Highlights from around the web – 4/27/2010
It’s been a couple weeks, but here are the latest things that caught my eye from around the web in the past few days. I subscribe to dozens of blogs and news sources via my Google Reader and share them. You can keep up with them by following me on Twitter or even subscribing directly. I will also post them here in my blog from time to time.
- More Than Half of Mobile Internet Time Is Spent on Social Networks [STATS]Posted: April 23, 2010From: Mashable!More stats to support the trend: mobile and social is where it is at.
- 3 Ways for Your Ministry to Generate Income via Live BroadcastsPosted: April 23, 2010From: ChurchCrunchHave you thought about live streaming different parts of your ministries? Here some good reasons to think about it.
- HOW TO: Boost Your SEO with a YouTube ChannelPosted: April 19, 2010From: Mashable!Great insights into how to use YouTube as a way to boost your search engine results.
- Global Media Outreach Hosts Webinar on Internet Impact, Mission Outreach PotentialPosted: April 19, 2010From: Christian Media 2.0Global Media Outreach is one of the leaders in online evangelism. Join them on Wednesday for a webinar on how to use the Internet for evangelism.
- 10 SEO Myths Ministries Need to Avoid Like the PlaguePosted: April 19, 2010From: ChurchCrunchGreat set of SEO myths - which ones do you believe?
- What’s the Difference? Facebook Profiles, Groups and PagesPosted: April 16, 2010From: tonystewardNice article that clearly defines the differences between profiles, groups, and pages. If you created a profile for something that should be a group or a page, now is the time to change it!
- New Study Shows the Mobile Web Will Rule by 2015 [STATS]Posted: April 13, 2010From: Mashable!More data to backup the move to a post-web site world.
- Non-Profit and Ministry Basic Training for Facebook PagesPosted: April 9, 2010From: tonystewardAnother great resource for those wanting to create Facebook pages for their ministry.
- Free Webinar: Developing a Social Media Strategy for Your ChurchPosted: April 8, 2010Live webinar on social media strategy April 14th @ 11AM EDT.
- Facebook: Your Best Primary Online PresencePosted: April 8, 2010From: tonystewardLifeChurch is going to make Facebook their primary online presence for their campuses. Wow. Is this a good move?
- Plugin by C. Murray Consulting
Highlights from around the web – 4/7/2010
Here are the latest things that caught my eye from around the web in the past few days. I subscribe to dozens of blogs and news sources via my Google Reader and share them. You can keep up with them by following me on Twitter or even subscribing directly. I will also post them here in my blog from time to time.
- BibleTech Recap #1: The First MMM PresentationPosted: April 5, 2010From: Mobile Ministry MagazineHere's a presentation on the next ten years of mobile...
- Creating a Facebook Page for Your Church, Part 3Posted: April 2, 2010From: ChurchCrunchHere is part 3 of the series on Facebook page creation for churches.
- Can the Church Learn Social Media Lessons from a Pizza Place?Posted: April 2, 2010Great example of social media use. And great application for churches and ministries.
- Can the Church Learn Social Media Lessons from a Pizza Place?Posted: April 2, 2010Great example of social media use. And great application for churches and ministries.
- HOW TO: Integrate Paid Search and Social Media for Better Marketing ResultsPosted: April 2, 2010From: Mashable!This is starting to become a trend...social and SEO should work together...
- Internet Evangelism Idea #1: Using CraigsList to Serve Local People in NeedPosted: April 2, 2010Ever thought of using Craigslist as a ministry or evangelism tool? It's not as crazy as it sounds...
- Creating a Facebook Page for Your Ministry, Part 4Posted: April 2, 2010From: ChurchCrunchThe last in this four-part series detailing just how to create a killer Facebook page for your company (or ministry!).
- Plugin by C. Murray Consulting
Highlights from around the web – 4/2/2010
Here are the latest things that caught my eye from around the web in the past few days. I subscribe to dozens of blogs and news sources via my Google Reader and share them. You can keep up with them by following me on Twitter or even subscribing directly. I will also post them here in my blog from time to time.
- Perry Noble, NewSpring Church Kill Internet CampusPosted: March 31, 2010Find out why NewSpring decided to shut down their Internet campus.
- Social Media Guidelines and Policies from North Point MinistriesPosted: March 30, 2010From: ChurchCrunchHere's one church's social media guidelines. Does your ministry have one?
- Foursquare, Gowalla and More on a Google Map [Apps]Posted: March 30, 2010From: Mashable!Ever wanted to know where people were "checking in" via location-based apps such as Foursquare? Are other churches in your area using these tools? This app could help you figure it out...
- Has Social Media Made SEO Irrelevant?Posted: March 30, 2010Interesting discussion on the effectiveness of search engine optimization vs. social media "optimization". I think you need both, but you'll need to determine which is working best for you.
- Social networking: the future of denominationsPosted: March 30, 2010From: Think ChristianHere are some innovative ways that denominations are using the web. Very inspiring - check it out.
- Plugin by C. Murray Consulting
Highlights from around the web – 3/30/2010
Here are the latest things that caught my eye from around the web in the past few days. I subscribe to dozens of blogs and news sources via my Google Reader and share them. You can keep up with them by following me on Twitter or even subscribing directly. I will also post them here in my blog from time to time.
- Foursquare’s Growth Not Slowing Down: 725,000 Users, 22 Million CheckinsPosted: March 29, 2010From: Mashable!Foursquare keeps growing. Has your ministry considered the use of location-based techologies?
- Day Two: No One Even Attempts Hacking Chrome at Pwn2Own Competition [Security]Posted: March 28, 2010From: LifehackerOK, a bit off topic, but interesting... Are you using the Google Chrome browser yet?
