diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index cde27db..3c5ca24 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -36,11 +36,22 @@ You need to create a [Twitter app](https://dev.twitter.com/apps) to use the API.
     	"callBackUrl": "XXX"
 	}
 
-	// make a directory in the root folder of your project called data
-	// copy the node_modules/twitter-node-client/twitter_config file over into data/twitter_config`
-	// Open `data/twitter_config` and supply your applications `consumerKey`, 'consumerSecret', 'accessToken', 'accessTokenSecret', 'callBackUrl' to the appropriate fields in your data/twitter_config file
-    
+	// The twitter data can be then added via process environment variables or passed in as an object to the module.
+    // the preferred method is to use process environment variables to keep your keys out of github.
+    // If you include it on your process environment variables you can just do
     var twitter = new Twitter();
+    // and the library will look on environment variables for your keys.
+    // alternatively you can
+    // pass a config object that will look like this below, but remember to not push these key containing files to
+    // github as they can be easily compromised.
+    // var config = {
+    // consumerKey='xxx'
+    // consumerSecret='xxx'
+    // accessToken='xxx'
+    // accessTokenSecret='xxx'
+    // callBackUrl='xxx'
+    // };
+    // var twitter = new Twitter(config);
 	
 	//Example calls
 
diff --git a/lib/Twitter.js b/lib/Twitter.js
index 2da39bc..17b4a17 100644
--- a/lib/Twitter.js
+++ b/lib/Twitter.js
@@ -6,31 +6,51 @@ var DEBUG = (process.env.DEBUG !== undefined);
 
 var OAuth = require('oauth').OAuth;
 var qs = require('qs');
-
-function Twitter() {
-	var configPath = "data/twitter_config";
-	try {
-		var config = process.env;
-		
-		this.consumerKey = config.twitterConsumerKey;
-		this.consumerSecret = config.twitterConsumerSecret;
-		this.accessToken = config.twitterAccessToken;
-		this.accessTokenSecret = config.twitterAccessTokenSecret;
-		this.callBackUrl = config.twitterCallBackUrl;
-		this.baseUrl = 'https://api.twitter.com/1.1';
-		this.oauth = new OAuth(
-			'https://api.twitter.com/oauth/request_token',
-			'https://api.twitter.com/oauth/access_token',
-			this.consumerKey,
-			this.consumerSecret,
-			'1.0',
-			this.callBackUrl,
-			'HMAC-SHA1'
-			);
-	} catch (err) {
-        //console.log(err)
+function Twitter(config) {
+    try {
+        var processEnvConfig = process.env;
+
+        this.consumerKey = processEnvConfig.consumerKey;
+        this.consumerSecret = processEnvConfig.consumerSecret;
+        this.accessToken = processEnvConfig.accessToken;
+        this.accessTokenSecret = processEnvConfig.accessTokenSecret;
+        this.callBackUrl = processEnvConfig.callBackUrl;
+        this.baseUrl = 'https://api.twitter.com/1.1';
+        this.oauth = new OAuth(
+            'https://api.twitter.com/oauth/request_token',
+            'https://api.twitter.com/oauth/access_token',
+            this.consumerKey,
+            this.consumerSecret,
+            '1.0',
+            this.callBackUrl,
+            'HMAC-SHA1'
+        );
+        if(typeof this.consumerKey === 'undefined'){
+            throw new Error('missing consumer keys on process environment trying for config object');
+        }
+    }
+    catch (err) {
+        if(config){
+        this.consumerKey = config.consumerKey;
+        this.consumerSecret = config.consumerSecret;
+        this.accessToken = config.accessToken;
+        this.accessTokenSecret = config.accessTokenSecret;
+        this.callBackUrl = config.callBackUrl;
+        this.baseUrl = 'https://api.twitter.com/1.1';
+        this.oauth = new OAuth(
+            'https://api.twitter.com/oauth/request_token',
+            'https://api.twitter.com/oauth/access_token',
+            this.consumerKey,
+            this.consumerSecret,
+            '1.0',
+            this.callBackUrl,
+            'HMAC-SHA1'
+        );
+    }
+    else {
         console.log("no 'data/twitter_config' file, continuing without...");
     }
+    }
 }
 
 Twitter.prototype.getOAuthRequestToken = function (next) {