Using Twitter to expand your reach. {Day 18} Heart Matters

Tweet, tweet, tweet.

Millions of people log on to Twitter everyday. They post about where they are, how they are doing, what they had for lunch, and mostly just try to hold a conversation with their “followers”. If you are a tweeter then you may not need the following info and maybe you could share a tip or two in the comments. If you aren’t a regular tweeter then hopefully this can help you. In the past I’ve posted my unofficial guide on how to use Twitter and I still laugh when I read it. If you are completely new to Twitter then I suggest this guide by Mashable: Twitter Guide. It will help you get started with the basics and then you can come back here for ministry specific tips.

When you tweet you are able to dialogue with others. We should represent Christ in all things, including Twitter and while it goes without saying I’ll include this just in case: avoid any interaction or tweets that contain the following: bashing, arguing, heavy marketing, foul language, linking to inappropriate sites, or the like.

Just like anything else tweeting can become quite addictive. You really have to learn how to balance time spent online. I suggest setting a timer if you easily lose track of time. What you don’t want is for it to become an idol in your life. Here is an online version: stopwatch. Another suggestion would be to not have the apps on your phone if you find yourself drawn to it every few minutes. These social media platforms can really suck up you time if you let them. Ideally you may want to try to spend 10 minutes a day (not on weekends unless you desire to) tweeting. If you just spend just ten quality minutes a day then you should be able to develop a great source of encouragement and support for women through social media.

Some ideas for ministering via Twitter:

• As I am sure you already know, we women love to talk about ourselves so ask people questions about themselves, their families, their jobs or home. Take polls. Ask for advice on everyday issues. Be sure to comment back to them and get conversations going.
• Use Twitter to keep up with church members. It will give you a glimpse of their everyday lives and allows you to encourage them and be a part of their lives daily, not just on Sunday.
• Linking to great articles or posts by other Christian women is always a blessing. Scriptures and inspirational quotes are great too!
• Use Twitter to post real time prayer requests and to let others know that you are praying for them. I can personally vouch for the fact that this is a great use of this platform. The day the boys dad passed away I really and truly felt the prayers going up on our behalf. Had it not been for a service like Twitter the speed at which the request was sent would not have been possible.
  
• Be sure to retweet great tweets!
  
• Tweet about women’s events! If a conference is coming up tweet it! If other events are coming up then tweet that. Provide them with valuable information as well as fun interaction.
• Have you read a good book? Tweet it!
• When tweeting about a TV show or movie, you can mention any spiritual parallel God has shown you.
  
• When posting links you can shorten the URL with the following service: TinyURL.
• Use Twitter hashtags to connect a group of your fellow tweeters and discuss a common topic. For example, when we were in the final days before the Relevant conference the attendees all got together on Twitter using the hashtag #relevant10. When tweeting on specific topics, research what hashtags people are using for it. By adding the hashtag to your tweet, people who search for (or follow) that topic, may find your tweet.
• Tweet about what you learned in church or small groups.
• Share testimonies or encourage prayer for individuals. Tweet lyrics from great Christian hymns and songs (e.g. “Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim, You are amazing God” – CHRIS TOMLIN
• If you are looking for more people to evangelize to here are some tips from Blogging with Amy: How to get more Twitter followers.
  
• Twitter tips from Karla @karpo

o Be careful of your tone. Written words can easily be misunderstood.
o However, don’t over-analyze what you are tweeting. Be fun!
o Don’t twitter and run. Interact with your followers. Twitter is about person-to-person communication.

When in doubt about whether or not you should tweet something, get a second opinion or just don’t do it. And… if you want some inspiration for evangelizing on Twitter check out this post: Twit on Twitter.

Now… get to tweeting!

To customize your Twitter space you can use my free Twitter skins and backgrounds

Find the rest of the series here: 31 Days to Online Ministry

Also check out:

• Missed BlissDom 2011? Get It Here. It’s just like being there!
• ? 31 Days to Build a Better Blog – Easy step by step ways to improve your blog presence!
• Simple Blogging. – Don’t have 40 hours a week to spend on blogging? This E-book helps you grow your blog with less time on the computer.