"I don't see any need for Twitter. Why does everyone need to see what I'm doing every second of the day?"
"Twitter is just reposting my Facebook status somewhere else."
"I don't know how to use Twitter. Facebook is enough."
I've recently heard all of these things said about Twitter. I've talked about Twitter on here before (April 11th) but it was more from a church point of view. As individuals, and as Christians, I find Twitter to be incredibly important. There are over 300 million active Twitter users, and it is imperative that the Gospel is visible in the Twittersphere.
Let me dispel some common myths about Twitter.
Twitter is not just sharing about what you are doing every second of the day. That's what a Facebook status is used for: discussing your "status." Here's where I am and what I am doing. Twitter is more about sharing ideas. Here's what I'm thinking about. It's a place for dialogue and discussion.
Twitter isn't just for you and your friends. While on Facebook you interact with those you "friend," on Twitter you can interact with anyone. I can send a tweet to Rick Warren. I can send a tweet to Chris Perez if he blows a save for the Indians. I can send a tweet to anyone I want who has a Twitter account.
Will they always answer? No. And I can only send public tweets, unless we both follow each other. Then we can send private direct messages to one another.
Another brilliant part of Twitter is the hashtag. So if I am watching an Ohio State football game, I might say, "Watching the #buckeyes beat the snot out of Michigan." When I put a # in front of the word, it makes the word searchable. So anyone who searches for #buckeyes will see my tweet. Maybe they respond. Maybe they re-tweet it.
Hashtags allow you to talk about events and ideas with everyone else who is talking about those same events and ideas. It's a means of sharing information.
In major cities, Twitter is already starting to outpace Facebook. It's the pill-form, idea sharing forum that everything is moving towards. And Christians need to be there to be followable as we follow Jesus.
So here's my challenge to you: make a Twitter account. Give it a try. I'm @pastordan23, so find me on there. Let's figure out how to do this together and I'll help you along the way. Post your new user name in the comments below and I'll look for you on there!
Wag the Dog -
ReplyDeleteWhen something of secondary importance improperly takes on the role of something of primary importance.
Whoever decided to invent Twitter (I don't know who because though I have a Twitter account, I don't use and or really like it) mandated the 140 character limit. My brain does not communicate in less than 140 letters. I share ideas in person, on Facebook and on my blog, where I am not limited by some arbitrary law.
If the Gospel is of primary importance, why are we OK with it being reduced to a sound byte? Isn't that where Christians take a lot of flack? When we misquote/take out of context/shorten for our own purposes scripture?
Why are life groups so vital? Why did Jesus go around IN PERSON to preach? It's the human connection that God created us for. I can see how Facebook is useful for starting these conversations and evangelizing, because it eventually leads to a face to face interaction. I can even see how your You Tube videos are effective. But I really don't see how #Jesus, tweeting people you admire who may or may not respond, and posting snippets of sermons that are best experienced in context reaches the unchurched.
What I personally think happens is all that noise in the Twitter-sphere drowns out any REAL connection. Show me an atheist who is converted by Twitter, and I'll change my mind. Until then, all the Jon Acuffs, Rob Bells, Jen Hatmakers, and other hipster Jesus types are just preaching to the choir. A fun diversion and good for some laughs and intellectual stimulation, but incredibly important as a way for evangelizing and/or being followable? No.
I'm not sure you can judge the effectiveness of the gospel's presence by one determined outcome (an atheist converted). So many ways I've seen twitter allow us, even the Acuff/Bell/Hatmakers, to speak God's truth when it's needed. Perhaps even if only to the choir, sometimes the choir needs to hear it. I need the Gospel preached to me every day, and twitter has become a place that I can hear the messages of encouragement or even inspiring rebuke.
ReplyDeleteYou're right; we need the face-to-face and the connection. But I'm not sure it's one or the other. As long as we're not missing out on those right in front of us while we tweet incessantly, I think there's room to allow one without giving up the priority of the other.
(All this to say: I still prefer facebook! :)
I guess I'm a bit pessimistic in thinking it is a bit one or the other with the generation of teenagers today. Texts are how they communicate. Twitter is an extension of that. When it comes to face to face feelings, they are stunted.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I really have tried to like Twitter. Jen Hatmaker was one of the first people I followed because I read her blog and I've read her book "7", which I think is amazing, BTW.
I guess I'm just old fashioned, and being a former English teacher and being scandalized that my students used spell check only, instead of actually proofreading a paper manually... I just see Twitter as part of a bigger problem. While, at the same time, I am not naive in thinking I can just wish tech away... and I happily have added Facebook, blogging, my Nook and iPod to what I basically consider "needs" now! :)
Knowing that it took total immersion in church, bible studies and an amazing life group (of which Dan happens to be the leader) to get me to become a Christ follower, I don't see how Twitter helps in that. And now that I am a follower, the stuff I have seen on there, including the snippets of sermons Dan tweets, don't mean anything to me. I much prefer to read blogs, and see scripture and prayer requests in Facebook statuses, not to mention doing devotions and having personal interaction. I do definitely agree that the choir needs it daily as well :)
Hi Pastor Dan! I saw/met you at Lakeside, and attended your "Being Followable" workshop. Congratulations!! on your new assignment. Although I do not tweet...I do facebook, and I will check in on your blog. Best of luck with the moving. Pam from Five Points
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