The title of this post goes without saying, really, but something happened yesterday that completely validated my use of Twitter as a semi-serious tool for journalism.

For those of you who don’t know or just don’t use the service, Twitter is basically a character-limited version of Facebook status updates. You can post links, thoughts, etc. — whatever you want, but you have to keep it to 140 characters or less. You can “follow” different people and their posts will appear in what is called your “timeline,” in short a running list of the latest updates people have made.

So here’s what happened yesterday…

Our newsroom assistant has a Twitter client, TweetDeck, and she set it up so that it automatically searches for the keywords “Centralia” and “Chehalis” every so often and puts that in her timeline. Usually people post whimsical things or just telling where they are in town, but every now and then you can get a gold nugget. And that’s exactly what happened around 11:35 yesterday morning.

Someone posted an item saying there was a bomb threat at W.F. West High School in Chehalis, and asked people to pray for the school. This appeared in our newsroom assistant’s public timeline because it inadvertently said “Chehalis High School.”

She let me know about the tweet and I made some calls. The school wouldn’t talk about it, and the district promised to have their superintendent call me back later. Not quite good enough for a breaking news item, so I called the Chehalis police front desk and talked with their deputy chief about the situation. I received enough information to type up a quick breaking news item on the Web, stating that WFW had been locked down for an hour due to a bomb threat received over the phone.

I was able to do this all because of Twitter, essentially. The service, even if I were to never post anything on the site, proved valuable to me yesterday because a student was able to tweet from their phone and tell the world what was going on. We very likely would not have found about the incident until hours later if that had not happened.

Many people have told me they don’t believe Twitter to be a valuable tool in the world of journalism, and I think that idea is dead wrong. It’s huge for information gathering and also to kick around story ideas, as well as to communicate with people who think what you have to say is important. You can even direct people to your news website, and they will read your articles, view your photos, watch your videos, etc. if they believe in your product.

The possibilities for news organizations to use social media are endless. I don’t think we all harness or promote it enough, largely…I’d like to see more news websites give contact info for their reporters, including links to their Twitter feeds as well as e-mail addresses and phone numbers.

People are more and more connected nowadays through personal technology, and I think the role of a reporter is expanding in the need to network with the very people who read or view the news product. Twitter is an excellent means with which to do so.

The plane tickets have been purchased, the family is excited and I’m putting Springfield, Missouri on notice.

I’ll be visiting my second home May 20-24. That’s a Thursday through Monday deal, meaning I get Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the family and also some time to see friends as well.

I’ll be flying into Tulsa, but I got the tickets from Southwest Airlines for cheap. Plus it offers a good opportunity to stop at Clanton’s Cafe in Vinita, Oklahoma so I can partake in a delectable treat of calf fries. Their chicken fried steak is heavenly as well. (Guy Fieri says so, by the way.)

Here’s to a wonderful visit in just over three weeks.

I recently wrote a story for The Chronicle about a new church that has just recently begun to rent space in a theater complex housed inside a retail complex on the north end of Chehalis. If you got the Saturday paper, I’m sure you read it.

For those of you that didn’t, or would like a recap: the Lord blessed a small church of around 20 with the perfect space, the perfect location and the perfect opportunity to minister to their target demographic.

This didn’t make it into the article, but the target demographic was the poor, destitute and people suffering from general spiritual emptiness — those who need Christ’s salvation. My interview with their pastor provided me with some really good insight into his heart and vision for the community, and frankly I thought it was one every leader should have in their community. Not only to shepherd their church, but to also further the Gospel in the community by actively reaching out to those who have few possessions, barely any money and little to no social status.

I had a chance to sit in and listen to the message when I visited the church, and it was great to see the Word being shared among a small group in an intimate setting. I saw firsthand the people being ministered one to another, and people walked out of the service changed and blessed.

Two years ago, I attended a church that boasted the third-largest church attendance of any in the United States. The sermons were dynamic, the music was loud and jumpin’, the video production was awesome, and the atmosphere was — dare I say, opulent. The Word being preached was the same, the doctrine was similar, but the environment was different.

The church had SO MANY PEOPLE. I felt uncomfortable in such a large crowd, but I noticed one major thing.

Everyone who had any sort of a leadership position, or position of visibility in the church, looked the same. Dressed the same way, thought the same way, spoke the same way. From the young people up to the senior leadership, they all had money, were attractive and always spoke sing-songy positive words about the church and their fellow leaders as if they were part of some elite group that everyone should look up to. It was as if they were all programmed.

I began to befriend many in the church, and in my time doing so, I realized another major truth shaping up in front of my eyes.

Those who wanted to attain the same social standing began to emulate the actions, dress and speech of the most visible people. The church had successfully, outside of preaching the truth, created a subculture that glorified social status.

