We have been looking at the various forms of social media

Social media, or Web 2.0, is all the rage. Since millions of people areflocking to the various social China Vibratory Tumbler Finishing Machine Factory media, it’s a great opportunity forchurches. We’ve been looking at the various forms of social media andhow Church’s can use social media as part of their church marketingstrategy and more importantly, use social media to share the message ofJesus Christ. My previous set of articles focused on the socialnetworking site, Facebook. Today, I want to turn our focus to anothersocial networking site, Twitter.It’s a Blog. It’s a Facebook. No, It’s Twitter:Twitteris currently the third most popular social networking site in theworld. It’s kind of like a cross between Facebook and a blog. Insteadof posting entire articles as you would in a blog, you post shortmessages, called “tweets”, that are 140 characters or less. LikeFacebook, your messages get shared with all the people who are“following” you. 

Unlike Facebook, there are no ways to share picturesand videos, setup events, or personalize your Twitter homepage, likeyou can a Facebook Page. It’s all about the tweets.Anytime – Anywhere:Oneof the best aspects of Twitter is that it’s easy to use (not technicalat all) and it’s able to be connected to your mobile phone. If you cantext, you can twitter (though you can also tweet from your computer).So, unlike your blog, website, or even Facebook, you can tweet fromanywhere. If you’re standing in line for a movie, you can tweet fromthere. If you’re in Paraguay on a mission trip, as long as you havecell service, you can tweet from there. If you’re in church listeningto the sermon…well, maybe you should wait until after the sermon.What’s The Point?So,what can you do with a 140 character message? You won’t be writing anexposition on predestination or posting a sermon transcript. 

Twitter isself described as being about the everyday, the little things that youwouldn’t normally email someone about or blog about.“Real life happens between blog posts and emails.”Ona personal level, Twitter helps you connect with people and get to knowthem better, by giving you a look into the everyday lives of the peopleyou follow. It’s like adding details to a drawing. Even people that yousee regularly have aspects of their lives that you probably are unawareof, whether it’s books they are reading, shows they watch, or concernsthey have.

Twitter helps people share those parts of their lives. Thatin and of itself could be beneficial for churches as it can help yourcongregation connect on a more personal level and help members of thecongregation connect with non-members.But there are more usesof Twitter for churches. From announcing upcoming events, to involvingpeople in devotions, Twitter can be a useful tool for churches both inchurch marketing and in achieving the mission of your church. In thenext few articles I’ll be talking a little more about Twitter and whyyour church should be Twittering.