Twitter Me This

Guess who started Twittering?

I realize some will say I’ve gone over to the Dark Side (see Confessions of a non-Twitterite in Boundless). Nevertheless, for better or worse I’ve decided to give Twitter a try—at least for now. If you’re unfamiliar with the social networking service known as Twitter, here’s the skinny.

At the age of 30, Jack Dorsey, a software designer in St. Louis, had a desire to know what his friends were doing throughout the day without necessarily calling or emailing each of them. Like many of us in this fast-paced, mobile society, I think Jack longed for a greater sense of community; of feeling in touch with the lives of those he cared about.

But how?

Jack shared his concept with Biz Stone (who helped launch Blogger.com). Biz immediately grasped Jack’s vision and within two weeks these co-creators invented the prototype of Twitter. Having perfected the technology, Twitter now allows you and I to stay connected in real-time with friends, family, co-workers, newsmakers, your pastor or whomever throughout the day via short messages (called Tweets). When I say short, we’re talking 140 characters in length—just enough to give you a flavor of what’s going in someone’s world, maybe a hot tip on a cool restaurant, a book recommendation, or even a news scoop.

If you’re new to Twitter, check out “The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter” and “12 Reasons to Start Twittering” by Mike Hyatt, president of Thomas Nelson. Both are great resource to get you started. Essentially, the Twitter dialogue is driven by asking one question: “What are you doing?” Throughout the day or week, users anywhere in the world can “Tweet” updates on their status, share photos, give instant feedback on a concert or movie—the sky’s the limit—all via a cell phone, the internet, or instant message.

For instance, if you were “following” my Tweets this week, you’d know I was on vacation, both of our cars needed to be repaired, and I took Trent and Troy to a ballgame last night where they got their gloves autographed. Not earth shattering stuff—just a slice of life from the Daly household.

Beyond that, I’ll be “tweeting” from the road as well as happenings around the office. If you’d like to be a little more connected to my family or life inside of Focus on the Family, I’d invite you to follow me on Twitter @DalyFocus. I can’t say for sure I’ll Twitter forever; for now I’m enjoying the test drive and invite you along for the ride.