Tell Me Why I Should Use Foursquare

You realize that I'm a seriously paranoid person, right?


I don't like to give out the name of my exact town.  I never mention the names of my boys' schools.  We have a P.O. box in a nearby town for when I need to give my address for something blog-related.  My husband often travels for work, though I usually don't mention when he's out of town until he's about to come back.


So, the idea of turning on my location for my tweets or using Foursquare freaks me out.

Like I said, I'm paranoid.  So, advertising exactly where I am makes me nervous.


I've heard people say that they only "check in" somewhere on Foursquare when they are about to leave.


But, a problem that I see with that is let's say I check in at Target on my way out the door. Okay, no harm done. Except that anyone can now see what town I live in.  And the next time I'm headed to Target, I'll probably tweet something like "Will not get sucked in to Target's Dollar Spot this time. #willpower"


And then some stalker will think Oh, she's going to Target. I know what Target she's going to. I'll hide out in my kidnapper van and grab one of her kids when she comes out.


Stop laughing at me.


I realize I'm paranoid. And a kidnapper would probably give my kids back after 5 minutes anyway.


Still. I can't get over the idea that Foursquare gives out more information than I'm comfortable with.


But, I was also a Facebook holdout for a long time.  And I resisted Twitter.  Even though I'm still not a huge fan of Facebook, I am on there. And I'm addicted to Twitter. @shellthings in case we aren't following each other on there yet.


And I've heard that Foursquare will be like that at some point- something that everyone is on. Are you on Foursquare?  Why or why not?

Pour Your Heart Out: One Year Anniversary!

If you have never visited Pour Your Heart Out before, see THIS post for more information- but it's personal- it's what YOU think is pouring your heart out.

Again, just a brief reminder that everyone linking is pouring their hearts out and we should all be respectful in our comments. ;)

 <a href="http://thingsicantsay-shell.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac246/shellthings/pouryourheartout.jpg" /></a>

Just a quick note for this week's Pour Your Heart Out: because of the One Year Anniversary, there are prizes this week! Please see the Pour Your Heart Out prize post to see the fabulous prizes and thank the sponsors!

I can't believe that it's been one year since the first Pour Your Heart Out link up. When I started this, I knew it was something I could follow through with because I was writing these types of posts about once a week anyway, so I figured, why not add a linky and see if anyone else would like to join in!


And, thankfully- you did. Whether by linking up or by visiting other linkers. I feel like I get to know you so much better through these posts. And I love seeing the community, the support, in the form of comments and tweets on the posts- not just mine, but all who link up.


I could gush forever about how much it means to me to have you all participate. But, instead, I decided to let others speak for me today. I asked on twitter over the past few days for people who participate in Pour Your Heart Out and had them reply in a dm what PYHO means to them.


@mycrazybusylife: PYHO is a great place to tell the story you're afraid to tell & Shell is the perfect host making everyone feel welcome & loved. My Crazy Busy Life



@fromtracie: PYHO is all about realness. Truth and honesty. Sometimes raw...often powerful....always a good read.  PYHO is a safe place to share whatever is laying heavy on you. The support is real and heartwarming. It is a community. From Tracie



@MrsJenBardall: It's a comfort knowing I can pour my heart out once a week & find tremendous support, then be able to lend an ear to others who need it too. The Misadventures of Mrs. B



@brunerpartyof5: It's about being HONEST with your feelings, and ACCEPTING of other people's feelings. Bruner Family Travels



@mommakiss: I love reading PYHO because I can relate to so many of the
issues, and it feels like I'm not alone. Offering support when feels good, too. Momma Kiss



@southofsheridan: PYHO is a weekly safe haven in the online world: unlimited love and support from other women bloggers without judgment. South of Sheridan
 

@mama_rosebud: PYHO has given me the courage to be completely honest and really connect with others by reading their comments and posts in return. Cultivating Rosebuds



@JustHeather: Love it! Reading PYHO helps me peek into other moms' worlds to know I'm not alone here. It's heart wrenching & comforting at the same time. Heather Sokol



@babesrockinmami: I like getting feedback from positive ppl & being able to open up and get it out there. I also love reading everyone else open up.  It let's you see a side of people that they might not normally show but they feel safe because so many other people are sharing too. Babes Rockin Mami



@_mamajules_ It's a way to write heartfelt posts without getting judged and to seek support from others. Not that anyone should judge to begin with. All You Need is Love



