What's So Great About Twitter Anyhow?

Last week I finished reading Meredith Gould's (@MeredithGould) The Social Media Gospel.  Her book does a great job of outlining how and why social media should be integrated into our Christian mission - both in terms of outreach and in maintaining the Christian community we already have.

It was great to get a sociological and a psychological perspective on why I enjoyed using Facebook and writing this blog.  I didn't think about my introversion as being a factor in why I prefer social media conversations to face-to-face conversations.  Or that my learning style would lend itself to tweeting about lectures rather than just listening.

So here I was, with all of these exciting reasons to use social media in church.

Then I went on a youth retreat.  

While there I talked to several of the youth in my internship site and realized that they just aren't really using social media. 

So here I was with all of these great ideas about using social media in churches and no reason to use them here.  Go figure.

So I thought I would table my great ideas for how to use social media until I was placed in a more social media savvy area.  It's not like they would go bad, right?

But then, I happened to see David Hanson's (@rev_david) tweet about the weekly chat regarding church and social media (#chsocm).  Since I had the hour free, I decided to join in by following tweets that included #chsocm.  Figured it'd be interesting at the very least.

And I was sucked in.  It was fascinating to participate in this flurry of ideas that encouraged those involved in mainline churches to rethink social media and how we can use them as effective tools for proclaiming and spreading the Gospel.

Then, on Wednesday I noticed that the Shalem Institute (@shaleminstitute) was hosting a contemplative prayer/discussion on contemplative prayer that involved some of the theologians I currently enjoy reading (mostly Bryan Berghoef, @bryberg)

In this one, I felt more comfortable and was able to participate more actively.  It was an incredibly enjoyable experience.  Being able to hear from a variety of people about their contemplative prayer practices and being able to learn from one another was incredible.

Again, by searching for the appropriate hashtag (#shalemvigil) I was able to see all of the tweets that related to this topic, not just from the people that I normally follow. 

It will take a few more participatory sessions to really get the hang of how these conversations work, but the spirit of love and cooperation found in all of those participating was energizing.  

I'm also grateful for the opportunity to become more social media savvy as I continue to wrestle with and explore the best ways to use social media to proclaim the Gospel. 

Please help me learn and grow in this area of proclaiming the Gospel using social media.

1. How is social media being used in your context - business, church, personal life? 
2. What some other good hashtags that promote good conversation?  
3. Who are good people to follow that provide good examples of proclaiming the Gospel using social media?