The Sounds of Twittering

  Jan here . . . talking about Twitter today. 

“Twitter,” according to the Oxford dictionary, means “(of or like a bird), emitting a succession of light tremulous sounds."

It could be the lateness of the hour when I wrote this as a draft, but I’m chuckling at the picture this definition gives me in light of the mini-blog/networking site known as Twitter. I recently added my voice to the network's throng of “light tremulous sounds.” It’s been a busy week, getting busier, so my voice is currently a small chirp amidst the chatter.

That’s okay. Gives me time to weigh out how best to use it for ministry, writing, and marketing.

In the meantime, I’ve done a little research and want to share a few sites with you--in case you are wondering what all the noise is about and are beginning to consider emitting your own succession of light tremulous sounds.

Articles:

An Intro to Twitter

Newbie’s Guide to Twitter

How Not To Build Your Twitter Community (careful about the meeting-up part!) 

What president and CEO of Thomas Nelson, Michael Hyatt, is writing about Twitter:

Reasons to Start Twittering 

Twittering Beginners Guide

And if you really get into Twitter, know you can find an application for just about anything you want to do:

• organize your "followers"  (I'm not sure I'll ever get used to that word.)

• track Twitter alerts

• track when “followers” have left

• create a companion Twitter blog

• upload pictures for your updates

• customize your profile page

Warning: Any new home or office gadget or Internet application has the potential to derail the best of writing plans, take precedence over face-to-face conversations with friends and family, or steal time away from relationship with God and from the ministry he has called us to. Use Twitter prayerfully and wisely.

Why the warning? I have a recently released book on Internet addictions for teens and young adults, so even while introducing the use of a great tool for connection and marketing, I can’t help but consider its potential traps and the need for wise balance. So . . .

Question: If you haven’t used Twitter yet but are thinking about it, how will you plan to keep balance in your use of it? If you are using it, what tips (or warnings) can you offer that you’ve discovered in trying to keep a healthy and wise balance?

Coming soon . . . what other writers say about their twittering.

Comments

[Elizabeth M. Thompson]

Jan, thanks for the great post!! I signed up with Twitter but have not started tweeting. You have provided a lot of information that will get me started (and keep me from getting obsessed, I hope!)

[Jan Kern]

You're welcome. Enjoy Twitter . . . without obsession. :)