I wondered if I was back in high school. I eventually left that church because I couldn’t bear the thought of what those who couldn’t afford the same lifestyle but still wanted to attain a leadership position were putting themselves through. Many people in the church were desensitized to what was going on around them because the Word was still being preached, yet they were caught up in “keeping up with the Joneses” so to speak.

Now hear me out: the above were two extreme examples of churches that preach the same message, but the atmosphere and spirit surrounding that message are what make or break it.

This is true for me, and I would bet you a good amount the same would hold true for the spiritually empty in our communities: Christ’s message resonates more coming from the mouth of someone who doesn’t possess much on this earth. In fact, as a person, I’ve always had a tough time making a connection with people who are well off financially and showcase that fact.

Ultimately, the message of the cross is not lost on anyone, no matter who preaches it. I get that. But why do we have to jostle so hard for social status in the place such action should not be tolerated?

By doing so, we are glorifying ourselves more than we ought to. We’re striving for a better lifestyle, more respect among our friends and more influence among the “lesser among us” rather than faith in Christ.

Shame on us.

The kingdom of God is a place that should accept whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord. But in many places, it’s become an atmosphere that welcomes putting on our best appearance and working for the superficial just as much, if not more, than the spiritual.

And we all wonder why the body of Christ is so ineffective at enacting global change for the harvest.

It is my prayer that we all work to think less of ourselves and more about those around us when ministering in any corporate church environment. Then, and only then, will we experience a major growth beyond what we’ve all experienced in the past.

I went swing dancing tonight in Olympia with a few friends.

The world is about to end. If you know me personally, you know how horrible of a dancer I am.

I didn’t understand the moves at first, but I held my own when all was said and done. It was tremendous fun.

This song sums up the night here, and the video is pretty neat too (even though it’s not swing).

Above: The first photographic evidence of the Centralia-Chehalis, Wash. chapter of the Sunday Open Football Association. Join us each Sunday at 3 p.m. at Stan Hedwall Park in Chehalis, if you dare.

I’ve needed a weekend like this for awhile.

I don’t think I’ve had this many cool things happen in a two-day timespan in a long time. Got to hang out with dear friends yesterday, then one had to go to work and I still got to hang with the other; won $35 in a poker tournament; listened to a great message at church today; joined a football team that came back from down 24-0 to win 28-24 this afternoon; and watched the Blazers beat Phoenix tonight.

Yes, this weekend was THAT good.

I could expound, but I’d rather not. Future stories await.

Instead, watch this video and be mesmerized.

I’m gonna jump right into this…it’s more me rambling than anything, but feel free to throw your input in.

I’ve been a print reporter at the paper in Centralia for two months and we’ve already made a sweeping change since I’ve come aboard.

We’re charging for content on our website, which previously offered all content for free. News, sports, videos, photos, you name it — you could see it all at no cost. However, all who subscribe to the paper receive a free password. Otherwise, people can pay a set amount for monthly or yearly access to the site.

I haven’t seen the results of it yet, but I’m hopeful the paywall at my newspaper can work because our community is small enough, and people seem to value our news product around here for the most part. Had we done the same thing at the Springfield News-Leader where I previously worked, we would have all been lynched from the historic James River greenway bridge.

Honestly I think if a paywall needs to be put into place, the most value to the consumer would be to see an interactive PDF browsable E-edition on the website. The PDF would look no different than the printed product, and there would be no paper involved, thus saving printing costs for those who would wish to opt into the E-edition.

You see, what has publishers across the country pulling their hair out is trying to figure out how to offer content that is affordable to the public, while at the same time remaining profitable. Even the big newspapers, for the most part, are still figuring out how to do that.

Honestly, I think a radical perspective shift needs to take place in the industry and newspaper websites, especially in small communities, should stop offering main articles for free (that’s what’s killing the industry) and instead focus on being an interactive addition to the printed product. In my opinion, a perfectly functioning newspaper website be HUGE on multimedia content (i.e. video, extra photos, MP3 audio of court hearings, etc.), condensed versions of stories, and blogs. Nothing would be offered for free on the web that folks would have to pay for in the print edition — the full articles would still appear in the paper with links to the website for additional resources.

I don’t think newspapers are screwed, but I don’t think paywalls are an effective all-around solution for the industry. There is a better way to connect with the community and remain financially viable, and if the great minds of the industry put their heads together I’m sure someone would come up with something innovative and simple yet powerful, that could change the face of media as we know it.

I just read this on the Springfield, Mo., News-Leader’s website:

Thomas Bookstaver, president and publisher of the News-Leader Media Group, announced today that Executive Editor Don Wyatt has resigned.

“During the past five years, Don made many contributions to this newspaper during a time of major changes in our industry. He worked very hard to understand how the news and information needs of our readers were changing and helped us develop products to satisfy those needs. He led our team through major technology changes, including the development of our very popular Web site, News-Leader.com.”

