Shaun Groves
I certainly don’t need another website to maintain. I don’t need something else on-line to take time away from my real life off-line. I definitely don’t need to be the object of more attention…or praise or ridicule.
Yet, I have opened a Twitter account: twitter.com/theshaungroves (because “shaungroves” is unavailable)
I actually put my hand in the air and swore an oath to my friends, my wife and all things holy that I would never, no, not ever, Twitter. So why’ve I done gone and did it?
For the children.
I was asked a while ago to tweet/twitter/whatever (I even dislike the Twitter vocabulary you know?) using Compassion’s account so that Compassion’s blog readers could follow me on blogger trips (Next trip in April to India, btw). Great idea, I thought. Too bad about the whole oath thing. Sorry, can’t help ya out.
Then I released the song Kingdom Coming for free (shaungroves.com/freemusic) and thousands of downloads happened overnight, with little push from me. I know I’m not that popular so I wondered how this happened. Then someone e-mailed to say they heard about the download on Twitter. I searched Twitter and discovered people spreading news of the download all over the place – strangers were being turned into fans. Great idea, I once again thought. Too bad about the oath.
Well, I finally gave up, gave in, decided the reward of turning folks into fans of Compassion through Twitter was greater than the danger of Twitter turning me into yet another narcissistic texter who lacks the ability to make eye contact while conversing. I put two and two together: If Twitter can turn strangers into fans of my music, it can convert people who’ve never thought about poverty into people who are doing something to stop it.
So, I’m twittering/tweeting/whatever ONLY WHEN I’M TRAVELING, here and abroad. The stuff I write will show up here on my blog in a post – if I can figure all that out. I have no idea what you might want me to hear from the road so give me feedback, please. As I try this out this week, let me know how I’m doing. Thanks.
Dawn~Canada says:
Minute by minute updates. That’s what we all want Shaun. Minute by minute.
Seriously, what about simple things that made a big impact on you that day, or things God is whispering (or yelling) to you as you do what you do. Testimony is always what speaks loudest. Cheers!
Grovesfan says:
First impressions about the projects.
Things the kids and workers say to you.
Questions the kids ask and their thoughts about their sponsors, etc.
What is God teaching you at that moment?
Angie says:
So is “theshaungroves” like “the facebook” or “the twitter” the execs like to talk about when they don’t really know what they’re talking about?
I’m still trying to figure twitter out. I sat next to my hubby and watched him twitter all through the inauguration. Finally I asked him what he was doing. Everybody is watching the same things, what is there to Twitter about? He informed me that I am very narrow minded. To which I informed him that he’s a conformist. 
We really do have a great relationship.
Jade =) says:
So far, so good.
elijah says:
The title of this post should’ve been, “A LITTLE NARCISSISM… YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS.”
Meredith says:
Hey, I am one of those “strangers become fans”… except I found you by link from the Compassion blog site. You do great work, and I’m excited to share it with my friends and family!
Heidi Marshall says:
Please join me in my quest to make fun of @cottrelltravis on a daily basis on Twitter.
I knew I had become too addicted to Twitter when one night I had a dream that something extraordinary happened. (I don’t remember what it was, but for the sake of this story, let’s say I balanced an elephant on my pinky.) IN MY DREAM I grabbed my iPhone and tweeted “I just balanced an elephant on my iPhone.”
Yikes.