’s note:
Over the weekend I found out that my good friend had her baby. The best part, I found out via her husband’s live blog on Twitter.com. I think this is definitely a first for me, to find out about a birth via not just the internet, but a father live blogging the details from the delivery room. We knew how far her contractions were, when she was fully dilated, about every hour we had an update all the way to “BABY IS HERE”.
Not sure if this is something that could be a post for you blog, but it certainly sparked interesting discussion at our dinner table. How has technology changed the way we know people, see people’s lives, learn about life events?? From a phone call, to email, to a blog post, now to a live web update from the delivery room via his cell phone. Wow!
- Barb
I must say I’m fairly new to Twitter. (for other newbies: think micro blogging) I was recently out with group of friends for appetizers before a concert. One was twittering away on his Blackberry throughout the evening. I accused him of twitter-bating and said “Really? Really? Do people out there really want to know your random thoughts and observations and comings and goings every 12 minutes ?” Apparently so. Of course, I immediately realized how hypocritical that must sound as a blogger. Do people really care about my random thoughts, observations and comings and goings? But I said - “Hey - how about being present in the moment and sharing those random thoughts and observations with us. These friends who are right here. Live. In front of your face?” bitter.
When I read Barb’s e-mail - I did think yes, what a great way to keep everyone in the loop immediately on the good news.
BUT on the flipside I would’ve been more than irritated at my husband if he was tweeting away that I was “dilated to 8″ when really - he should be by my side letting me dig my fingernails into his forearm.
Again. How about being present in the moment?
And birth is a pretty momentous moment.
I’m not totally twitter bitter - I think it has it’s time and place. Recently there were a lot of interesting “tweets” from the Olympics from those who were there. The key is you can choose to follow them or not.
How has technology changed how you communicate and keep in touch as a parent and how do you keep information overload at bay?
14 Responses to "Twitter Bitter?"
Hmmmm, Kay….maybe Cribsheet should start Twittering. We can call it Cribter. Or Twitsheet. Maybe not.
Kay, I am so with you. I love reading blogs and follow quite a few. However, I do not need minute by minute updates, I have a life too and expect that bloggers need to fuel up with new items to dish on! Thankfully, my husband is big on “living in the moment” kind of guy and would never twitter!
I think it depends on the couple/people involved. A friend of mine just had a baby. She and He tweet. If it weren’t for some unforseen complications (ah, like having the baby at home…on accident), there probably would have been live birth tweets.
oops. Hit the shortcut to post button instead of enter.
Anyway…
I follow people on twitter that i am interested in. It’s fun. I don’t follow people I don’t care about knowing what they are doing every ten minutes. It’s one of the great things about the internet. I can turn it off. 
[…] Originally published by Cribsheet […]
After rereading my email, I didn’t realize that I forgot to say, No way will my husband be on any electronic device when I’m in labor in Janaury!! However, I’m sure quickly there after we will be posting pictures and email updates to family and friends.
I don’t Tweet, so I can’t comment on that half, but the fact that I blog has changed the way my family communicates. I started blogging because my grandparents, an aunt, so sisters-in-law and some random cousins are all out of state. Blogging has been a great way to keep them up to date on the goings on in our lives and the changes in our growing boys. I love it, and my family knows, if they don’t want to feel left out, they had better read, because I don’t have time to call them all and say “e got his first tooth!”
The bonus has been the people who I’ve stumbled upon online, or who have stumbled upon me. Strangers you meet in real life thanks to a bloggy connection.
I agree with Kim, though, in that blogging is definitely beneficial. I love to read the blogs of some of my friends in order to keep updated on what is going on with them and their children. I am starting up a little website on aboutmybaby.com (think myspace meets blogging for babies) for my little one that is due in just 3 weeks as most of my family and friends live so far away, and that will be the best way to show them new pics and update them on the little one. So technology has been so helpful to keep connected. Sometimes you just don’t have the chance to say everything you want to say in a phone call. And blogs are a great place to share pictures.
But as for the question of how connected do we need to be, do we need minute to minute updates…I guess that depends. For the situation of Barb’s friend in labor, that may have actually been a great idea. Having her husband send out little messages here and there was probably so much better than him getting 10 phone calls every 3 minutes asking for an update. That was probably so much easier on her and him than havign to deal with calls. So that really just depends on the situation I would think
I guess I would not have cared what Dennis was doing during delivery. He watched TV with me a lot during our last delivery and when it annoyed me I told him to shut the dumb thing off! LOL And then 15 minutes later we had our daughter. But we walked and talked ot a lot of peopel that day on the phone so had he had that no one would have had to call my room.
As for blogging It was a great way for my in laws to see pictures of our kids as they never see them in real life. And I have family everywhere and they know what happens not only in my family but our extended family that way.
I agree with Kim about the blogging being a good way to keep people far and not-so-far away in the loop - but only as much as they want to be! They can either look at your blog or don’t! Back in the “olden days” before I started blogging I would send an email with a giant file of pics of the kids and my father in law on his 15 year old computer would hit open and CRASH goes the computer…I think blogging is a fun way to keep up with people…
that being said - I would never blog while I was “with people” as I think it’s rude just as answering a cell phone is if you are out to dinner with someone, etc etc.
Though I DO think a Live Blog Update on a new baby would be great…
just not what you are doing at the baseball game type of thing!
Violet twitters…
My daughter was born 3 1/2 years ago. At a small, outer-suburbs hospital. My husband noticed quickly that there was a wireless signal, so he called and was told that they didn’t have short-term contracts available, but if he’d do a testimonial for their website, they’d give him free access for a few days while we were in the hospital. So he was sending instant message updates on my contraction/dilation status to his best friend and business partner who then sent regular updates to our other friends. It really didn’t bother me at all. He had pretty good judgment for when he needed to stop that and provide more bedside support. If he’d been hovering the whole time I was in labor, I probably would’ve had to kick him out. But that’s just my personality. He was there and holding my hand for the pushing and final delivery and taking lots of pictures of our daughter as they cleaned her up and did lots of checking and double checking of her vitals since she was a month early. I think it just depends on what a couple wants/needs for themselves. Just like some people appreciate a lot of visitors in the first few weeks and others want to be left alone.
I don’t use twitter because my Blackberry plan doesn’t include SMS text messaging (it’s extra) and that would be the only thing I would use SMS text messaging for. So, nope. But, I do like it and follow a few here and there. It’s fun to read them and I like the idea of it. I love your phrase “twitterbating”. Ha! My blog, only a month or so old, is turning out to be an amazing outlet for me. I love it, have steadily gained readers from all over the world! and is just plain ‘ol fun. I run ads (click on the links!) just to see what happens. So far, not much, but whatever–all in good fun. I am a writer by profession so this is the perfect medium for me to express myself.
I don’t use twitter, but I was blogging and emailing while in labor with my son and my surrogate twins. I figure people can choose to read or NOT to read what I write. I’m sure some people think I share too much info sometimes, but again, it is their choice to read.
