I had the privilege to write an article for Collide Magazine for their March/April 2009 issue, and of course I wrote it on the topic of Twitter. But more specifically, my view on how Twitter is a shaping/sharing/telling of our narrative, one tweet at a time, to those we are in connection with. I began by saying:
“working on my blog,” was the first tweet (Twitter slang for an update) I typed out on the mircoblogging tool Twitter on December 9, 2007. In fact, I remember clearly where I sat in our home at that moment and what thoughts of curiosity, hesitancy, and narcissism ran through my head as I posted those simple little words. It doesn’t seem like much does it? In fact, I used only 18 of the allotted 140 characters, unsure if anything I had to say was worthwhile at all. I had two questions for myself: Who is going to read this? Who cares? In and of itself, one tweet is just that: one tweet. But in the context of all the tweets that compose my growing Twitter profile, a more complex portrait of my life began to emerge, forming a narrative that is the beginning to a relational connectivity with others online, (and most likely in person) that is easier to achieve than it was before.
I also list at the end of the article six reasons why I think pastors should Twitter (relationships, communication, frequency, sharing, mobilization, support).
My title for the magazine edition was “Why Twitter? Shaping Our Narrative One Tweet at a Time,” but you can read the entire article online, “Why Tweet?”
Rhett, Thoughts of “hesitancy, and narcissism” still hit me almost every other tweet. Then I remember all of the relationships gained and lessons I have learned since my first tweet a year ago. Good article.
John
Thoughtful post, Rhett. Whenever I see one about twitter I have to make sure and read it. I’m a pastor…and I’m on facebook…and I blog…and I’m on twitter…but I don’t really use twitter too much. Are you also on facebook? Right now in my mind I’m trying to decide which one is more functional for me. I use facebook quite a lot. I connect with my church members, family, and friends…comment on each other’s comments and pictures. And I feel involved in their lives. But then twitter to me seems a little different for some reason. Because it seems like that’s for strangers, or people that I don’t really know, but yet that I want to peer into. So I suppose my point is, if someone is a friend or acquaintance that I might have the opportunity to know better, I usually connect with them on facebook, so what would be the purpose of twitter in that sense? Do you have your facebook and twitter connected?
If you could help to sort out any of those thoughts, it’d be great and I’d really appreciate it. Because when I read about people using twitter, In my mind I’m thinking “yes, yes…i’m getting all that, but through facebook.”
What do you think?