video: Mum’s the Word: To Tweet or Not to Tweet
Friday, March 13, 2015
The Nulls are a family of four, soon to be five, who have a popular YouTube channel primarily based off of the daily life of their family. Photo Credit: Brittany Null's Facebook (Image Cropped)
After sharing a story on Facebook about how I accidentally had been giving my daughter dog treats that I found at Grandma’s house (they looked like Oreos, I swear), I began to think about how parents can know the difference between sharing just enough or sharing too much.
Usually, before posting anything on social media, I ask myself whether or not a particular post is potentially shaming my child.
If the answer to that is “no,” then I ask the next question.
Is this actually interesting or funny, or will it really just make people quote Will Farrell’s guest character in The Office, “[Your] baby could be the star of a show called, ‘Babies I Don’t Care About’”?
Yet since this is such a controversial topic, I decided to get a second opinion. I reached out to some friends of mine, Brittany and Austin Null. You may already know the Nulls as the YouTube family, The Nive Nulls (see YouTube video below).
Based out of Kansas City, The Nulls are a family of four, soon to be five, who have a popular YouTube channel. Their videos celebrate Austin and Brittany’s daily life with their kids, Audri (almost two), Kai (15 months), and the baby on the way.
Since The Nive Nulls now have over 200k YouTube subscribers, I thought they’d probably know a thing or two about navigating the murky waters of parenting in a "twittering" world.
So on Monday, we grabbed our computers and sat down for a Skype interview like the trendy, tech-savvy parents that we are.
Read below for my Q & A session with the Nulls.
First off, why don’t you tell us a little bit about how you guys started off? Was it just for fun or did you know where you wanted to go with your videos?
Austin: Well, first I started making videos by myself just on my free time. It started off as a fun outlet for me in 2010, and then I made Brittany do it.
Brittany: I was skeptical at first because I thought our lives were so mundane, but then I decided to try it anyway.
Well, you seem to have a lot of viewers since 2010. When and why do you think you started to become so popular?
Brittany: The kids.
Austin: Yeah, we went from 5 thousand subscribers, when it was just Britt and I, to 40 thousand subscribers. People were like, “Oh they’re not just that funny couple anymore, they’re that weird family…. so mainly cute kids.”
How have you handled criticism about your parenting on social media?
Brittany: We used to get a lot of criticism when we first had Audri. But, people have backed off now that we have a third kid coming. But also, now I don’t always feel the need to always respond. There have also been some instances where some of the advice has actually been helpful. Like when I have been dealing with something and someone suggested a different way on doing something and I thought, “Yeah, that’s actually a good idea.”
Austin: It’s good to remember that most people mean well.
I have a lot more questions for you, but here’s the last formal one. How have you avoided “oversharing” on your channel or other social media platforms, and why do you think parents today post stories so publically?
Austin: It’s a generational thing. I think this generation is really interested in connection and opening up to others. It’s based on openness and vulnerability.
Brittany: It’s all a way for us to relate. Sometimes, though, you have to back up and evaluate. There needs to be a happy medium.
Austin: Social media should help keep relationships together and not embody the entire relationship.
To learn more about the Nulls visit their Facebook and YouTube Channel.
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