One Tweet should never stand alone in determining the value of a Tweeter. With the rapid fire that most people Twitter 140 characters, the quick thoughts extended are not always a fair representation of the mind, heart and character of the person Tweeting.

There are times I have Tweeted something I wish later I hadn’t.  I have mistyped or misspelled a tweet numerous times.  My auto-correct has finished words for me that were inappropriate.  I have had trouble communicating what I wanted to say in such a small space.  It amazes me how quickly people react to a Tweet gone bad.

If you are going to follow me (or anyone) on Twitter.  Here’s a quick reminder:

Don’t judge a Tweeter by a single Tweet.

We all make mistakes…

Have you made Tweeting errors?  Got any funny examples?

So maybe “need” is too strong of a word. Perhaps you can do everything I will suggest as reasons to be involved with social media without social media (Although I would question how well you can these days) but I don’t think anyone could argue social media is not a large part of our culture today. Because it is such an influence, today’s successful leaders, including those in the church, must figure out how to make it work for them and make their ministries even more successful.

For me that currently means Twitter, Facebook and blogging. Not everyone has to do all three, but I have found them to each have unique benefits in my ministry.  (I have written about how I use these tools HERE and HERE.)

Here are 7 reasons you should be using social media:

Networking with people who are making a difference. I get to interact with and learn from church leaders who have already walked where I am walking. Most of these connections would never be possible apart from social media.

Go where people are. The number one way my church contacts me is through Facebook. The people I’m trying to reach and minister to spend more time on Facebook than they do in the church on Sunday.

You’ll meet great friends. I have met some of my closest friends in ministry these days through social media. No, we don’t keep the friendship to an exclusive online friendship, but the friendships did begin online.

Keep updated on breaking news. Although I have limited time to keep up with all the latest fads, by following the right people and blogs through Twitter, I know quickly what is taking place around the world in the fields of politics, technology, and ministry.

Wise use of time. People think the opposite is true, but the reality is that social media makes me more effective. I have a heart to influence people for good. As pastor of a large church I’m expected to minister to large groups of people. Social media allows me to make a difference more efficiently.  You are reading this, aren’t you?  (BTW, if my social media activity is influencing you, I’d love to hear about it.)

Breaks down barriers between people. It seems harder to get to know people today. They are more guarded and less trusting. When I Tweet (which updates my Facebook) People get a glimpse into the real me and I become more personal to the people in my church and online community. In turn, people are more likely to allow me into the deepest parts of their life when they see me as authentic and approachable.

Stay current with culture. Like it or not, culture determines much of how we are able to reach people. People are doing social media. To continue to allow culture to work for Kingdom grown rather than against it we must remain current with social media.

That’s some of my reasoning. Why and how do you use social media?

What a great week it has been for my friend Michael Hyatt! He was named Chairman at Thomas Nelson in addition to his current role as C.E.0. I’m sure another highlight of his week was being interviewed on this blog! You can read that post HERE.

I thought it was timely to share this video which Michael shared earlier on his blog and others have shared. I get asked all the time how I have time to Twitter. Michael does better than I could at explaining it’s importance.

Watch this short video of Michael explaining the impact of Twitter for him at the Christian Leadership Alliance Conference:

How Can Christian Leaders Get Started with Social Media? from Michael Hyatt on Vimeo.

How has Twitter impacted your leadership?

Scott Williams is a great leader I have learned to admire online. I haven’t met him personally, but social media has allowed me to connect with him to the point I feel I can call him friend. Some day we will actually meet. In the meantime, I love learning from Scott at his amazingly popular blog Big Is The New Small.

Scott has learned the value of connecting online. Scott is the Campus Pastor for the Northwest Oklahoma City Campus of LifeChurch.tv. Scott has an interesting background in leadership, after spending 13 years in the prison system prior to ministry. As much as anyone, one would have to say Scott is somewhat of a Twitter expert. You can follow him HERE.

Here are 10 questions with leader Scott Williams:

When you were growing up, is this what you thought you would be doing vocationally? If not, what did you want to do?

Ministry is absolutely not what I thought that I would be doing. I changed my mind quite a bit while growing up, everything from being an Attorney, the President to a Rocket Scientist. This statement always intrigued me, “It’s not rocket science!”

What’s the most different job you’ve had from what you are doing now and how did that job help you with what you are doing now?

I was a Prison Warden… I was actually one of the youngest Wardens in the country, meaning I didn’t have a clue when I started. I learned the importance of genuine care and concern for people. The method, in which you lead people, can cause them to become a great asset or pain in the asset (many times the inmates were my greatest asset as a leader, the same philosophy applies to church members). Ultimately a Warden and a Pastor lead a venue where people can be confronted, held accountable, developed, challenged…. and leave personal chaos behind, in order for their lives to be truly CHANGED!

Who is one person, besides Christ, who most helped to shape your leadership and how did they help you?

My mother who always believed in me and thought I could do things at a much higher level than I would ever imagine. She taught me to dream BIG and think BIGGER. My mom always reminded me that, “You can’t control what others think, only what you do!” To this day she will always believe in me and say, “Absolutely, you can do that!” I believe in those that I lead at a level hat no one else will… we succeed together! One other person is Marvin Wiebener who was my boss in Corrections and took a risk on me as a 25-year-old kid to be a Warden. Because of his leadership, I will generally take risks on younger hires with the right potential.

