I think I was a lucky one to pick up on this dynamic early in my “email” life. I realized that my email is more than an inbox, it is a connection to the people I am connected to - and when my email address changes it is at least as much of a change as moving - except there isn’t some standardized system (postal office) to forward my mail to the right place.
That is why I always discourage people from having their “main” email address being their school, work, or ISP (@sbcglobal, @cox, @verizon, etc.). Because if any of those things change then you have lost connection with a whole lot of people and potentially you’ve just lost the email conversations you’ve had with them.
Chris Brogan is blogger and expert when it comes to making and keeping connections through the internet in a field that is called social media. Here is an article he has on the same topic with some suggestions - be sure to check out the comments on the post as well!
Here is an excerpt:
Why NOT to use your ISP’s email address Say you make your home email address your primary point of contact. If your home address is yourname@comcast.net, what happens when you shift from Comcast to Verizon? You’ve just lost a bunch of folks who only knew how to reach you the other way.
In the leadership and communication of your church your probably never imaging that you would be able to have the luxury of large churches with the ability to broadcast your services live. Well with the advent of video sites on the web many have moved to giving you the ability to stream video live. The typical setup for this sort of thing is to have a computer running with a video camera connected, point the camera in the right direction and hit “live” on the website.
All of these sites will give you what is called an “embed” code. This code allows you to put a video player anywhere on your website or blog that will display your live stream when you are sending the video out!
Churches like lifechurch.tv and Saddleback are doing this because they have the bankroll to make it happen, but now any church can have their services live on their websites. The reasons to do this are the same as it is for the big boys:
Give a preview of your services to those interested in the community
Allow traveling members to still be a part of the service
Connect with people who are searching for answers across the internet
Youtube is even getting into the “live video streaming” game now, which is significant because they have millions of people who are familiar with their video site. Follow the link below, it has a great listing of all the websites that offer this service.
Out of all of the social networks that I am a part of Twitter.com is absolutely the best. But for many people when I try to tell them that it is a social network that focuses on short messaging from your browser to your IM to your cell phone - I usually lose them. But I have to say without a doubt it is the most helpful and has created the most authentic “connections” with people.
So, if you are wanting to check Twitter out but just haven’t been able to get your head around it I would say two things:
First check out this article over at webware.com. It is a beginners guide to twitter and does one of the best jobs I have seen in explaining the dynamic of the site. Second, you don’t really get twitter fully until you join and start interacting with people.
Check out the quote below and then head on over to the guide!
Twitter is an online service that enables you to broadcast short messages to your friends or “followers.” It also lets you specify which Twitter users you want to follow so you can read their messages in one place.
I just got a chance to write down some thoughts about using a blog in the life of a youth ministry over at the Who Are These Guys blog.
Here my favorite section talking about what a Weekend Summary post benefits Parents:
Parents:
In most youth ministries communications parents or pathetically left out even though they are the most important people needing information from you. A post like this gives parents 1) comfort finally having a chance to know what their kids are learning and that it isn’t wacky. 2) It gives them a “trigger” for conversation with their teen during the week to ask them what they thought about the sermon and if they have thought about the challenge/application/ etc.
Even before the internet pastors have been involved in social networking. Denominations and their conventions are probably the clearest examples of these connections. But online social networks provide an increasingly large amount of value and opportunity. They enable you to not only keep up to date with pastors you already know, but to find new connections and opportunities through who they know.
Now, there are the biggies, Facebook and Myspace in regards to online social networks, but I wouldn’t suggest them right off. I think that LinkedIn provides the best “first step” for a pastor / professional to get their feet wet in online social networking.
Over at Conversation Agent, a blog about pr and community, has a run down of LinkedIn and their impressions. Below is a quick video that helps to explain the potential in online social networks in “plain english.”
Viddler.com is a video hosting site, and ranks as my favorite. It has advanced features such as commenting in the context of the video, and having a much higher quality presentation.
Wow, it looks like my old church in Cincinnati has gotten itself into a firestorm of conflict. I guess they have a part time worship leader that has a shady past - and people on the ‘ol interwebs aren’t happy about it. Check out this excerpt:
Phew - sorta happy I’m not there to wade through it!
On another note, this possibly the worst forum I have ever seen in that it allows people to change their name every time they post keeping them completely anonymous. And when people are anonymous they (as seen in this example) will say anything they want no matter how hurtful, inaccurate or shameful it is. Sad reflection of our behavior isn’t it?
I am the Online Community Organizer at LifeChurch.tv. You can check out our Internet Campus, Life Groups and Second Life Campus. And you don't want to miss out on YouVersion. An online bible software with the social network cooked in - built by our AMAZING Digerati Team! However, everything here is my own personal opinion and not necessarily the opinion of my church.
