Interviews with leaders in the online ministry field

Have you ever wanted to pick the brain of some of the top names in online ministry?   Have you ever wondered what they thought it meant to be “excellent”? As part of the preparation for our study on excellence and presentations for the CLA 2010 Ministry Internet and Technology Summit, StateOfMinistryOnline has conducted several interviews with top ministry leaders, asking the question: what does it mean to be excellent online?

Interviewees include:

• Cynthia Ware, Executive Director of the Center for Church Communications
• Eric Célérier, founder of TopChrétien.com
• Matt Perman, Senior Director of Strategy for Desiring God
• DJ Turner, Executive Director Communications Denver Seminary
• Dr. Richard Krejcir, Director of Into Thy Word

Here are some highlight quotes from the interviews, see if you can figure out who said them:

Sometimes online excellence is seen when someone has taken the initiative and laid the foundation for others to follow.

Great content must be wedded with high usability. If you have excellent content but it’s hard to use the content is obscured. Not focusing on usability creates distortion that gets in the way of the content. Even if you have financial resources and a competent staff, poor usability will lead to an ineffective website.

When you go to a restaurant, you don’t go just for the food or for the look of the dining room, you go for the experience. This is how Facebook draws so many people: not just the content, not just the design, but the experience of it. The experience of a web site is created by how you navigate through the content. When you are designing your site, foremost consideration must be given for how the users will experience it!

Go read the interviews at StateOfMinistryOnline to figure out who said these and to get much, much more insight!

Of course, it couldn’t let this finish without reminding you of the CLA 2010 conference coming up in San Diego in April. And encouraging you to come! I am part of the team putting together a special 12-session summit on the Internet and technology, where we will be taking the principles learned from these interviews and other research and presenting them.

Also, if you are interested in coming (or even if you’re not!), please consider taking the online survey we have developed to help us further our research. For your time (about 20 minutes), you will receive a $50 discount to the conference.

Tags: CLA 2010, Interviews, state of ministry online

Getting in their stream

I wrote last week that I believe we are now in a “post-website” world, where the organizational website, while important, is no longer the centerpiece of how we interact online.  Continuing to think along these lines, the question then becomes: what should be the main focus of our online communications and interactions?

My answer to that question is not simple. I believe that the best way to interact with our target audience is to build relationships with them online.  And one way to build relationships with them is to insert ourselves into the “streams” of information that they consume everyday.  To have the maximum reach possible, we must understand the streams that our potential audience wades through on a daily basis and become part of it.

› Continue reading

Tags: facebook, post-web site world, stream, twitter

Living in a post-web site world

Whenever someone comes up to me requesting help for their church or ministry’s Internet effort, I usually get asked a question such as: “How can we make our website better?”  In my opinion, this is the wrong question to ask.  We are now living in a “post-website” world. I don’t know when this happened, but over the past year or so, there has been a shift away from the organization website being the centerpiece of the online world. We need to go where the people are; they are not going to come to us. The advent of social media, including the massive popularity and mainstreaming of Facebook, has changed the game. The question should now be: “What should our online strategy be?”

This is not to say that you don’t need a web site. A web site is your stake in the ground, it is how people will find information about you if they are looking for it. But it is not going to be your primary means of interaction. Sure, you can build your own social network or your own photo-sharing site, but what is going to draw people to it? They are already on Facebook! They are already on Twitter, YouTube, Buzz, MySpace, LinkedIn, and many others! Do your research and find out where the people whom you want to reach are going and then go there yourself! Your strategy should include an intentional focus on specific social media sites based on your research.

So what does this look like? For many, it means Facebook, absolutely. For others, it means getting on board with mobile technologies. Looking forward (as you must do) it should include location-based technologies such as FourSquare or Yelp! And be sure you are getting on board with the augmented reality applications starting to appear! It can be overwhelming, but by making intentional choices, you can move forward in a strategic way that will bring success. If your ministry is struggling with strategic decisions regarding online ministry, consider working with someone like me who is keeping on top of these technologies and can provide strategic planning and advice.

So what do you think? Is the web site as the priority Internet presence a thing of the past? Can an organization get away with a minimal website if they focus on social media sites instead?

Help us help you: excellence in online ministry

I told you earlier this week about the Ministry Internet & Technology Summit at CLA 2010. One of the themes of this summit is going to be “excellence in online ministry”. I am part of a research team that is putting this project together – and if you are part of an online ministry effort, I need your help!

The cornerstone of this research project is an online survey that will help us understand just what online ministries are doing, why they are doing it, and how effective they are. The results of this survey, combined with interviews and in-depth conversations, will provide our team with the resources needed to develop materials that can make your online ministry excellent.

So will you help us? The survey should take under 30 minutes. I know, this is still a lot of time, but we ask your patience in completing the entire survey to give us the full picture of your ministry.  Those who complete the survey will receive a discount code good for $50 off of the conference registration.

Start the survey by clicking here.

If you would like more background on the conference or the team that is working on the project, see our website: State of Ministry Online.  And if you are not part of an online ministry team, but you know someone who is, please forward them a link to this post or to the survey and ask them to help us out!

Tags: CLA 2010, excellence in online ministry

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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