I received an intriguing email this evening. It was from Twitter, and the subject line was, “Maureen is now following you on Twitter!” Could it really be true? I clicked the link in the email. Yep; right as rain. My mom is now following me on Twitter.

Apprehension swept through my body. Then I paused and thought about it for a moment. What could be negative about it? Nothing. Twitter has nearly 8 million users, and my mom is one of them. But what does that say about the state of the Web? Of course, I realize that the Web and social media are maturing at a staggering pace. I thought I had hit a milestone about six months ago when I received a friend request from my Mom on Facebook and shortly thereafter, from my Dad. But Twitter too? Really? Apparently so.

Good for them. They are engaging in social media. Time will tell how my mom decides to use the service. And what better time for her to begin following me than right around the corner from Mother's Day?

Mom, here's a niche web site for your Online adventures: Social Media Mom, A work at home mom discusses social media and networking.

I'm waiting for the @ replies to start filtering in. I hope I don't miss any among the mass of others that seem to have come in recently. The last thing I need to hear the next time I talk to my Mom on the phone is, “Why didn't you @reply me?” By the way, if you have sent me a message on Twitter recently that I have not responded to as of yet, your patience is appreciated.

So, now that I have witnessed first-hand the growing demographic of social media, when will we see a major shift in the application of the technology? Maybe my expectations are different than what the service will offer. But advanced mobile functionality comes to mind when I think about the expanded use of the service. For example, let me order a pizza by sending a direct message to the local pizza restaurant on Twitter. That's just one function that comes to mind. Will that be one of the ways that the service evolves? We'll see.

Is your mom on Twitter? Has an unexpected contact in social media surprised you?

So, what was the first thing I did when I saw my mom was following me on Twitter? I followed her back, of course.

Dad, I'm waiting for your follow notification from Twitter to arrive in my inbox.


Link to original post