I was wrong. Twitter is terrific. Here’s why.
Some months ago I declared Twitter to be a total, complete waste of bandwidth. I was wrong. Twitter can be a bane, or a blessing, depending on how you use it. The trick to it, as I’ve discovered, is managing and using it efficiently. Here are my two favorite tools: TweetDeck and Pingfm.com. You will find this beginner’s guide to Twitter helpful. This is from Michael Hyatt, the CEO of Thomas Nelson, a leader in the general Christian community when it comes to Tweeting, Twittering, etc.
With TweetDeck I’m able to sort, slice and dice all my incoming Tweets, and organize whom I following into logical groupings. If you do not do this you will go insane trying to read Tweets, and since some people like to tell you what they are doing every fifteen minutes, if you pick up even a few dozen twitter feeds, yes, you will go nuts. Ping.fm is a wonderful way to update as many social network sites as you want, all at once. So, enjoy.
Pastors: we have to be where the folks are. And, they are on Twitter, and Facebook, and the Internet, and blogging, and so forth, and so on. A mantra I picked up from a co-worker recently is true: Communication is key and the Internet is free. Need I say more?
Oh, yes, you can Tweet this blog post, or send it on to Ping.fm. Just click the links below.
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Lutherans, especially, ought to be the most enthusiastic users of new technologies to spread the Gospel. That's just part of the Reformation heritage!
I agree with your comment that pastors should, or at least, can be on Twitter and Facebook, but at the same time one needs to be careful what he says. E.g., not to whine or complain, even if not specific, lest it be construed by church members reading it as being about the church and its members. Likewise, saying anything else that might be taken in the wrong way.
The key to remember with the information revolution is that more and more of what you say is accessible to everyone in the public eye. What I'm typing right now will eventually become a matter of permanent and freely-accessible Internet record.
As Christians (Lutherans), though, is that really something to fear? A little more care and consideration before speaking/typing is not necessarily a bad thing.
I would strongly suggest checking out the Nambu (http://www.nambu.com/) twitter client. It's a native Mac App that didn't make me go 'ewwww' when I first started using it like TweetDeck did. It's still in Beta, but very usable and has become my default client.
Apparently there are some memory leeks with it and other issues, but I did try it out last night and do like it. I like the Tweet notification feature a lot more and the interface is more appealing to me. I don't like reading white text on a dark background, as in TweetDeck, but maybe there is way to change that. I'm not sure.
Well, it is still an early beta, which means there will be issues, but the developers are releasing frequent updates. It is the twitter client I am using now and intend to stick with.
I find Twitter a little like the song "Message in a Bottle" by Sting. I send out a message and I have no idea who is out there, who will respond, if anyone will respond. Most of the people following me have grabbed on to one piece of information that I have given them…from Indiana, homeschooling, etc. Most really just want to sell me something. I feel like people are talking at me, not with me, with the only exceptions being people that I actually know from other aspects of life.
On Facebook, I know that I am really interacting with people, and people that I consider friends and friends of friends and acquaintances.
People can choose to use Twitter with a small group of friends to, basically, carry on a chat all day long. I'm not interested in following people who use Twitter's "reply" function, since I'm not interested in receiving other people's chatter all day long. I would prefer people make more use of direct reply, than the general reply.
But, with all the options available to users everyone can customize the experience as they choose and none of gets to "make the rules" about how it should be used, or not used.
And, as I like to remind people: there is more to life than Facebook and Twitter.
What is the point of Twitter? Do you use a cell phone? Is it done on computer? Both? And why bother? From the little I know about it, it comes across to me as more of a way to be chatty and gossipy, and not substantive. How much time does it take up during the day — to read it, to post it, to organize it? I spend more time than I should already with technology. Isn't Twitter just one more fad that will be gone in a year or so, replaced by the next best thing?
Best advice I can give to anyone with questions about Facebook and Twitter is: try it out for yourself. It's very hard to describe social networking. It is like describing swimming. Soon you have to jump in, splash around and see if it is right for you. If it is, you can learn how to "swim" better, if not, you just get out of the pool and dry off. Re. Twitter: until I figured how to manage the incoming tweets and how to schedule outgoing tweets, I regarded it as a horrible waste of time. In my opinion, some people are spending way too much time tweeting/twittering about relatively nothing. On the other hand, Twitter has clearly become a useful tool for many purposes.
For instance, check out twitter.com/lutheranbible or twitter.com/concordiaprayer
Both these feeds are useful examples of content delivery via Twitter.
But, again, best advice is simply to try them both out, then come to an opinion.
> What is the point of Twitter?
To broadcast whatever you want to broadcast.
> Do you use a cell phone? Is it done on computer? Both?
Both. I use a computer and my iPhone.
> And why bother?
That's for you to decide.
> From the little I know about it, it comes across to me as
> more of a way to be chatty and gossipy, and not substantive.
It can be, but it can also be substantive. It is not
uncommon for those involved in breaking news stories to be
tweeting about what they are seeing and experiencing.
> How much time does it take up during the day — to read it,
> to post it, to organize it?
As much as or as little as you want. There is some great
software out there that works wonderfully for organizing it.
As for reading it, no one excepts anyone to read every tweet
- nor could you. One way to think about it is as joining in
on an ongoing conversation…you won't know what has been
said before you arrived and won't know what has been said
after you leave.
> Isn't Twitter just one more fad that will be
> gone in a year or so, replaced by the next best thing?
Perhaps.
Although, Twitter can easily be thought of as a child of IRC (Internet
Relay Chat) and IRC has been around for decades.
I agree with Tom in the points he made. I am an admitted neanderthal in this area with a strong case of techno-phobia. However, I'm not hopeless. I do use a computer, the internet, email, and even have an Ipod to download podcasts such Issues, Etc.
