Twitter? Huh? New Way to Swing!

We truly live in a very connected and wired age.  With this age of communication ease has crept up some interesting and fantastic tools that help plug people into one another’s busy lives.  Gone are the days of “small town” Mayberry, where on any given evening you could walk around and talk with your neighbors as they swung on a large comfy swing on the front porch.  Today our lives are so busy that once we get home from work we rush to the fridge, get dinner started, make sure the kids are getting homework done and getting ready to rest and relax for the night, that is if you do not have extracurricular activities, preparation for the next day at work or what not. 

Our world has changed.  People are not as open to company just dropping by as they once did (This affects church and ministry life drastically, but ill save that for another post.)  At the beginning of this age you could feel a vacuum as people started to pull away from others, but then something deep inside of us longs to be connected.  But we don't have time. . We are busy.  I should take an hour or two out of my night to go over and see so and so, but then it turns into a 4 hour ordeal, then we get to bed late, and wake the next morning more tired that before.  Ever happen to you?  So what do we do to connect?

I am so glad you asked.  *smile*  About a year and a half ago I learned of something called Twitter.  At first it seemed silly.  It was explained to me that you simply put in up to 140 characters of what your doing, and people who follow you can read it. 

At first I was like.. “uhm. . so?”  I mean who wants to know when someone had a really yummy peanut butter sandwich?  So I put it aside for a few months until some issues in my ministry and life fell apart to such a stage that I withdrew into a deep cave.  It was at this time, the time I needed people and connections, that I blew the dust off of this platform and started to learn of its power to connect people together on so many layers and levels.  It was not simply about eating lunch.

Twitter has grown into an organic thing with people posting whatever they want, within the 140 character limit.  As of this writing I follow 138 people, and have 110 people following me.  This is amazing.  As someone who wants to know what others think and feel I can . . eavesdrop on a public conversation they chose to share.  I have been able to learn some amazing things about some of the people I have known for years or even days.  Things they reveal are non threatening, yet give us a picture of who they are. 

Not only can I see what they post, but I can in turn respond to them in a quasi IM.  By responding to them with an @ symbol I can direct a message to them that others that follow me and them can see.  Connection!

Now when I post something I have 110 people that will read it when it comes across their feed.  They too can then respond to me.  I will typically share small tidbits about my gaming, struggles, blog posts, ideas, questions and more.

Twitter has opened our world that is busy, bored, and alone into something that even in our hectic schedules gives us the ability to connect on a level not done before.  The ways to use it are endless.  And to be honest, the best way to get your head wrapped around it is to just do it. 

Head over to http://twitter.com and set up an account.  Then follow some users.  You can follow me by going to http://twitter.com/manorton Once you are following people just sit back and watch, learn and interact.

Come join me and others on the new swing on the new front porch, doing the same thing we did 50 years ago;  Sharing small bits of our lives with others.