The (very) basic guide to tweeting
September 2, 2015
At last night’s Prayer Meeting (1/9/15) we were thinking about the different ways we can advertise Church events such as “Share Life”.
One of the options we discussed was Twitter.
To some people, Twitter can seem like a strange and foreign world or simply just a waste of time.
But it’s not, and it doesn’t have to be. In fact, it can be very useful.
So…
What is it?
It’s a social media network which allows users to read/post short messages and pictures to their followers and to the wider ‘Twitter community’.
Why should I bother – isn’t it just another way for me to waste time?
Well, it can be. But it can also be a very useful way to engage unbelievers with the gospel and to invite local people to our Church events.
Paul says:
‘So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’ 1 Corinthians 10. 31
Twitter falls under the heading: ‘whatever you do’ and therefore, when it’s used thoughtfully, prayerfully and biblically Twitter can be another way for us to glorify God with technology.
How do I use it?
Go on to the Twitter website and follow the joining instructions.
If you want to, you can also create a ‘profile’ with a picture of yourself etc. But that’s optional. Take a look at Cornerstone’s profile.
You can then choose who you would like to follow.
(‘Following’ is a Twitter term which simply means that you can see another person’s profile/messages. It’s a bit like being ‘friends’ on Facebook).
You can also search for companies who you’d like to follow. I.e. if you are into Pizza you could type in ‘Domino’s’ and choose to follow them. If you want to know what ‘Mum’s Net’ are talking about, you can search for them and click ‘follow’.
You can also create your own messages and post them. (A ‘tweet’ is a Twitter term for this kind of message).
So, what’s the Point?
At this point you might be thinking:
‘I don’t know who to follow, no one will want to follow me and no one will read my tweets so what’s the point?’
These are fair objections. But the great thing about Twitter is that you don’t need huge amounts of followers in order to use it well.
For instance, although you may not have a single follower you can write a ‘tweet’ and copy into your message a group such as Mum’s Net.
In order to copy someone else into a message you have to write out what you want to say, and then type the ‘@’ symbol.
Directly after the ‘@’ symbol write the name of the company/person you want to contact (it should automatically pop up).
i.e.
‘This Monday we’re having a Church Family Fun Day. Games, crafts, cakes and coffees. Perfect for kids. Find us at: 234a, KT2 6LF. @Mumsnet.’
This Tweet will then make its way over to the Mum’s Net Twitter account and if they like it, they’ll ‘retweet’ it so that all of their followers will see it. And they have a lot of followers.
(Retweeting is a Twitter term for re-posting, it’s the same as ‘sharing’ on Facebook).
You can also place a ‘#’ before a word or phrase in order to create or join a trending topic.
(A ‘Trend’ is another Twitter word for a person, place or thing that lots of people are talking about).
I.e. If I wanted to talk about the weather in Teddington I could tweet:
‘Another beautiful day in #teddington.’
Anyone who’s searching for Teddington would hopefully see this post. And, if a significant number of people start talking about ‘#teddington’ then a ‘trend’ will develop.
What Next?
Sign up. Read through the Share Life leaflet and think creatively about how you could publicise some of our events via twitter.
i.e. If your into gaming you could Tweet something like this:
‘@cstonekingston is hosting a #Fifa2015 tournament on Tuesday. Visit our Church website and book yourself on – if you dare. @Xbox Please Retweet!’
Alongside this you could also start tweeting Bible verses, sentences from last week’s sermon or some helpful videos and clips that you’ve found online etc.
Then pray that our Gracious God would use something as small as this to edify fellow Christians and to bring many people unbelievers under the sound of the gospel.
‘So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’ 1 Corinthians 10. 31