Social Networking and Your Teens

I have three teenage boys and I can tell you, they don’t talk on the phone much at all but they type better than I do! They don’t even have to teach typing class anymore. I think these kids can out-type us before they are 10!

So, how do we keep up? Or do you want to? I thought I would try to keep up with my teenagers really to keep track of my teenagers) so I had a MYSPACE account, complete with cool background and music. To my teenager’s dismay, I did actually find out some information on there that they would prefer I not know, so I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! I think MYSPACE is dying out a bit and the latest fad is FACEBOOK. Are you on FACEBOOK?? Look for us. We are and we love friends!! Do you TWITTER? No, it’s not a bird noise. It’s another social networking medium that is sweeping the country. Don’t you want all of your friends to keep up on your every move? Are you LINKED IN? Now, LINKED IN may have some value for those of you in business or job seeking. I’ve actually had a recruiter call me, based on what I used to do (brand marketing) looking for referrals based on my LINKED IN profile.

Do you text? I think my kids text more than talk too. I do find it useful to text clients quick updates during the day versus calling because they can get back to me when they’re free. So, it’s up to you to decide what to try out for social networking or to try anything at all. If you would rather just pick up the phone and talk, that’s fine too- start a new revolution!!! Even when we think we’re keeping up with our teenagers, they may actually be speaking a different language. Take texting for example. Do you know what POS means? In marketing, that means “point of sale”. In kid text, that means “parent over the shoulder”!! Wow, really??  I had no idea. For a full list (until they think of new ones) of texting acronyms, go to our local Fox 5 news website, as they just ran a story on this.

So, will you ever keep up with your teenager?  Probably not. Not anymore than our parents knew everything we were doing. What can you do is keep the lines of communication open with your teens so that they come to you with questions or concerns.  And keep up with technology.  It really is fun too!

Article written by Sherry Ajluni of the Sherry and Maria Real Estate Team of North Atlanta.

Sherry & Maria Team
Keller Williams Realty
Sherry 678-283-1710
Maria 678-548-5513
www.SherryandMariaTeam.com

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