Tweets? Twits? Twitter?

I’m gonna go on record here. I love Twitter. Never thought I’d say it out loud, much less on the Interwebs, but there you go. I do. And it’s all my very good friend April’s fault. Sorry to throw you under the bus like that, April, but it sorta is your fault.

“How?” you might ask.

Here’s what happened: I was at a Kansas Writers Association meeting in mid-January, and April and her husband were giving a presentation about the importance of social media for writers. They were very convincing, and since I both trust and adore April, I decided to stop resisting and joined Twitter.

This the part where I tell my very good friend April something important: Thank you for pestering (okay, maybe pestering is a little strong) me to get on Twitter. It has opened up a plethora of resources and connected me to some pretty amazing people.

Here’s what I love most about Twitter: I love connecting with other writers, teachers, and librarians. I love being able to engage in conversations, albeit briefly, with some of my favorite authors in a way that is meaningful and personal. I also follow a bunch of celebrities, most of who are in my favorite T.V. shows, just for fun. Michael Weatherly from NCIS is a hoot, and I absolutely LOVE Pauley Perrette from the same show.

Speaking of T.V.…connecting with other fans of my favorite T.V. shows or sports team is another thing I love about Twitter: #Hashtags!!

Okay, for those of you who are wondering what all the fuss about #Hashtags is, here it is in a nutshell: Hashtags indicate trends in conversations or topics. Example: while watching my Alma Mater Wichita State University’s men’s basketball team, I’ll add #FearTheWheat, #GoShockers , and maybe #GoShox if I can squeeze it into the 140 characters my tweet allows me.

Using Hashtags in your tweets is also a way to zero in on what I like to call “Tweetversations.” For Example: once a month on Sunday night, I enjoy tweeting with other English/language arts teachers across the country as we talk about reading  instruction and books via #titletalk. As a matter of fact, I’ll share a link to a site that has 20 great #Hashtags for educators: http://edudemic.com/2012/01/20-hashtags/.

But honestly, I mostly find Twitter to be rich in resources for me as a teacher, reader, and writer. I have made some amazing connections using this tool, thanks to my very good friend April. For me, Twitter is more than social networking—it is connecting with others who share the same passions and love for learning. So…if you’d like to join the tweetversation, you can now follow me on Twitter: @MickiFryhover.