Besides the Bible, what is one book that has most helped to shape your thought process in life and ministry?

This answer could go on and on like the Energizer Bunny… I’ll give you two:
*Good To Great- (Jim Collins) First Leadership book that I read once I went into full-time ministry and it’s a LifeChurch.tv Leadership Staple.
* The War Of Art- (Steven Pressfield) This is a somewhat obscure and interestingly written book that masters how to break through resistance and get things done.

What are three words other people would use to describe your work style/ethic?

Empowering, Developer & Risk Taker

What is your greatest strength in leadership?

Visionary, Discernment, Thinker, Ideas… The ability to think a few steps ahead.

What is your greatest weakness in leadership?

Sometimes I will have too many ideas workin’. Perception vs. Reality in the areas of Confidence vs. Cockiness.

What is the hardest thing you have to do in leadership?

I don’t know that there is just one thing. I personally believe that different seasons and different teams bring about different challenges.

What is one misconception about your position you think people in your church may have?

I think people believe that I hang out with Craig Groeschel all the time. Although we do talk and get together periodically, people believe that we are BFF’s. That’s not a bad thing, just a misconception. Did I just say BFF? LOL

If you could give one piece of advice to young leaders from what you’ve learned by experience, what would it be?

If you truly care about the growth and development of the person more than the product they produce, you will get a better product. ”Leadership development is rooted in personal development & organizational transformation is rooted in individual transformation.”

This is a powerful video in terms of the impact of social media in our society.  Thanks to my friend Scott Williams for sharing it with me first.

It doesn’t get any better than this. Standing on the streets of Chicago saying goodbye to Nate was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Reading this kind of Twitter reminds me why he’s at Moody.

The news of Facebook buying Friendfeed is probably unwelcome news to Twitter today.  After almost a week of Twitter troubles and the fact that I many are still struggling with using Twitter with Firefox (me included), I can imagine there are some looking for an alternative.

Mashable has a great post about what this change in social media could mean for Twitter.  Read that post HERE.

Anything that will make my social media useage easier is a welcome addition for me, but it will be interesting to watch how this plays out over the next few months.  One thing for sure, Facebook is not afraid to change things quickly and in the world of social media changes happen fast.  Read a previous post about that HERE.  Some of my Facebook friends who have sworn off Twitter may soon have an alternative option.

Would you drop Twitter if Facebook offers you a better solution?

As an avid user of social media in my work, people seem to enjoy sending me negative articles on the rise of social networking and its negative impact on our culture.  Yesterday I posted similar thoughts with an encouragement to develop a personal social media policy.  Read that post HERE.

The critics of social media claim:

• Social media promotes the person and only builds another’s ego
• Wastes time
• Is not real ministry or work

I am reminded that everything good can be misused.   The key in using social media, in my opinion, is finding the right balance.  Here are a few suggestions I recommend:

1. Have a purpose for social media.  It could be fun, business, or both, but know why you are using it.
2. Limit to 2 or 3 mediums at most. I use Twitter, Facebook, and my blog.
3. Learn enough about the medium to use it effectively.
4. Discipline yourself so the practice does not control you.
5. Figure out how to simplify.  Use tools such as Tweetdeck, synchronizing various mediums, etc.

Social media is a part of modern culture.  If the church or business ignores the world of social networking it will ignore a major portion of its target market.

Most businesses are being forced to think through and add a social media policy to their human resource policies.  The rise of Facebook, Twitter and other social networking choices means the workplace is being impacted greatly by social media.  Individuals represent their organization even during their personal time and that needs to be considered in employee management.

At Grace Community Church we are adding a policy this fall, but I suspect ours will be less strict than some businesses I have seen are considering.  We actually see a huge benefit from our people being involved in social media, especially at a personal level. It is still important that our staff represent the church and Kingdom well, so I think it is important that a person develop his or her own social media policy.  Having a personal social media policy builds accountability, structure, discipline and purpose into the time spent social networking.

Here are a few of the things I have in my own social media policy:

Determine why I am participating in social media – A person could choose to participate for fun, networking, businesses or marketing, but for me personally my end goal is Kingdom-building.

Decide in what social mediums I will participate – The fact is there are more choices than there is time available to do them all. I have chosen to limit my time to Facebook, Twitter, and my blog.  Right now these seem to have the best impact on accomplishing my purpose, but if that changes I plan to change with the culture.

Learn about my choices – I do not have to be an expert in my three mediums, but I need to know enough about them to be effective at accomplishing my purpose for being involved with them. .  Occasionally I have to learn new techniques to keep up with these mediums.

Organize my time on the front end – I have learned to connect my Twitter to Facebook, so that I actually spend little time on Facebook. I use Tweetdeck to organize the Twitter followers I learn from the most.  I automate Tweets for times I am unavailable.  It is important that I keep my time manageable for effectiveness in accomplishing my purpose.

Discipline myself to follow my own plan - I have to continually remind myself of my purpose and not allow social media to control my time.  I use it instead to help me control my overall purpose in ministry.

Do you have a personal social media policy? How does yours differ from mine?

This is hilarious.  If I say anything stupid on Twitter from now on I am going to blame it on some kid in Alaska!

Thanks to Mashable for bringing this to my attention.