What rules do you have for Twitter and who you follow?

I generally spend part of a day each week going through my list of recent Twitter followers and getting to know some of them a bit better. I usually do this at least once a week, sometimes a little more frequently. But, I do give this personal attention - no automatic follows, unfollows, mentions or direct messages. I thought it might help a few of you in your process of developing some social media disciplines.

My rules may differ from your rules, but there are things that should shape our rules, no matter what they are - Why do I use Twitter? Why do I follow somone on Twitter? Why won't I follow someone on Twitter? Will I ever unfollow someone and why? You don't need to follow everyone who follows you - I don't. Likewise, not everyone I follow also follows me.

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What are the secrets behind these curious symbols? As it often happens, a midweek tweet among thousands sparks a further exchange of questions, observations and comments. Which then goes on to gather more participants, more viewpoints, and ultimately - it becomes the topic of a Twitter chat, especially when it catches the watchful eyes of the Church Social Media group (check the #ChSocM hashtag on Twitter and their website).

Which synod has QR codes posted for their assembly? Nebraska. Bam. #missionpossibleELCA twitter.com/Sarcasticluthe…

— Nadia Bolz-Weber (@Sarcasticluther) May 31, 2013

What started out as a hat tip (HT, in Twitter shorthand) turned into a rather informative discussion about the acceptance of QR codes, ways to improve their acceptance and effectiveness, and some of the ways they have been used, with and without success. This post will begin to unravel this mysterious 'new' technology and its use for communicating your message.

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The cross is empty, the tomb is empty and - on Easter - churches are full. Alleluia!

Looking back over the past few weeks - I've been reflecting on the Easter Sunday experience. Did your church do anything different? Special music or more musicians? More flowers and other decor? Did the people sitting around you differ from your Sunday regulars? Ladies and girls in Easter dresses; men and boys in Easter suits - or at least a little dressier than usual?

Now - what about the week after Easter? Did that Easter experience, either during the worship service or during their visit to your website, bring them back the next week?

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In the movie Field of Dreams, a struggling Iowan farmer, Ray Kinsella, begins to hear voices, advising him "If you build it, he will come." Thinking this was sound advice, he plows under a corn field and builds a baseball diamond. And he waits. And he waits some more. His financial situation only gets worse and no one comes.

Next, the voice urges Ray to find Terence Mann, who had written about the golden age of baseball. Eventually, the 2 of them seek out someone who had been a player, but left the game and became a doctor. The story continues and expands and, finally, people are lining up to see the baseball diamond and the games being played. And, 'he' comes - I won't spoil it for you, if you haven't seen the movie.

While this may have made a successful movie plot, applying it to your church website is not a good practice, nor is it how we were instructed to go about sharing the word of God -

Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

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During a recent church social media Twitter chat, the discussion drew its theme from Matthew 7:7. Specifically - seeking, or searching. and the technological manifestation, search engine optimization (SEO).

Seeking and finding on the Internet! How do people find you and your church or judicatory?

The topics:

T1: Do you track how people find your digital presence?
T2: Thinking digitally, how are people finding you? Ads? Keyword search? Linksharing?
T2a: Do you use AdWords or Facebook ads to help people find you?
T3: Where is search on your radar/priorities?
T4: Time to share your #protips. What are your best practices for search optimization?
TBonus: Forgetting the rules of search, what keywords would you want people to use to find you?

Over the course of the chat, some things started surfacing that are worth further examination. Mainly - Who are the seekers and what are they seeking?

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