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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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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New Twitter list: @DaveBourgeois/online-ministry

As I endeavor to stay on top of all the latest news and opinion surrounding online ministry, I have turned to Twitter as a resource. By “following” those who post about Internet ministry, I can keep up to date with what they are thinking and get the latest news and opinion in near real-time. I have a love-hate relationship with Twitter, which you can read about here, but do feel that there are some ways it can be used as a positive contributor to my work. Since I also follow a multitude of other people besides those who tweet regarding online ministry, I have created a Twitter “list” of those who fall into the Internet ministry category so I can better track them.

And you can follow it too: the list name is:  ”@DaveBourgeois/online-ministry“. If you have suggestions for others to be on this list (including yourself), let me know in the comments. My only criteria is that those in the list use Twitter to post primarily about online ministry. I will be actively managing this list, so if someone on the list tweets mostly outside of this topic, they will be removed.

Here’s the current list right now:

Tags: twitter

Highlights from around the web – 1/11/10

As I shared in my last post, I am actively seeking out others who are writing and researching in the area of Internet ministry. I am using Google Reader as my main tool to manage this, which gives me the opportunity to share the best of what I am reading through its “shared items” feature.  For those interested, you can view all of those shared items here.  Here is what I have shared in the past couple of weeks:

• Facebook's Open Graph
  Posted: January 11, 2010
  From: Digital @ Leadership Network
  Pretty cool technology - those of you using Facebook should become aware of this...
• God Does Not Post to YouTube? Dr. Read Schuchardt on the Morality of Media
  Posted: January 11, 2010
  From: Don't Eat The Fruit
  It is always wise for us to think before we adopt any new technology. Here is a viewpoint that can teach us about how to think about using technology - even if we do not necessarily agree with his choices.
• Have You Ever Wished You Had an “I Give Online” Token?
  Posted: January 10, 2010
  From: Don't Eat The Fruit
  This article provides great insight into the impact of technology on our ministries. Similar to Shane Hipps examination of "the medium is the message", we need to understand the greater message of each technology we implement.
• The #1 Resolution for Your Website in 2010 Should Be…
  Posted: January 8, 2010
  From: Christian Web Trends Blog by OurChurch.Com
  Great post from Paul Steinbruck about creating measurable goals for your online ministry. And then measuring them.
• 15 years that changed the world
  Posted: January 8, 2010
  From: Digital Evangelism Issues
  Internet Evangelism Day is coming on April 25th. Here is an article giving you the latest info on how you can be a part of it.
• ChristianityToday Weights in on Online Churches
  Posted: January 8, 2010
  From: Christian Web Trends Blog by OurChurch.Com
  More around the online church debate, this time from Christianity Today.
• 8 Things to Avoid When Building a Community
  Posted: January 8, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Great piece about how to use social media to build community online.
• The Price of Pearl Jam’s New Single: One Tweet
  Posted: January 8, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Here is an example of how to use Twitter to interact directly with those who want your product.
• How Social Media Has Changed Us
  Posted: January 8, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  This article discusses the impact of social media on our culture and on us as individuals. This has implications for how we should think about communication with those to whom we are trying to minister.
• How Social Media and the Web Helped Avatar Make $1 Billion
  Posted: January 8, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Some lessons here for those of us working to understand how to integrate social media into our marketing efforts. Now if only we had a budget the size of this...
• Worth Revisiting: Excellence/Effectiveness
  Posted: January 4, 2010
  From: LifeChurch.tv : swerve
  Interesting article from swerve, the Lifechurch blog.
• HOW TO: Do Almost Anything Online in 2010
  Posted: January 4, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  This is a very useful list of how to do all kinds of online activities. Never understood how Twitter could help you? Want to track goals online? Check it out.
• Drew Carey Ups the Ante in the $1 Million LIVESTRONG Campaign
  Posted: January 2, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  Here is an example of using social media (Twitter in this case) for a good cause. How could churches do something like this?
• In 2009, Social Media Overtook Web 2.0
  Posted: January 2, 2010
  From: Mashable!
  This is all about terminology: "web 2.0" vs "social media". I prefer the term "social media" because it actually describes what we are talking about.
• 10 Things I Learned from the Online Church Blog Series
  Posted: December 25, 2009
  From: Christian Web Trends Blog by OurChurch.Com
  This is a great summary of the current state of online churches...I agree with all of these conclusions!
• Ministry Excellence - DJ Turner interview, Director of Communications, Denver Seminary
  Posted: December 21, 2009
  From: State of Ministry Online
• The Case for Excellence - Excellence is our Christian Calling
  Posted: December 16, 2009
  From: State of Ministry Online
• Why Excellence? Building a Case for Excellence in Online Ministry
  Posted: December 14, 2009
  From: State of Ministry Online
• Research - Internet Ministry Best
  Posted: October 10, 2009
  From: State of Ministry Online
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I will posting these highlights around once a week. If you are interested in keeping up with the latest in Internet ministry news and opinion, subscribe to this blog or directly to my shared items feed.  Clicking these links takes you to a screen where you can subscribe in a reader or even get an email whenever a new items is added. And I’d love comments on what you think about what I am sharing or if you have any recommended stories yourself!