To Tweet or Not to Tweet, that is the Question!

I'm confident that most of you reading this blog (yes, both of you) don't tweet.  In fact you might not even be sure what to "tweet" even means.  So, first a quick definition.  Tweeting is the 140 character post available to be made through Twitter.  "Ahhhh, now you say, of course, Twitter. No, I don't do that."  I often wonder about the amazing ability of intelligent people to stick their head in the sand in an attempt to avoid having to deal with change.  Of course as it is commonly used by most, Twitter is meaningless drivel suitable only for people who are sycophants or narcissists (yes, you'll have to look those up). 

HOWEVER, as with most technology there is a way to redeem this brilliant software application and make it truly useful. 

• For instance because almost every news item or article appearing on the internet already comes with a link to "tweet" it is amazingly easy to share these items with other individuals.  My twitter account (@rlupchurch) is targeted at sharing leadership thoughts, and articles I feel are relevant for the church and higher education.  It allows me to add my voice to the conversation.  
• Using twitter also serves another purpose, every time I tweet, whatever I post is saved in my account so I can always find the articles I liked or the comments I've made.  
• I also have the ability to follow others who use twitter and see what they think is important, and I restrict who I follow tho those I feel will enrich my life in some way. 
• If you coordinate your work group, your church, your family, it is possible to use the medium to pass along useful pieces of information that keeps the whole group on the same page and focused on the goal.  CEO's and other leaders should be making intentional use of this application to make sure they are passing along vision to their organization and keeping their team on track. 
• Finally, if I know another individual's twitter account name, I can intentionally post something which will show up in their feed

There are probably alot of other interesting things you can do with Twitter.  The important thing is not to write off any new technology simply because it is new or being used in ridiculous ways by others.  Instead think about how to redeem it to a better use for you and your organization.