Twitter is a conversation, as has been said many times. The best conversations – the best ways of being with people – are where we listen, where we are willing to wait to share our opinion, our solution, our experience. If we were in the pub and you had good news to share – promotion, baby, book deal – you’d want to tell me, and I’d want to hear. And we’d talk about it… and then move on. You wouldn’t keep telling me. Or tell everyone individually around the table, one after the other. And then, tell me again when someone else congratulates you…
Sometimes, that’s what it feels like on social media. On Twitter, where anyone can follow, and we have no control over the network we find ourselves in, it can be hard to spot the difference between flagging something up, and bragging about it. Hearing your news is great. Understanding that different people read Twitter at different times of day – that’s fine, too. But I wonder how other people feel about retweeting all your compliments and congratulations? Or sending out ten, or twenty tweets to different people with the same message? That’s starting to feel like spam, and if it happens across several sites, becomes seriously irritating.
There’s no space here to start discussing online humility, but this is related. If I follow you, I want to know what you’re up to. I want to celebrate when you do, and commiserate when you’re feeling down. You can’t tell me good or bad news without flagging it up. But where does the line lie between sharing information and bragging about our achievements?
If we look to Twitter to talk to our friends, then we want to share our news. Does your Twitter feed involve conversations, interactions with other people? Do you share other people’s news? Or is your timeline just one long list of self-publicising tweets, and retweets of what other people have said about you? How authentic does that make you as a person?
From 2010–2015, the BigBible Project sought to host conversations about the Bible through local reading groups & online conversations. Since 2016, the project has taken a slightly different focus, hosting discussion from experts on Biblical Literacy and Biblical Reception in a Digital World. 
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a 
First paragraph says it all, really. Great analogy.
There is a place for ‘broadcasting’-type Twitter accounts – service announcements, news, etc. spring to mind – and that’s fine. I follow automated accounts like WordPress and BBC News, but I don’t expect a meaningful conversation with them.
However, with “real” people I expect to have real interactions, which is why our Twitter behaviour should follow our offline behaviour, as you’ve said.
Excellent post, should be in that book of “Things to read when you first join Twitter”. Although there is no One Way to use Twitter, just like there is no One Way to have a conversation in a pub, I know if I conducted conversations as you have described which group of friends would invite me out for a drink next time!
You point about “If I follow you, I want to know what you’re up to” has also made me think. The person Following makes that decision to follow and so we should respect and nurture our audience, not scatter-gun them with me, me, me bragging Tweets. Over the last couple of days I’ve had Twitter conversations with people I’ve not spoken to for months / years or ever, but that person decided (for whatever reason) to follow. It’s important to remember this and to always reply to them, answer their questions, respond to what they are flagging to me and so build their confidence of using social networking … and widen our network of amazing people.
Thank You Sara…. which pub is it BTW? 😉
Thanks for the post, interesting. I’m still a relative twitter novice so always learning. I find there is a blend between: i) interesting stuff which is intentionally conversational; ii) sharing or retweeting a link to information which may or may not be interesting to anyone other than me; iii) seeking out decent customer service (some companies are doing this really well); iv) a place of expression/rant (might be to make a point, or to provoke a reaction); and more…
And perhaps people are joining and using twitter for community and relationship – to feel a sense of belonging or identification with something or someone bigger than themselves even while remaining fairly anonymous within that. Follow back is therefore a great way to include people and affirm them.
And in seeking conversation I wonder how much we state stuff rather than ask questions…?
Totally agree, I find I always lie outside the network of ‘greats’ whom tweet and retweet, congratulate and reward each other for doing a fantastic job at promoting themselves. I know it is all part and parcel to the tweet culture, but when they are Christians it seems a little awkward, we do not have to play by the ‘rules’ others play by. I remember when husband had 4,000 followers and 300 on the Sunday Times social media list, and a huge registering on Klout. It matters little:
John 17:14
New International Version (NIV)
14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.