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A badge on its website describes Twittermoms as "the online version of the three martini playdate," and I think that may be true in that you have to be there to catch the madness. This new group, and I do mean new, boasts more than 4900 members, and was started only a few months ago in September by young mom and Twitter fan Megan Calhoun.
When I say you have to be there to catch the madness, I mean that Twittermoms is like most other social media networking sites. Whether you're reading about Facebook or MySpace, you really can't grasp what either is until you join and mingle with its members. I haven't done that yet at Twittermoms, however.
Give me a break, please. I'm a middle-aged mom who has gotten behind on her mommy websites and keeping track of the Net's novae and suns. I caught up with MochaMoms, for instance, last week after reading what its founder had to say about Michelle Obama shaking up the June Cleaver myth. Is it any wonder I'm just getting to tweeting and Twittermoms?
I learned of the new site the old way, by reading a newspaper article. Online, yes. But newspaper nonetheless. Parenting "examiner" Tereece Clark of The Miami Examiner interviewed Calhoun, first mentioning that Twittermoms began in September, telling readers the site has already been featured elsewhere such as at Real Simple, AOL's Parent Dish, FastCompany, and at TechCrunch, where the writer attributes Twittermom's fast growth to Twitter needing groups and gives this description of the Twittermom site:
Twittermoms is not what you think. It isn’t a Twitter clone for mothers. Instead, it’s a site where moms who Twitter can come together and talk about being mothers. It is a perfect demographic for Twitter, filled with people who have lots of real opinions based on experience and like to share them. The site features discussion forums for those that want to chat about “The NEW Twitter” or “Pet Peeves” and offers groups based on interests. For example, some mothers choose to join the “Being Moms” group, while others joined the “Twins!” group. (TechCrunch)
The site also features a Twitter Mom of the Week, something I discovered while touring it.
Calhoun explained to The Examiner why she started Twittermoms:
As a stay at home mom, you sometimes don’t get enough adult interaction during the day. My husband suggested I check out Twitter to connect with other moms, and I just loved it. Twitter provides a fun way for staying connected with people, and I noticed a lot of moms on it – but there was no easy way to learn more about them, or make decisions about who would be really interesting to follow on Twitter.
That’s what gave me the idea to start a site where moms who are on Twitter could meet and have more in-depth conversations. On Sept. 2, I launched TwitterMoms.com. I added the URL to my Twitter.com profile and the next morning we had four members. Now, at twelve weeks old, membership rushed past 4,600 active members. A new mom joins every few minutes. It’s been quite a rush! (Calhoun's interview)
Members of the Twittermom group aren't the only mothers who've discovered tweeting's parental perks. I learned through a "Twitter 101" post at Charlotte-Anne Lucas's blog of Michelle Slatalla's amusing essay at The New York Times, "If You Can't Let Go, Twitter," telling how she pushed her family to use the microblogging/group-messaging site:
Some day these people will get their own lives, and I’ll be able to pop out to buy ballet flats whenever I want. But until they do, I figured there had to be a more efficient way for me to keep in touch with all of them at once.
This was how I ended up signing up for a free account from Twitter ...
To get things rolling, I sent my daughters and husband standard Twitter e-mail invitations ("slatalla wants to keep up with you on twitter") that contained a link to the service’s home page. Then, while I sat in my car in front of my youngest daughter’s school, I sent an update on my whereabouts: “car pool dilemma will French horn and trombone both fit in a mini” Then?
Nothing.
"hello" I typed. Three minutes passed. Four. Still nothing. For the first time in the nearly 19
