Internet & Technology Summit – CLA 2010

Do you want to network with those who working on the same technology projects as you? Need to know what the latest technology trends are? Do you want to know how to be “excellent” in online ministry? Or maybe you just need an excuse to go to San Diego in April? Come to the Ministry Internet & Technology Summit from April 19 to 21 in San Diego, CA. This summit is part of the larger Christian Leadership Alliance’s annual conference.

Presenters include:

• Cynthia Ware, Executive Director Center for Church Communications
• Nick Nicholau, President Ministry Business Services and Co-founder Ministry Technology Institute
• Drew Goodmanson, CEO Monk Development
• Steve Hewitt, editor-in-chief Christian Computing Magazine
• Kevin Ring, President Unconventional Method
• Steve Hewitt, Editor-in-Chief, Christian Computing magazine
• Ron Weber, COO Trinet Internet Solutions
• …and me!

For more detail on the sessions, take a look at this PDF of page 8 of the conference brochure.  For full details of the conference, take a look at the full brochure.

Watch this blog for more info on how you can make these sessions even more effective by participating in research and giving us feedback on what is important to you (and get a discount on the conference as well!).

Tags: CLA 2010

Highlights from around the web – 2/5/2010

Here are the most interesting, instructive, and innovative articles from around the web that I’ve read in the past few days.   I am sharing these, along with my comments on them, via Google Reader – you can read them all there or subscribe to the feed if you like.

• Announcing the Excellence in Online Ministry Survey
  Posted: February 3, 2010
  From: State of Ministry Online
  State of Ministry Online is launching their survey. If you are part of an online ministry, take a few minutes to do the survey and you'll score a discount to the CLA 2010 conference.
• Teens Just Don’t Blog or Tweet [STATS]
  Posted: February 3, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  The Pew Internet project just released a new report on teen use of the Internet. If you are targeting teens with social media, this is the scoop on what they do.
• Who We Are Is Who We Are
  Posted: February 3, 2010
  From: Collide Magazine
  A great perspective on the use of social media by...everyone. How do you use social media? How do those in your ministry see you using it?
• 3 New Ways to Measure the Social Web
  Posted: February 3, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  One of the keys to a good online strategy is to have measurable goals. This article gives you three ways to measure your social media interactions. Are you using any of these?
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Tags: pew internet

Are you following “best practices” for online ministry?

Since many of you may be new to my blog and research, I wanted to make you aware of the “resources” section and some of the online ministry tools I have put there. The “resources” section is available both at my main site and my Facebook page.

One of my first projects in the area of online ministry was to seek an answer to the question: what makes online ministry successful? This led to the development of a research project to determine the “best practices” in online ministry.  From November 2007 to April 2008, over 300 ministries took a survey and reported on how they were doing Internet ministry. From the data collected, a series of “best practices” were developed matching ministries who reported success with their Internet presence with answers to the survey questions. I presented the results of this research at the Internet Ministry Conference in October 2008. › Continue reading

Tags: Best Practices, research

Is your online presence credible? Thoughts about the book “Persuasive Technology”

As you know, I am now on a “half-sabbatical” for the next two semesters here at Biola, with one of the outcomes being a book on using the Internet and social media for ministry. As part of this process, I am spending some time reviewing some different materials for possible inclusion in the book and/or my online course this summer.  As I complete my review of these materials, I will post a summary to this blog. To see all my reviews, click here.

Yesterday, I finished working my way through Persuasive Technology by B.J. Fogg. Dr. Fogg is the founder and leading researcher in the field of “captology”, which is defined as the design, research, and analysis of interactive computing products created for the purpose of changing people’s attitudes or behaviors. Though not written specifically to help churches and ministries with their online efforts, this book has a myriad of insights that are extremely applicable to those us interested in understanding how our ministries can have a more effective online presence.

› Continue reading

Tags: bj fogg, persuasive technology

Highlights from around the web – 2/2/2010

Here is the latest online ministry news and opinion from around the web.  I am sharing these via Google Reader – you can read them all there or subscribe to the feed if you like.

• Microsoft’s Tag Links the Physical World To the Internet
  Posted: February 1, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Wouldn't it be great if you could put up ads with one of these barcodes that people could use to see a video about your ministry or share the gospel? Say in a bus station, or in a magazine ad, or even in your church mailings?
• A Blog-centric Multi-Ministry, Multi-Channel Church Communications Strategy
  Posted: January 31, 2010
  From: Christian Web Trends Blog by OurChurch.Com
  Here's an interesting strategy for church communications. I think I like it (read my comments). Read the article and comment on it to give Paul feedback.
• How Facebook Ads Filled My Church
  Posted: January 31, 2010
  From: Christian Web Trends Blog by OurChurch.Com
  Here is a story of how Facebook ads worked for a church. Facebook allows you to focus ads to particular users based on many demographics: location, age, gender, group membership, etc. Who would you target your ads to? Would your church or ministry consider advertising in this way?
• Baby Boomers and Seniors Are Flocking to Facebook [STATS]
  Posted: January 28, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  If your social media focus has been on the under 30 crowd, time to expand your horizons!
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Highlights from around the web – 1/28/10

Here is the latest online ministry news and opinion from around the web.  I am sharing these via Google Reader – you can read them all there or subscribe to the feed if you like.

