Tumblr and Twitter

In their ongoing pursuit and new and better ways to stay in constant communication and network with each other, teens where I am are turning to Twitter and Tumblr.

Twitter is territory for all ages, so many parents have Twitter accounts too. Tumblr seems to be the land of youth from where I'm sitting. Tumblr is a hybrid blogging and social networking site. If you cross Twitter and Blogger with Facebook, you get Tumblr.

My daughter has a Tumblr blog, and I have learned more about what is going on in her heart from that blog that I think I have from any conversation with her... ever. She calls Blogger the old people's blog site. On Tumblr the bloggers follow each other in a similar format to most blog readers. They can reblog posts on Tumblr like they can retweet tweets on Twitter. Unlike Twitter, they aren't bound to a 140-character limit and instead of posting only links to photos, they can post the photo directly on their Tumblr blog. In a shout-out to Facebook functions, they can like and comment on posts.

To an old mom like me, it's both cool and exhausting. I have a Tumblr account too, so I can follow my girl. I also check up on what her friends are posting. And we talk. I don't comment on her Tumblr, but her posts are more and more often the starting point for our conversations. That's the cool part. The exhausting part comes in that teens can post TONS of things each day. My daughter posts anywhere from one to ten posts daily. Whew!

While I like the free flow of information that occurs and I love that I can glean much insight into my daughter's heart, I hate the fact that there are no privacy settings to speak of on Tumblr. Everyone's blog is open to everyone else. Bloggers have to be extra careful not to post any specifically identifying information. That's another reason why I try to be diligent in checking my daughter's Tumblr blog.

The firewall programs that protect our school's network also block out many of the sites the kids love to access all day long. While they can't access Facebook and Tumblr on the school's wireless network, they can use smart phone technology to access those sites using 3G/4G technology. Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr stand as the triumvirate of social networking via cell phones, further enabling kids to stay connected 24/7.

So what's the bottom line? You might want to ask your teen about Tumblr and Twitter, even if you already track them on Facebook. If they have accounts with either, you're going to need to follow them.

Knowing your kids...

My oldest teenager accuses me of "creeping" on her Facebook page. I explained that I am not creeping; I am parenting. I can't believe how many parents let their kids loose on the Internet and never check on them.

In my own family, a very close relative has a teen daughter with a Facebook. I am Facebook friends with her daughter. The mom doesn't even have a profile. I saw the mom the other day and mentioned that I'd seen the daughter's status change to "in a relationship." The mom said, "Tell me what you know. I don't know anything."

Goodness! I knew they guy's name. I knew what he looked like. I knew they hang out at McDonald's. I knew he could drive. I knew that her daughter calls this guy "baby" and tells him that she loves him. I knew all that from looking at her Facebook page for less than two minutes, trying to figure out what their plans were for traveling at Christmas.

You are not invading their privacy. Check up on them. I have learned quite a great deal from Facebook about my own daughter. It's started some good talks. It's helped me coach her as she becomes the young woman God has created her to be.