Twitter 101

There is a lot of hype about Twitter lately. So, if you're asking, "What's the deal?" you aren't alone. This post explores the basics of what it is, how to use it and what it can and cannot do for you.

Posted 02/04/2009

If you are curious about Twitter, the wonderful folks at Common Craft put together a short video called Twitter in Simple English which is a teriffic explanation of the "what" it is and why you might want to use it.

My favorite thing about Twitter is that it is efficient and immediate. It is also a great social networking tool to delve into if you are a beginner because it is simple to learn. With posts that are limited to 140 characters or less, creating content can be less daunting than maintaining a blog or populating your profile on a social networking site.

I'm willing to let myself be unpopular and say that I'm a little disappointed in the hype. Twitter is not a "magic bullet" for making your church digital. Like Facebook , Fring, and other applications, Twitter isn’t valuable unless it is the best tool for what you want to accomplish. In fact, Twitter only works if everybody uses it. If you have to expend too much energy getting people on board or it isn't already the social hub for the people you want to connect with , then it won't gain momentum on its own.

With that said, Twitter is a lot of fun. Here's how it works:

Visit Twitter.com and set up your profile. When you do this, consider how you will be using it. If you are using Twitter for its original intent--broadcasting your whereabouts and daily happenings among your friends--you might consider an alias for your user name so that it isn't a quick Google search for your home address. (Especially if you are going out of the country for two weeks and own a big screen TV. )

However, if you are using it professionally--for example you are a thought leader and people will search for you--then you will want to use your full name so you can be easily found. After that, you begin posting content. This can be the answer to the question Twitter asks: "What are you doing?" But it could also be what you are thinking. A scripture reference. Inspirational idea....the list is endless.

People will begin to follow you and you will search for people you want to follow. Then the "tweets" of the people you follow will show up on your home page (called the timeline) and yours will show up on theirs. You can also select people's tweets who you want to receive as texts to your mobile phone. (I get Woot's text each day to find out what the "Deal of the Day" is.) Not only can you receive tweets via text, you can post them. Simply enter your mobile phone number (see "Settings" under the "Devices" tab) then whatever you text to 40404 will be posted.

By putting @ in front of someone's Twitter name in your post, it will show up in their timeline as a direct message. (A quick and easy way to do a shout out!)

Another cool feature is that if your profile is public, people can find you by proximity--which makes it a fabulous tool for doing meet ups.

The best way to learn Twitter is to use it. And, if you need a "test follow" I'm Cathy_H. See you there!

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Update: Anthony Coppedge pinged me on Twitter to point out that you don't need an account to follow someone. Simply text "follow username" to 40404. Thanks, Anthony.

Cathy Hutchison is a freelance writer and the Director of Connection for Acoustic Dimensions. She can be reached at chutchison@acousticdimensions.com. See http://www.acousticdimensions.com/.

Blogger’s opinions are not necessarily those of the editors, publishers or management of Church Production Magazine.

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Twitter 101

There is a lot of hype about Twitter lately. So, if you're asking, "What's the deal?" you aren't alone. This post explores the basics of what it is, how to use it and what it can and cannot do for you.

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