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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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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The landscape is changing - and sometimes a blog post is more appropriate than a news article or and expanded article, Hence, today we launch our blog. The posts will reflect more observations and reflections on the web, the Church, strategy and mission.

Thanks for listening and Merry Christmas!