Having said that, I have yet to see a convincing case made for Twitter. How does one spread the Gospel (as one poster put it) in a 140 characters? My son showed me his collection of "tweets" and I can't recall one that was substantive or important. It was just a lot of playing around among friends. I suppose playing around is fine if you have all that time to tweet, read tweets, organize tweets, etc. I thought the the cartoon video which McCain posted here a week or so ago expressed my sentiments exactly: Twitter is not intimacy, but the illusion of intimacy.
My wife is on Facebook and has thought it has been fun to re-connect and network with old friends. She's also been disappointed with a lot of the silly junk that is shared in the name of networking. Again, a lot of fun and "style", but not so much "substance".
I'm sure many will or could respond with specific instances about how Facebook and Twitter are enhancing your ministry and God bless you in those efforts. I, personally, have not developed the desire, nor have I seen the need for these things. I agree with Tom that Twitter and Facebook are just the latest fads that will be replaced by "the next greatest thing" (another amusing video that McCain posted) just as Twitter and Facebook have essentially replaced email, according to my son who said, "Did you think you'd ever see the rise and fall of email in such a short time?"
So, pardon me if I don't get all "a-twitter" about Twitter.
From the first paragraph of the post:
Twitter can be a bane, or a blessing, depending on how you use it. The trick to it, as I’ve discovered, is managing and using it efficiently.
This, truly, is the key.
When I was a youth pastor, I found Facebook, MySpace, etc. to be a valuable means of staying in touch with my kids. I agree. We need to connect with people the way that they connect with people.
On the other hand, here in rural Maryland, most of my people aren't online so it's of far more limited usefulness (but not useless by any means).
So, in a word: Results may vary.
Alright, that's three words.
Still sounds like a waste of time to me.
I was convinced this is true, too, until I figured how to use and manage Twitter, rather than being used and pestered by it.
Twitter is a "use with extreme caution" type of service.
I've waded into it. But, before I did I laid out a VERY specific strategy for how I was going to use Twitter and what I hoped to accomplish.
I use it as a subversive microblog for good theology and for promoting Pirate Christian Radio programming AND I have to RESIST all temptations to tell people every mundane detail of my life. Even with all that I am measuring its effectiveness very carefully. Yes I am using it as a research and marketing tool. Aside from that it has zero value to me.
That's how we at The God Whisperers use it – as a tool for shameless self-promotion. I love the notion of a "subversive microblog." Vintage Rosebrough!
Bill, no, when you post a comment like this you must include the Twitter feed. Come on, guy.
: )
That's how we at The God Whisperers (http://www.godwhisperers.com) use it – as a tool for shameless self-promotion. I love the notion of a "subversive microblog." Vintage Rosebrough!
Its primary use is as a communications tool.
Sometimes, it's just easier for me to update everyone on my Twitter follow list by posting a single Tweet. I can get the word out on something much more quickly using the service. I've networked with people I would otherwise never have had contact with.
"Marketing" using Twitter is nothing without trust. The same applies to Facebook.
There are a couple of things that I have liked. I like the prayers that come from St. John Chrysostom and from CPH. They remind me to pray hourly (not that I'm on Twitter hourly) and to contemplate my sinfulness and my need for a savior. That has been very cool.
I also like the political connection that is there with the conservative hashtags like #TCOT and such. Using something like Tweet Grid has made that easier. We are trying to increase Lutheran discussion through the hashtag #TLuOT. If you tweet something particularly Lutheran, remember to put #TLuOT on the end of it so we can all benefit.
But the mode of communication (i.e. 140 chars.) is frustrating. I still like the community aspect of Facebook better.
Don't forget the Lutheran Study Bible feed:
http://www.twitter.com/lutheranbible
BTW – explanation. You can search discussions you are interested in through hashtags. You can tie what you are talking about to the broad scheme by hashtags. If I am writing about my beloved Dodgers, I can say "My #dodgers are doing great!" or "My boys in blue are doing great #dodgers" and anyone else looking for people talking about the Dodgers can put in #dodgers into search and all statements come up.
#TCOT and its variants are Top Conservatives on Twitter, and is the most popular hashtag by far. Someone else started using #TLOT for Top Lutherans on Twitter, but the Libertarians and Librarians were already using it, so we added a "u."
As mentioned before, there are lots of applications, like Tweetdeck and Tweetgrid (http://www.tweetgrid.com) that help do this, and make it really a lot more worthwhile. It still doesn't take away some of the qualms I have about it, but have made it easier.
#TLOT is actually Top Libertarians On Twitter. You were thinking of #TLuOT for Top Lutherans on Twitter
Folks, like it or not, here's why you can't just ignore Twitter and harumph about it being a waste of time:
http://thefutureofpublishing.com/blog/2009/04/twi...
Actually that just gives me another reason to "harumph." Twitter is one more aspect of the business model being used by the church, to the church's sorrow.
from a grumpy ol' twit
Well, I just discovered another wonderful use of twitter – spreading Amber Alerts. How often do you hear about them? How often do you think you would hear about them if you could have them filtered in a special folder in your twitter client?
Some of my favorite tweets are from local media, with new bulletins, weather updates, etc.
Twitter's not a business model.
It's as much a means of interpersonal communications as the phone call or the email; it just works differently. The level of transparency in communications provided by a service like Twitter is disarming at first, to be sure, but I will be the first to say that any person or organization not willing to be transparent is one I automatically do not trust.
And…some people should learn how to use "direct messaging" rather than the "reply" feature. But if you want the whole world to "listen in" as you discuss things, that's an option.
That's probably what people said when the Church started using the printing press. <g>
My mother has been trying to get me get twitter because she loves it.