Ok, so this is the complete opposite of people who are giving up Facebook for Lent. I have been playing around with Twitter for a while, and I’m starting to look at it more intentionally. (Here I am, in case you’re curious.) I have only occasionally sought out specific people on Twitter (such as Andy Crouch or Alan Jacobs, and I just now discovered that IVP is on Twitter), but I’m looking to follow additional people or organizations that are related to ESN, the academy, and religion in public life. Any suggestions? Are you on Twitter?
The former Associate Director for the Emerging Scholars Network, Micheal lives in Cincinnati with his wife and three children and works as a web manager for a national storage and organization company. He writes about work, vocation, and finding meaning in what you do at No Small Actors.
I’ve not been interested in twitter and I didn’t even ‘click’ to ‘check you out.’ Facebook and blogs have gone far enough for me … And I’m one to talk 😉 Here’s a NY Times article of interest:
“What Are You Doing? Media Twitterers Can’t Stop Typing”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/28/arts/television/28twit.html
Tom, words cannot express my disappointment. Fortunately, since you aren’t on Twitter, you won’t read all the horrible things I say about you. 🙂
My experience on Twitter has been mixed. In contrast to Facebook, it’s perfectly fine – indeed, expected – to promote your business, ministry, or cause on Twitter, so it can be a good way to keep up on businesses or organizations you’re interested in. Many users just send links to their most recent blog post or web article, which I find annoying (that’s what RSS readers are for!). It’s also handy if you want to know what a celebrity like Shaquille O’Neal is doing minute-by-minute, or eavesdrop on conversations between Max Lucado and Donald Miller. The best use I’ve found, bar none, is following my local TV station’s weather forecast. If severe weather is on its way, I get instant updates while I’m at my computer.
Currently, I have my Twitter and Facebook accounts set to synch status updates with one another, but I’m going to deactivate that. I’m finding that there are things I want to tell friends on Facebook that I prefer not to broadcast to the world, and vice versa.
Mike (and others), Thought you’d have interest in “Twouble With Twitters,” http://current.com/items/89891774/twouble_with_twitters.htm
Came across it through Walt Mueller, “Twittering Narcissists. . . . .” at http://learningmylines.blogspot.com/2009/03/twittering-narcissists.html
The Chronicle recently published an article listing the “top 10” people in academia to follow on Twitter. Here is the link:
http://chronicle.com/free/v55/i31/31a01001.htm
Perhaps the most surprising person on the list was Gordon Gee, the president of (the) Ohio State University. See his tweets at:
http://twitter.com/presidentgee
Should I follow Twitter now that Stephen Prothero, Boston University professor of religion is “treating his account, sprothero, like a microcourse, posting several tweets on each of what he identifies as the eight major world religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Yoruba tradition, which Mr. Prothero calls the “neglected world religion” from West Africa.” — Religion 101, in 140 Characters, http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/article/3823/religion-101-in-140-characters
In case you haven’t already, I’d recommend you take Prothero’s “Religious Literacy Quiz” (http://pewforum.org/newassets/protheroquiz.pdf) and check out http://www.stephenprothero.com/ alongside http://pewforum.org/events/?EventID=162 The book is well worth the read.