I joined Twitter before most of my family, friends and business acquaintances because I had to see what it was all about.
According to Jennifer Blanchard, a creative and effective copywriter who writes a blog, Procrastinating Writers, Twitter forces you to be concise. She goes on to say that,
“If you’ve ever used Twitter, you know that you have 140 characters to say whatever you want to say. Now keep in mind, I didn’t say 140 words—or even 140 letters—I said 140 characters. You have to know exactly what you want to say, and say it in as few words as possible.
Crafting a message for Twitter requires you to “pump up” your verbs (replacing adverbs and adjectives with them), and discover a better, clearer and more concise way to say what you want to say. I like to think of it as a brainteaser, forcing me to think hard and dig deep down into my vocabulary to find a way to shorten my message.”
I read Jennifer’s blog and thought that her message about writing applies to our verbal messages, as well. Perhaps, as mothers-in-law, we are too long-winded and would get our message across better if we “pumped up our verbs’ and tried to be more concise.
So, let me give you seven tips, each less than 140 characters, to tweet about.
Ready, set, tweet:
1. Want to see your son and daughter-in-law, call and ask when they are available.
2. If you live locally, don’t just drop by.
3. Recognize their busy times and make phone calls when they can talk with fewer distractions.
4. Play by the house rules. When you visit, learn how they live and respect their lifestyle and wishes.
5. Ask before you help with the dinner, housekeeping, or decorating.
6. Be flexible and understand that your son and daughter-in-law have their own lives.
7. If your son wants to talk, listen. One of his responsibilities is to set limits for his family. One of your jobs is to respect them.
Now you try it.
Talk to you soon.
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