Social media has become one of the primary ways we communicate ideas.

Social media has the potential for great impact, but even more responsibility because it's so instant. You don't spend the week preparing a tweet. As a person of influence, you know the importance of speaking intentionally, but you may not know how to translate that into 140 characters. Luckily, there are some tricks to carry around in your back pocket that will help you use social media well.

1. Encourage
On social media, our thumbs get ahead of our brains sometimes, unfiltered and unbridled. But because our social media is an extension of our ministry, we need to give those thumbs a filter. Before you post something, ask yourself this: Is this message going to encourage those who read it? If the answer is yes, go ahead and post. If the answer is no, keep it to yourself.

2. Share your life, but not all of it
The beauty of social media is it lets us peek into the lives of people we look up to. Instead of waiting for a book to come out, we get to hear little bits and pieces from our favorite authors. Instead of waiting until you have time to sit down with your favorite pastor or theologian, you can see what they are thinking on a random Tuesday. It makes the off-screen, off-stage lives of our favorite people more accessible to us - and this works in your favor. By giving a glimpse into your private life, you invite the people you influence to see you in a different light.

Social media is a powerful way to draw attention to need or to celebrate people doing wonderful things.

They get to see you and your family playing with each other, celebrating and your friends around your dining room table. They get to see you practice what you preach in small snippets and photos. Still, it's good to be discerning with what you show. Your network doesn't need to know every detail about your life. Ultimately, the same things they see on Twitter need to be what you reflect in person.

3. Engage in controversy wisely
Social media has become a great place to take a stand on controversial issues. It's tempting to join the debate. Debates have their time and their place, but as a Christian, social media may not be the best time or the best place. It's easy to take things out of context, and it's impossible to tell how something was said - kind of like an email or a text. If you are too hasty with your involvement in a debate, it can turn into a nightmare. To be safe, and to keep yourself free of unnecessary drama, be selective about how you engage in controversy, or decide to stay out of it completely in the social media sphere.

Ultimately, remember: Your presence online is not about you
Be thoughtful about the message you want to send and remember you're representing Christ. Social media is a powerful way to draw attention to need or to celebrate people doing wonderful things. It's a way to promote the organizations that are making a dent in the hurt in the world, and to lift up people who have stories we need to hear. Treat your social media platform with the same reverence and intentionality you do your professional life, and your potential for influence will be endless.

This article originally appeared on VitalMagazine.com and has been used with permission.