Ethically, Christians must think of Twitter no differently than other forms of speech. The biblical instructions concerning one’s words broadcast from the mouth apply also to words broadcast over social media. Try reading James 3:1-12, and replace each instance of the word “tongue” with “Tweet.” Really. Do it. See what I mean?

While Twitter etiquette is still at its dawn, I offer my simple seven rules for Tweeting with class:

1. Venting your petty frustrations only frustrates others.

2. Say what builds up

3. Tweet  “such is life” moments

4. Resist the urge to make Twitter your personal sermon to the world.

5. If you wouldn’t share it in a room full of people at a casual event, then don’t post it on Twitter.

6.  If, when in public, you don’t say, “Mr. So-and-So said I’m awesome and smart,” then, when on Twitter, also refrain.

7. Keep personal conversations personal.

A common thread runs through them. Twitter is a semi-public space. Tweeting is the equivalent of saying something very loudly in a large room full of people with whom you have varying degrees of relationship. Don’t Tweet what you wouldn’t say in that room. Rather, “give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).

This is an abbreviated list and one where we modified the text of a couple bullets to make it more relevant.  Read the entire list in context at Baptist Press – FIRST-PERSON: On Twitter? Biblical ethics apply there, too – News with a Christian Perspective.

1. Maintain meeting discipline.

2. Stop demanding or expecting instant responsiveness at every moment of the day.

3. Encourage renewal.

It’s also up to individuals to set their own boundaries. Consider these three behaviors for yourself:

1. Do the most important thing first in the morning, preferably without interruption, for 60 to 90 minutes, with a clear start and stop time.

2. Establish regular, scheduled times to think more long term, creatively, or strategically.

3. Take real and regular vacations.

A single principle lies at the heart of all these suggestions. When you’re engaged at work, fully engage, for defined periods of time. When you’re renewing, truly renew. Make waves. Stop living your life in the gray zone.

Read more at The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time – Tony Schwartz – Harvard Business Review.

Faith and Technology: 12 Positives

• Online Community and Discipleship
• Simulcasts and Video Venues
• The Bible and Music at Our Fingertips
• Increased Use of Video
• Promotion of Events
• Church-Specific Social Networks
• Church Apps
• Searchable Sermon Notes and Personal Notes
• Follow Conferences You Don’t Attend
• Instant Accountability
• Growth of Networks and Resources for Missions and Church Planting
• Prayer for an Area

Faith and Technology: 12 Precautions

• Everyone Has a Printing Press
• Spread of False Information
• Disconnection with Actual Real People
• Ability Differs from User to User
• Expense of Keeping Current
• Distraction During Sermons
• Impact on the Home
• Confusion about Community
• Online Giving
• Online Church Discipline
• Online Dating
• Self-Promotion

Many people are turned off by the topic of networking. They think it feels slimy, inauthentic. Go figure. Picture the consummate networker: the high-energy fast talker who collects as may business cards as he can, attends networking mixers in the evenings, sports slicked-back hair. Or the overambitious kid in your graduating class from college who frantically emails alumni, goes to cocktail parties with the board of trustees to schmooze, and adds anyone he’s ever met as a friend on online social networks. These people are drunk on net-working Kool-Aid and await a potential nasty social and professional hangover. Luckily, building and strengthening your network doesn’t have to be like this.

Old-school “networkers” are transactional. They pursue relationships thinking only about what other people can do for them. And they’ll only network with people when they need something, like a job or new clients. Relationship builders, on the other hand, try to help other people first. They don’t keep score. They’re aware that many good deeds get reciprocated, but they’re not calculated about it. And they think about their relationships all the time, not just when they need something.

Networkers think it’s important to have a really big address book. This emphasis on quantity means they perhaps unknowingly form mostly weak relationships. Relationship builders prioritize high-quality relationships over a large number of connections.

Looks like a good read for anyone in any organization–ministry or otherwise–to better understand and utilize technology in general and social media in particular.

The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career

How to remove your web history:

1. Sign into Google
2. Navigate to https://www.google.com/history
3. Click the button to “remove all web history”
4. Select “OK”

You can even record a series of entries or videos to post on a regular basis after you’re gone.  We haven’t used this nor are we endorsing it…just reporting on what appears to be an app worth looking into.

via If I Die: Facebook App Lets You Leave Sweet Last Words.

1. Show your face.
2. Create an interesting bio.
3. Use a custom About page.
4. Make your Twitter presence visible.
5. Share valuable content.
6. Post frequently, but don’t flood your followers.
7. Keep your posts short enough to retweet.
8. Reply to others publicly.
9. Practice strategic following.
10. Be generous in linking and retweeting others.
11. Avoid too much promotion.
12. Don’t use an auto-responder.

Read explanations and more detail on how to do it at 12 Ways to Get More Twitter Followers | Michael Hyatt.

Here are the 10 tips.  Visit the site below for an extensive discussion of each point.

1. Optimize (or start) your email list
2. Make a list of every blogger (who writes quality content) in your niche
3. Re-evaluate your blog’s unique offering to readers
4. Try new content types to keep your blog fresh
5. Interview someone influential in your niche
6. Clean up your sidebar: show what matters
7. Improve your knowledge of SEO and SEO copywriting
8. Add social proof where it matters
9. Start a “post ideas” journal
10. Guest blog using the “funnel” technique
11. Evaluate your social media buttons
12. Utilize the most powerful social network of all

via 12 Essential Tips for Revitalising Your Blog in 2012.