Social Media Is Not A Fad

Want proof? Check out these statistics... I think this video should not only motivate us to think differently about the next generation and how the Church can reach them, but this can also help to birth new ideas on how to use social media. Enjoy!

Social Networking in Purchases

I'm sure you've seen "user ratings" on many on-line shopping sites. If you like the product you purchased, you write about it. If you didn't like it, you write about that.

For an example, check out my review of a ceiling fan at Costco.com. (Search for "RobPDX".)

It feels very empowering to be able to give that feedback.

Notice that the fan's "home page" at Costco.com lists the rating above the price. Also above the price is the ability to "Share this Product".

Gary Hamel recently wrote in his blog at The Wall Street Journal:

The Internet has produced a dramatic shift in bargaining power — from producers to consumers. Armed with near perfect information, customers are able to batter down prices on just about everything. For many companies, well-informed customers are now a bigger threat to margins than well-armed competitors.

How can we use this idea of "customer ratings" to enhance our outreach? Is this completely a retail idea?

Interesting website and service style

I found this and thought it was extremely interesting from 2 vantage points...

1) They are using the internet and social media as a key tool for reaching new people, as seen by the prominent placing of links on their website.

And...
2) They have a unique vision of mixing new, modern worship style and group discussion with a very liturgical tradition (Scripture reciting and weekly communion).

Here's the link - http://www.theuptownchurch.org/

-Curtis

RSS feed error

Hey Rob (i'm asking it on the blog in case anyone else has this same question/problem/challenge),

i thought i had correctly put this blog into my mac mail account for RSS feeds - it does show as the only thing in my RSS folder of my mac mail account - but it hasn't updated itself since 8/7, so i figure i must have messed up something when i set it up. Also, my gmail account is not getting notified when there is a new post on the blog. i don't have a problem just checking the blog to see what's new, but was hoping at least one of my email accounts would be notified when there are changes. If i have not muddled this further with my explanation, let me know if there is anything you can suggest. Thanks Techno-Man!

in Christ,

tad

Twitter Comic from Pastor Mark

"go primitive"

Today's entry for Urban Dictionary's word-of-the-day: "go primitive"

Instead of keyboarding or texting a long and detailed story someone suggests a phone call as a more direct way to have the conversation.

Dude, I'm good with texting but this is giving me carpel tunnel, let's go primitive. I'll call you tomorrow at 8.

A quote right up our alley...

"The question confronting the church today is not any longer whether the man in the street can grasp a religious message, but how to employ the communications media so as to let him have the full impact of the Gospel message." - PJP2

What is the most streamlined way to use this blog?

(did you all hear my accent in that title?)

: )

I am signed into this blog with my gmail account, but i was really hoping to change that to either of my other two more regularly-used email accounts. Either way, even my gmail account has not been getting email alerts when blogs are posted...or is that, "posts are blogged?", so i'm still trying to feel around as to what is the best way to use this thing. Should i/we just keep the blog as a favorite on our web browsers? Should we subscribe to the RSS feeds? On that note, i haven't seen a way to do that subscription on my Comcast email account webpage (on my Mac), but with my mac.com email account there is a place for RSS feeds...and yet that email address (bigya@mac.com) is not the email account i use to log into the blog page....so there is a bit of confusion.

Also, i have not found the "BlogSend Address" list and the "Comment Notification Email"

as mentioned in an earlier post here.

My apologies as i know i have used vowels, and consonants, and too many of each, but hopefully my questions make sense and will also help someone else.

We're in!

Hey, after working on this for hours I think we are finally in! Maybe we will become technology savvy yet. See you guys in a few minutes.

Dick and Carolyn

New to Me!

This is all new to me, but I am anxious to learn whatever I can from all the experts I am surrounded by. Please be patient with my learning curve.....Pastor welcomed me to join this group, so here goes......

A Use for Twitter

Mark read this from USA Today:

JetBlue and United airlines are offering their Twitter followers first dibs on some discounted fares, using the uber-trendy form of messaging to quickly connect with customers and fill seats on flights that might otherwise take off less than full.

Go to http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-08-02-jetblue-united-twitter-airfares_N.htm?POE=click-refer to read more.

Good Definition for Twitter

I found this definition of Twitter from the International Children's MinistryInsight E-Mag - August 2009. Ryan Frank, Children's Pastor at Liberty Baptist Church in Sweetser, Indiana explained it this way:

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service (no, I didn’t use those terms with the grandparents). Here’s how I explained it to them. Instead of sending a dozen e-mails or text messages, you send one message to your Twitter account, and it goes to all your friends (or followers). You could also explain it as a service that functions like a giant bulletin board where anyone can stick a short note. (by Ryan Frank, Children's Pastor at Liberty Baptist Church in Sweetser, Indiana)

He goes on to give 10 reasons ministry leaders should Twitter. If you want to read the whole article, follow this link http://www.incm.org/resources_insight_0809_twitter.html

Deleted wiki

The wiki is dead. Long live the blog.

Media Materials

To download the materials from Dan's July 28th presentation, click the links below.

• Ranking the Top 100 Global Brands (pdf)
  
• Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants (pdf)
  
• Social Media Basics (ppt)

How do I set my account to notify me by email that new postings have been added?

Finding the discussion...

OK gang, my fourth email account, but if it helps improve my "digital accent" I'm all in.

A great discussion last night. The implications are exciting. It also raises interesting connections as to why "natives" physiologically connect with a post-modern worldview. This includes relativism, and the tendency to synthesize "truths" from a variety of perspectives, even when they are from contradicting worldviews.

Back on topic... What's our "message"? Granted, the gospel is our message. But when people hear and see us online, what is it we want them to know about us? If we are targeting the young families, it seems we need to know the topics they are communicating about in order to enter the conversations. Parenting? Teaching truth to children? Finding safe environments for social interaction? The exciting thing is that we do have good things to offer for many of these concerns.
So, who might we want to ask this of? What young parents connect this way? Christy's come to mind.
OK, I'll stop there.
When is a blog post too long? Should it be short? Only address one topic? Rob - help a brother out :)

You have to read this!

I just got the following email from Dick and Carolyn:

Pastor,

We are going out of town and will be back before Sunday. We had 250 emails regarding the last night's meeting. (ha ha) We'll get "googled up" when we return.

Dick and Carolyn

Pastor Mark asked me to join in on this blog so I could be informed of all updates for this team.

Thanks!!
Kenna

Wiki or blog? Blog or wiki?

Pastor Mark asked by e-mail, "Help me understand why we need a wiki page as well as our other site that you set up. I am sure if I have this question that most of the others do also."

I replied, "We definitely won't want both. We'll want to choose one or the other (or some other option). I set up both so people can get an idea of what they offer."

My personal preference is the blog over the wiki, but they both have their merits.

Hey Rob, thanks for setting this up. My ONLY critique is that i had been hoping to whittle down my number of email accounts (and delete my Gmail account), but it looks like we can't use our regular email accounts here? Oh well...

Lots of good foundational social/techno stuff discussed last night, it will be interesting to see where this goes. Take care all!

in Christ,

tad

Welcome

This is a place where the Media Outreach Team from Portland First Church of the Nazarene can come to discuss ... whatever we need to discuss.

The plan is to allow multiple people to post and allow anyone to comment.

So here we go.