The big Tweet with Catholic media

Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, commissioned the Catholic media to figure out how to best use Twitter for our community this morning at the Catholic Media Convention. I didn't have an Internet connection in the ballroom (no smart phone either) or else I would have been tweeting about it!

The big theme of his plenary address was that the company provides a platform, and users run with it. Tweeting (a word invented by users, not the company) is personally rewarding for Dorsey, bringing him closer to his mom and to co-workers. Dorsey also was impressed watching senators use Twitter during Obama's speech on the 100-day mark. "I have never felt closer to my government," he said.

The service is aimed at the "lowest common denominator," Dorsey said. You can use Twitter from the most basic phone. He was recently in Baghdad, where he says people are skipping over more basic forms of communication like landlines and computer Internet and going straight to phones. Through their phone, an ordinary Iraqi can broadcast their life to the whole world.

"We think Twitter is a new form of communication. It's on par part with e-mail…and telephone," he said.

As for the pesky problem of revenue, he says patience is key—and letting the users figure it out. Can the Catholic community harness the power of Twitter for good—and funds?

About the author

Megan Sweas

Megan Sweas is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.