• iBooks: Apple Answers the Kindle with a Digital Bookshelf Like No Other
  Posted: January 27, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  OK, this confirms it (if it wasn't already): eBooks are here to stay and are moving mainstream. Are you going to make your ministry's materials available to eBook readers? Time to start looking into it!
• Controversial Church’s Next Picketing Project: Twitter HQ
  Posted: January 27, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  OK. A church is picketing Twitter and tweeting about it... Sorry, I can't get behind this.
• Wednesday Website Weview – The Kingdom of God Christian Community
  Posted: January 27, 2010
  From: Christian Web Trends Blog by OurChurch.Com
  OurChurch reviews a new online church as part of the "Wednesday Website Weview". Some good advice for a new online church. I would love to see a review of an established church - anyone up for it?
• What the Web of Tomorrow Will Look Like: 4 Big Trends to Watch
  Posted: January 26, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Sink your teeth into these predictions and the implications they will have for your online presence.
• The Pope and Catholic Church: Thou Shalt Blog! Cyberpriests FTW!
  Posted: January 26, 2010
  From: ChurchCrunch
  Looks like the Pope's on board...
• 4 Myths About Social Media and Business
  Posted: January 26, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  A good overview of the use of social media for smaller ministries and churches.
• What's Changing, What's Not
  Posted: January 26, 2010
  From: Out of Ur
  Some trends to consider when developing strategy for your ministry...
• 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Avoid Social Media Panic
  Posted: January 22, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Yet another great guide from Mashable. This is very applicable to churches and ministries.
• Mike Elgan: Google quietly changes the world again
  Posted: January 22, 2010
  From: www.computerworld.com
  Interesting Computerworld article about new Google location services being rolled out. Imagine if people could walk up to your church and pull up all the notes that people had left about it: "I got saved here!" "Check out the bookstore" "I came here and no one talked to me"...
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Lessons From Babel now on Facebook

As many of you know, I will be on a “half-sabbatical” the next two semesters at Biola. My focus during this time will be to create a book on the strategic use of the Internet and social media for ministry (see my first blog post of the year for more details on what I am up to).  As I create this book, I want to collaborate with the best minds in Internet ministry: those who are doing it!  To get the best feedback possible, then, I need a lot of people reading what I post and giving me feedback! To make this easier for people, I have created a Facebook page for this blog. In fact, you may be reading this via Facebook right now!

I encourage you, if you haven’t already, to become a fan of this blog on Facebook and to share it with others who are doing ministry online as well. I also encourage you to interact with my posts and let me know what you think.  Thanks for your support and I look forward to good discussions on online ministry.

Tags: facebook

Highlights from around the web – 1/22/10

Here is the latest online ministry news and opinion from around the web.  I am sharing these via Google Reader – you can read them all there or subscribe to the feed if you like.

And for those of you wondering if I will ever publish any original content again – don’t worry! Original posts and thoughts regarding online ministry research, education, and innovation will begin again next week!

• Seesmic Look Tries to Take Twitter to the Masses
  Posted: January 21, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Interesting idea: create a customizable "viewer" for Twitter for those who don't want to tweet, but just want to watch. Maybe a ministry could customize one of these for those following it? Imagine a Twitter viewer that only showed the latest news from your favorite ministries or your church.
• 5 Ways to Fail as a Ministry Web Team
  Posted: January 20, 2010
  From: ChurchCrunch
  Great post by John on some of the non-technical success factors of web ministry.
• Cheat sheet on social networking
  Posted: January 20, 2010
  From: Digital Evangelism Issues
  Here are some great links to the use of social media for Christian ministry.
• Create Your Own iPhone or Android App in Minutes With iSites
  Posted: January 20, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Want to take your site and make it an iPhone or Android app? Maybe the question should be, what wouldn't you want to do it?
• HOW TO: Take Advantage of Social Media in Your E-mail Marketing
  Posted: January 20, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Do you send email as part of your web ministry? This article suggests integrating social media into those messages.
• Wednesday Website Weview – Scripts by Warren
  Posted: January 20, 2010
  From: Christian Web Trends Blog by OurChurch.Com
  Another web site review from OurChurch... Good advice for a "Christian Drama Site".
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Highlights from around the web – 1/19/10

Here is the latest online ministry news and opinion from around the web. I originally meant for this to be a weekly feature on my blog, but I am finding so much good stuff that I am going to start sharing every few days.   I am sharing these via Google Reader – you can read them all there or subscribe to the feed if you like.

