I’m not going to do it! So how do I tell people I don’t do this Twitter thing?

Dear Aunty B,

I work in the political field and am constantly asked if I Twitter. I don’t and I won’t.

I am a very private person. I am also quite shy, not that anyone thinks that. I have no intention of sharing my private life with anyone. But I am starting to feel like the odd man out.

How do I tell people I don’t Twitter?

Twitter is for the birds,

Melbourne

Dear Twitter is for the birds,

Oh dear. Really? You really want me to help you tell people how out of touch you are?

First, let’s get the terminology. Twitter is a noun, tweet is the verb. So you tweet on Twitter.

Secondly, it has nothing to do with your private life. No one gives as toss about you.

Twitter is news. It’s a public discourse about what’s happening now, what people are doing now, what people are thinking about now. So unless you don’t want to be part of that discourse, unless you are happy to miss the now, unless you are happy to get yesterday’s news via the newspaper, then you, my friend, will tweet.

How do you do this? Well, you find a very nice young person to help you. Not too young – they hate Twitter and already see it as an old person’s thing. Someone in their late 20s who works in your organisation should work. And arrange for them to teach you over a few weeks.

You don’t have to tweet every second. Decide at the start to join in several times a day and see where it takes you. Come on, it’s time for something new.

Be smart,

Your Aunty B

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