@lifewithoutpink: I love reading because most of the stories touch me very deeply and you can get a real sense of who the person is behind the blog. Life Without Pink


@mamamarchand: I read because I love that others think the same way I do AND I participate because it gives me courage to say things I normally wouldn't. Mama Marchand's Musings


@StephanieG143: PYHO: A place to share your voice, your heart, your life. A way to connect, be heard, release, feel. A time to reveal, honor, respect, vent Got One Past the Goalie


@accidentallyhs: I read because: It's nice to read you aren't alone. They write what I don't have the guts to write. It's like blog group therapy. Accidentally Homeschooling


@singdwingangel: knowing that I am not alone.. and sometimes as a SAHM alone is a very common feeling... A Tall Drink of Sweet Tea


@SemiSlackerMom: It gives you support. All the comments lifting you up, meeting people going through the same things as you. Confessions of a Semi-Slacker Mom


@jmberrygirl: Some posts make me smile, while others make me cry. I enjoy reading the serious, heartfelt words. Many link-ups aren't so real. Becoming Briggs


@truthfulmommy: Pour Your Heart Out is where writers have the freedom to express their innermost hopes & fears to an engaged & understanding audience The Truth About Motherhood


Thanks to everyone who has been a part of PYHO! You are truly appreciated! I hope that you will link up this week- or, at least, check out some of the links!

Twitter Don'ts : Are You Annoying People With Your Tweets?

If you are on twitter, and yes, you should be, you might notice people occasionally tweeting out their twitter pet peeves. One of the most common is "Don't auto-dm! It's spam and makes me unfollow you!" *


 Another that was originally on my list but I saw tweeted out this weekend by @adventuroo was "If all you do is tweet out 'inspirational' quotes, I will never ever follow you. #thereisaidit"


But, like everything else, Twitter is a learning process and it's not like you know these things right off the bat, you have to figure it out as you go. 


Here's my list of Twitter Don'ts to help you along:

Don't get mad and unfollow someone if they don't follow you back immediately.  It might take someone a few days to get caught up on twitter notification emails.  Or, sometimes twitter doesn't send them out for every person who follows.  TWEET with the person: talk to them and they'll probably follow you.

Don't just tweet "hey" or "good morning" to someone and be mad that that isn't enough to get them to follow you or even respond.  Spammers do that, too, so it's hard to tell you apart from the spammers.

Don't follow a bunch of people just hoping for return follows and then unfollow them all a day or two later. 

Don't RT all day long.  It's really nice to RT an awesome tweet or link- you definitely should show some RT love. But, if this is all you do, you start looking a little a robot instead of a person.

Don't get spammy with your links: twitter is a great tool to get your blog posts out there. But, if you are tweeting out the same link 4 times in an hour, it's annoying.**

Unless you have something super important that you are tweeting, Don't add "pls rt" to the end of your tweets. People will RT if they like what you tweeted.  And by super important, I mean super important to everyone, not just you.

Don't get upset if no one replies to something you asked on twitter. Tweets go by quickly. You can ask again.  Just not 30 seconds after you first asked.

Don't be a twitter-stalker.  Twitter is one place where it's perfectly acceptable to jump right into someone else's conversation. But, if you jump into the same person's conversation every single time they are tweeting with someone else, it gets a little creepy.

Don't only talk to the same people all day, every day.  Yes, twitter is for interaction. And you'll get to know some people really well and want to talk to them more than others.  But, if someone views your profile page and all they see is you tweeting the same handful of people and no one else, you look clique-ish.  If you want to have a long conversation with someone that you know well, that is what Skype is for. #TGFS**

Don't forget that a tweet is forever.  So, don't start a fight or say something hateful that you are going to regret later. Don't send something out as a tweet that you meant as a dm.  Even though you can delete your tweet, if it was that big of a screw up of a tweet, chances are, it's already been retweeted, repeatedly.  #thinkbeforeyoutweet


Are we following each other on twitter? @shellthings

Do you have any Twitter Don'ts to add to this list?


*I found out on twitter from @OhMariana yesterday that you can OPT OUT OF GETTING AUTO DMs! Or at least, quite a lot of them. Yes, this is news exciting enough to yell at you in caps. How to Opt Out of Auto DMs.

**I tweet celeb gossip links as part of my job about 5-10 times a day total. And hope it doesn't violate this rule.


***Thank God for Skype: credit to  @akludgymom for that hashtag