• Don’t Fight Back
  Posted: January 18, 2010
  From: LifeChurch.tv : swerve
  Good advice from Craig at Lifechurch. It's also an interesting statement coming from a church that gets criticized quite a bit about its online campus. I have experienced the results of this advice firsthand: these guys do not want to talk about the validity of online church. They just do it.
• What Does It Mean to “Religiously Self-identify” Online?
  Posted: January 16, 2010
  From: Don't Eat The Fruit
  This is a powerful discussion of how identity differs in the online vs offline world. I might even liken this to the idea of how we have multiple "avatars" (both online and offline); we identify ourselves in many different ways, depending on context.
• Facebook's move ain't about changes in privacy norms
  Posted: January 16, 2010
  From: apophenia
  If you are interested in the Facebook "privacy is dead, get over it" debate, danah has a great alterna-take on it here.
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Highlights from around the web – 1/15/10

Here are the online ministry news and opinion highlights from around the web this week.  I am sharing these via Google Reader – you can read them all there or subscribe to the feed if you like.

• Vimeo Goes Mobile: Continues to be a Great Ministry Video Alternative
  Posted: January 15, 2010
  From: ChurchCrunch
  Vimeo is a video-sharing service alternative to YouTube. This article discusses a new feature they are offering regarding mobile video.
• 3 Things You Need to Know About Social Media Strategy
  Posted: January 15, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Here is another great summary from Mashable on one aspect of social media.
• Google Lures Local Businesses With Place Pages Bait
  Posted: January 15, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Another reason to be sure you are registered in Google's local business directory.
• Google Suggest Gets Location-Aware, Too
  Posted: January 15, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  For churches and local ministries: read this and then go register your organization as a local business in Google.
• Ministries Respond to Haiti Earthquake Via Social Media
  Posted: January 15, 2010
  From: Christian Web Trends Blog by OurChurch.Com
  Of course, the biggest news in this past week has been the Haiti earthquake. This article documents how ministries are using social media to get news and coordinate their responses.
• Tim Keller Is Not Your Pastor …
  Posted: January 15, 2010
  From: Collide Magazine
  Another older article that has some interesting implications. Should you put disclaimers on your web site on how NOT to use it?
• For Churches, Content Isn’t King
  Posted: January 15, 2010
  From: Collide Magazine
  This is a bit old, but I just got to it this week. What do you think, for a church web site, is content still the most important thing?
• The Case for Excellence - Providing Strategic Clarity
  Posted: January 14, 2010
  From: State of Ministry Online
  More from State Of Ministry Online - this time from yours truly!
• New CFCC Leadership
  Posted: January 14, 2010
  From: Church Marketing Sucks
  If you haven't checked out what the folks over at CFCC are doing, you are missing out. Whether you are a church or another sort of ministry, they are always providing great resources. And now, with a formal leadership structure in place, look for even greater things down the road!
• Wednesday Website Weview – The Grove Church, Hattiesburg, MS
  Posted: January 13, 2010
  From: Christian Web Trends Blog by OurChurch.Com
  This is the first of the website reviews that OurChurch.com will be doing. The review covers a lot of good ground. For more on what I think about this particular review, check out my comment.
• Twitter and Foursquare Become the New Loyalty Program at Tasti D-Lite
  Posted: January 13, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Here's another example of how Twitter and Foursquare are being integrated into businesses. How could this be used for ministry?
• 5 Tips for Creating a Successful Social Media Contest
  Posted: January 13, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Have you ever used some sort of contest or competition to get people to use your web site? I actually did this as part of my dissertation research into how online social networks affect the social capital of members of a community. And let me tell you: we got the highest usage of our social network site when we held our competition!
• Google Reclaims a Slice of its “Don’t Be Evil” Mystique
  Posted: January 13, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Though maybe not directly related to Internet ministry, this is an important story.
• Does Your Ministry ‘Like’ Your Web Team?
  Posted: January 13, 2010
  From: ChurchCrunch
  A great reminder of how people skills are an important part of online ministry.
• Passionate About Web Tech? Do Something About It (In the Real World)
  Posted: January 12, 2010
  From: ChurchCrunch
  Great post from John Saddington. One of the most difficult things to achieve, however, is figuring out the best way to merge the physical world with the virtual.
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