NimTwit. That’s my word for a person still new to the whole social media phenomenon. And that’s me. A play on the words “nim wit” and “Twitter,” as a NimTwit, I’m still struggling to determine the relevance of social networking tools like Twitter in my business. But I’m game for the change. After all, social media is our future.
In 30 years of corporate communications, I’ve learned the one constant in this industry is change. When I started out as a freelance writer in 1983, computers were just emerging as the must-have technology. After purchasing a Texas Instruments PC, I moved on to Mac in the early 1990s. I’ve been an Apple fanatic ever since, in recent years adding an iPhone and iPod to the mix.
My early PC gave me the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of another communications phenomenon at the time: desktop publishing. Though, these days, I leave design to my colleague, Susan Diemont-Conwell, and to several favorite Houston design firms, I’m glad I embraced the communications advancement as it opened up a world of business opportunities for me. Then came the World Wide Web and a whole new learning curve. Today, like millions of people around the world, I can’t imagine life without the Internet and e-mail. (My once well-used fax machine now collects dust!)
This summer, my business colleagues in the Houston chapter of IABC decided it was time we “old timers” learned the new social media that a new generation of employees is using to communicate. I took the Facebook plunge and I love it.
And what you’re reading now is my very first official blog post!
My Torma colleagues, Susan and Theresa Parker, will also share their thoughts and insights on this monthly blog. And you may even hear from my son, Patrick, a University of Houston business student, who is working as our marketing intern this semester.
Most of my posts on this blog will be confessions of a NimTwit as I share my experiences in learning the ropes of communicating via social media. So stay tuned! While I may be a bit slow, don’t count me out. Today I text; tomorrow I tweet.
Torma Take 
I love your blogs. I happened upon them while trying to find your mother’s address or e-mail. I was her roommate at the University of Texas, and I was in your mother’s and father’s wedding. I especially enjoyed the piece about your mother – she sounds as cool and funny as I recall her.