Social networking online

Using Twitter

Twitter is a ‘microblog’ service: Twitter site [www.twitter.com] (detailed background). [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter] It allows you to send very short updates (140 characters) by SMS, instant messaging, or the Web, to the Twitter website, where they are viewable by others who have signed up to Twitter and chosen to listen to a friend’s ‘tweets’. It is usually a ‘stream of consciousness’ personal commentary, far briefer than a normal blog. A Japanese version has just been launched, and is extremely popular for the same reasons that Japanese love blogging.

For news and information about Twitter, follow the Twitter Blog. [http://blog.twitter.com]

Normally, it will be only friends within an online community who will have the interest to share tweets, Twitter is also ideally suited to passing on real-time prayer requests to a prayer support group, via SMS messages, or breaking news and other current information. It is therefore primarily another means of social networking and blogging.

There is a service called LiveTwitting [www.livetwitting.com] which enables you to more easily send a series of messages from, for example, a live conference.

See this discussion on the potential of Twitter at The Digital Sanctuary. [http://thedigitalsanctuary.org/how-micro-blogging-will-win-converts]

Please tell us of any ways you find Twitter useful in ministry or evangelism.