4 Lessons I've Learned in 4 Years of Tweeting

It's my 4-year anniversary on Twitter. (Send presents.) I posted my first tweet four years ago (November 19, 2008). Twitter was younger then. (I was, too.)

I've learned a lot in four years of tweeting. At the writing of this post that's 79,584 tweets to be exact. And I'm an introvert after all. (I really am!)

I've had my Twitter "ups" (making a difference as a Gospel minister in thousands of people's lives all over the world) and I've had my Twitter "downs" (like the time I lost 22,000 followers overnight due to a Twitter glitch ~ #failwhale).

But I don't want to talk about "ups" and "downs" so much. What I do want to reflect upon are some other lessons that I hope may be a help to you whether you've been a Twitter user for a long time or just starting out.

And so here we go with...

4 Lessons I've Learned in 4 Years of Tweeting:

LESSON 1: Relationships will change.

People will come and people will go on Twitter just like in real life. There will be those that you are close to on Twitter today, but you won't be tomorrow. (Where did they go?) The neat thing is there will be others that come along ~ new relationships ~ to replace the old. And that Twitter follower that you watch from afar today just might be your BFF (best friend forever) tomorrow. Who knows?

LESSON 2: It's easy to become obsessed.

Yes, like anything else, Twitter (and social media in general for that matter) can become an obsession. And let me just say, it's not social media's (and Twitter in particular's) fault. The common thread is it's human beings that use it. And it's human beings that fall in the trap of "abusing" it. So take time off. (I'm talking to myself, too.) Schedule breaks and stick to your schedule.

LESSON 3: Use people's names and say "Thank you."

I guess I learned this one from being in ministry. Twitter is all about relationships. And it's the simple things that really make all the difference ~ like greeting people (saying "Hello") and using people's names when you're tweeting with them. And I like to say "Thank you" when they retweet me or I read something they've tweeted and it speaks to or blesses me. (Retweeting others is a "Thank you" in itself.)

LESSON 4: You will be judged.

I saved this one for last probably because it's the hardest one to deal with. You can have 99 out of 100 people say nice things about you, but it's that one critical "voice" that you remember. (Isn't it true?) I have been judged for my tweets and how I tweet and even to the point of not spelling "God" with a capital "G" and using a lower case "g" instead in my Twitter name. (I've tried to tell people it's a Twitter thing ~ using lower case ~ but they still misjudge me.) So how do I deal with it? In the worst cases especially I find the best way to diffuse the judgment "voice" is to not respond and forgive.

You might also be interested in:

• 7 Mistakes Women and Men Make with Twitter (plus 1 bonus)
• A Social Media Morning in the Life of Pastor Mike