During my blog fast, I decided to give Twitter a try. I was a hold-out when it came to FaceBook (my grandfather had an account before I did!), and I held out a long time with Twitter too. My reasons for disliking the idea of “tweeting” were:

1. It can be narcissistic. Does anyone care what I had for lunch?
   
2. It can be boring. Is my average day so exciting that I have to share its details with the world?
3. It can be redundant. I already have a daily blog. Why do I need Twitter?
   
4. It can be time-consuming. It will distract from other, more important tasks.
   
5. It can be dangerous. Letting someone know where I am at all times is like legalized stalking.
   
6. It can contribute to the dumbing down of society. Most people don’t have the attention span for a well-crafted argument in a book. The blog is a step-down. Are we taking an even further step down, demanding our information in bite-sized chunks?

I still think each of these concerns are valid. But I now have a Twitter account for some other reasons.

1. The rapidness of disseminating information. A friend of mine linked to my recent article in Christianity Today regarding the Southern Baptist Convention and the Clark Logan controversy. Within an hour it was being passed along to dozens of Twitter followers and hundreds of readers. I was amazed at how quickly the information went out.
   
2. The ability to share interesting articles. I usually save my best links for Friday’s blog post, “In the Blogosphere.” Twitter enables me to link other articles that might not be included in Friday’s list.
   
3. The importance of conciseness. The brilliance of Twitter is its limitation of 140 characters. Most blogs are surfed, not read. Putting out a brief quote will probably be read by more people than a long blog post.
   
4. Connecting with others. I am on Twitter primarily because I get to “follow” other people on Twitter. It keeps me connected to others who put out edifying “tweets” and who pass along interesting information.
   
5. Boosting the blog. It takes a lot of work to maintain a daily blog. Linking to a blog post on Twitter gives my “followers” the opportunity to pass the article on to others who may benefit from it.

Even though I only list five “pro’s” for being on Twitter, I still think these slightly outweigh the six “cons” mentioned earlier. With a little oversight, one can mitigate the negative aspects of Twitter. Here’s how:

Narcissism? Don’t make the majority of your “tweets” about you.

Boring? Again, don’t make the majority of your “tweets” about you.

Redundant? Instead of letting Twitter compete with your blog, let it point people to your blog.

Time-consuming? Limit the number of people you follow and don’t constantly check for updates.

Dangerous? Avoid giving details of your whereabouts and plans.

Dumbing Down Society? Send along good links to thoughtful articles and news stories.

While it is impossible to completely eradicate the negative aspects of a social tool like Twitter, it is possible to “tweet” in such a way that the “pro’s” outweigh the “cons.” And so, for now, I am willing to take part in the Twitterverse.