Tweets from the Dalai Lama

Social media seduces not only young people but also mature people and even the religious. After the Pope having his own blog, now it is Dalai Lama’s turn to get a page on Twitter. And he has been very successful: mere days after creating his own page, he has more than 60,000 people following him.
According to AP, after meeting Twitter founder Evan Williams, the Dalai Lama created his page.
How did Mr. Williams convince the Dalai Lama? Only the Dalai Lama and the founder of Twitter know. All we do know is what Mr. Williams reported, which was what, according to him, the Dalai Lama laughed when he suggested that he get a page.
A laugh is a response and a nice one even it is a nonverbal expression, and the Dalai Lama used it to express his willingness to tweet, becoming one of the key characters using Twitter. A pretty good deal for Twitter to have such a prestigious member. Obviously, that makes social networking more attractive chiefly to other religious figures and leading dignitaries around the world.
Mr. Williams and other founders of social networks only stand to gain if those figures post personal messages and keep updating their page.
What do those who are already well-known gain from using social media sites? They are closer to their people, and these technologies amplify their message. By being on social media, those dignitaries show the public they are open-minded, and that they are aware of the world’s evolution.
Ramata