“A search will immediately begin for a new executive editor. During the transition, Managing Editor Cheryl Whitsitt will continue managing our news staff and the production of our daily and weekly newspapers and our Web sites. We will continue making major improvements to your News-Leader including the addition of a new Ozarks section in several weeks.”

I was employed at the News-Leader from May 2008 until being laid off in July 2009, during part of Wyatt’s tenure as executive editor.

Oh no you didn’t, Indianapolis Star. Someone in their web department got a little overzealous during the NCAA men’s basketball championship game.

With Duke up one and Brian Zoubek at the line after Butler’s Gordon Hayward narrowly missed a potential game-winning shot, here’s what IndyStar.com looked like:

Not exactly cool for the folks at the Star, considering the recent controversy over the illustration of Mike Krzyzewski.

Thanks to my friend and former colleague at the Springfield News-Leader, Michael Stacy, for the image and a good laugh.

The Hispanic ministry of the local Catholic church here in Centralia puts on a very dramatic reenactment of the Stations of the Cross. They have done this for seven years, rain or shine. I thought this was neat to see so many people observing Good Friday in such a powerful way — and in a downpour, no less.

This is kind of a tough post to write, but I guarantee you’ll probably see some return from it sooner or later.

Over the past three weeks, I have had an insanely difficult time with multiple situations having arisen in my personal life. I’m not at liberty to go into detail on any of them, but it’s been a time where my faith has been tested tremendously and I’ve taken some time to step back from a ton of interaction with people aside from my job. That includes here on the blog, too, as I have been on a self-imposed hiatus from posting anything important for weeks.

Instead of wilting and crying uncle like so many people could easily do, I’ve found it within myself and my faith in the Lord to combat the issues head-on and not run from them. A good majority of the problems that have arisen have to do with confronting some issues that have arisen in my past that define the way I operate.

I said this would be difficult to write, and I’m not joking. Bear with me as you read through this.

Through most of my childhood into my teenage years, I’d say up through the end of my freshman year of high school, I struggled mightily socially as I liked people and wanted to be around a ton of folks, yet didn’t know how to interact with them. I was a socially awkward kid, having good intentions with things I’d say then having someone make fun of it and verbally smack me down.

By the time high school ended, I made the transition from socially awkward kid to a guy who finally came of age with a witty, somewhat humorous (to some people, at least) personality and a great God-given gift of communication to boot. This carried well into my time in the Air Force, where I began to develop good friendships everywhere I went and got along well with everyone I met.

In October 2005, I was shipped overseas to Iraq and spent six months as a combat videographer, traveling to various cities across the country and meeting some nice folks.

Here’s the difficult part: Along with the excellent job training I received and the great friendships I made, there were times when I saw the worst of the worst that Iraq has to offer. I don’t want to elaborate, but I’ll let your imagination wander if you so choose.

I arrived home in early May 2006, and was greeted by friends at the airport — I even remember getting a standing ovation when I came into church that Sunday. Over the weeks that passed, my interactions with friends were great and we made up for lost time by constantly hanging out everywhere we could across the Hampton Roads area.

Only one thing — I was haunted mentally by a lot of what I had seen and experienced in Iraq, and not only that, but the separation from friends and loved ones was something I never really recovered from. Most of my time while deployed was spent alone reading books or going on evening jogs. I found ways to occupy my time and came home intact — physically, that is.

I have a hard time describing this, but I honestly believe I left a part of my outgoing, jovial self in Iraq. I don’t know exactly what it was or if I can even pinpoint it, but there was one situation that really did it for me when I verbalized a lot of how I felt and what I needed from my church friends and leaders, and for whatever reason the large majority of them didn’t step up to help. A couple people even confessed they didn’t know how to deal with someone who had just been through a life-changing experience such as a deployment.

From then until today, I’ve always struggled in peer groups of people my own age who are trying to do things just to have fun. I’ve adopted a more serious nature where I feel that I don’t want to waste anyone’s time with anything I do, and I ask that they not waste mine in return.

That’s rather harsh, but it kinda shows the way I operate. I’m all for forging relationships and creating friendships with people God places in my life, but honestly I feel as if I come off as just a person blowing smoke to some folks. I’ve been burned too many times — just like the awkward kid I once was — with well-intended things I say and do, and people disregarding them for whatever reason.

I say all of that to say this: even in my capacity as a professional communicator who puts words to print for a daily newspaper, I still have a struggle with externalizing my thoughts and feelings to people who I know can help me out. There are actually people out there willing to listen, and I am willing to listen in return.

I do know that I am slowly and surely giving everything bit by bit back to God, and as I continue to grow in His Word, I will find the means to break out of the shell I’ve climbed back into and give everyone a fair shake.

It sucks that it has taken the last three weeks for me to realize that, but hey, we all have to hit brick walls and go through some pretty rough situations sometimes for us to fully realize what we need to change about ourselves.