- Theology, Ecclesiology & Technology: Is it a Big Deal?Posted: March 28, 2010From: Christian Media 2.0Some great comments and questions all gathered in one place here. Take a look at this entry and answer his closing question: What do you think is the most important theological question related to using technology to carry out the functions of the church?
- CTIA 2010 in Review: Top Trends in MobilePosted: March 28, 2010From: Mashable!Here are top trends to be aware of. As I have said before: we are in a post-website world...
- Matrix: Evolution of Social Media Integration and Corporate WebsitesPosted: March 28, 2010From: Web Strategy by JeremiahHere's a great roadmap for going social. It starts simple (link to your Facebook page) and ends up with full social integration. Where is your ministry on this list?
- 5 Essential Apps for Your Business’s Facebook Fan PagePosted: March 28, 2010From: Mashable!If you've got your fan page going, here are 5 great apps to use to make them better and more interactive. Look for some of these on my own "Lessons From Babel" fan page soon!
- 5 Ways Non-Profits Can Increase Engagement With YouTubePosted: March 26, 2010From: Mashable!Great guide on how to utilize YouTube for your ministry.
- Plugin by C. Murray Consulting
Evolution of social media integration
As you know, I regularly share posts I read via my Google Reader shared items. This weekend, however, I read a post that I thought should be highlighted in my blog. One of the blogs I follow is Jeremiah Owyan’s “Web Strategy”. Yesterday, he posted an entry entitled “Matrix: Evolution of Social Media Integration and Corporate Websites”. In this post, he includes a matrix that shows an evolution of how and organization can evolve their social media strategy, starting with with “do nothing” and ending with “full integration”. But how do you get from nothing to everything? That’s the best part of this matrix: it gives you the baby steps in-between.
I am reproducing the matrix below, but I encourage you to go and read the entire post to get the full scope of how to use it. Though it is written for businesses, ministries and non-profits can also benefit from it.
| Sophistication | Example | Benefit | Challenge |
| 1) Do nothing, no social integration | Corporate websites that have no integration with social tools at all. | Cheap. Ignorance is bliss, at least in the short term | Your corporate website is irrelevant. |
| 2) Link directly away without a strategy | Corporate homepages that have chickelts that say “Follow us on Twitter/Facebook/YouTube” sending traffic away, seesharethis, add this andtweetmeme | Encourages growth of social channels | Sending traffic away, without having a strategy |
| 3) Link away, but encourage them to share with a pre-populated message | A chicklet that encourages new Twitter followers to Tweet at their friends “I’m no following X brand” | Triggers a social alert as a form of endorsement | Better than the above, it may not have a followup or call to action |
| 4) Brand experience is integrated in social channels | Extending the brand to social channels, so the corporate experience is somewhat mirrored on social channels | Regardless of wherever users go, they are still experiencing the brand | Social channels sometimes serve better as a conversational area –not for traditional branding campaigns |
| 5) Aggregating the discussion on your site | Aggregating select conversations from Tweets like the skittles homepage did, top discussions in communities or blogs, see Disqus and Echo. | Centralizes the discussion on your site, making it a resource to first look at. Low cost content | Lack of control over which content can be created, still links off site |
| 6) Social login systems that allow users to stay on site | Using FB connect, or Twitter connect allow users to use their existing logins to access site, see how JanRain andGigya (client) helps | May increase sign ups, widening marketing funnel, chances are content is more accurate than a sign up form | May not have access to email addresses, as users passthrough using social logins. |
| 7) Social login systems that allow users to stay on site, but triggers viral loop | In addition to the above, there’s an actual social or interactive experience on the corporate site that triggers them to share with their friends | Users stay on site, interact with brand or peers, yet recruit other members in social networks | Requires planning, a campaign, and extensive resources. |
| 8. Complete integration between corporate site and social sites | Other than URLs there’s no difference between a corporate site and a social site, the experiences are seamless | Customers, prospects, and employees mix together, churning on new members and viral activity | It doesn’t exist, yet. |
Highlights from around the web – 3/26/2010
Here are the latest things that caught my eye from around the web in the past few days. I subscribe to dozens of blogs and news sources via my Google Reader and share them. You can keep up with them by following me on Twitter or even subscribing directly. I will also post them here in my blog from time to time.
- Why Your Brand Needs to Be on Facebook NowPosted: March 25, 2010From: Mashable!Still not sure about using Facebook? And yes - your ministry IS a brand.
- Creating a Facebook Page for Your Ministry, Part 2Posted: March 25, 2010From: ChurchCrunchMore in this great series about creating a Facebook page for your ministry. Great details and examples!
- AdMob: Smartphone Usage Up, iPhone and Android on the RisePosted: March 25, 2010From: Mashable!These stats show the increase in Smartphone usage. I truly believe that in the next five years (or less), all phones will be smartphones. Imagine everyone with an iPhone (or similar) device!
- Internet Ministry ResearchPosted: March 25, 2010From: Kingdom StrategistIs your ministry helping other ministries succeed? One easy way to do this is to participate in our research project. This article by Kevin Ring explains.
- Creating a Facebook Page for Your Church, Part 1Posted: March 24, 2010From: ChurchCrunchAbsolutely great overview of creating a Facebook page...Print this out and use it to get yourself started!
- Plugin by C. Murray Consulting
Highlights from around the web – 3/23/2010

Here are the latest things that caught my eye from around the web in the past few days. I subscribe to dozens of blogs and news sources via my Google Reader and share them. You can keep up with them by following me on Twitter or even subscribing directly. I will also post them here in my blog from time to time.
- Mobile Benchmarks 2010: SMS w/Non-ProfitsPosted: March 21, 2010From: Mobile Ministry MagazineThe future is mobile and social...here's some info on the mobile part...
- Social Networking Usage Surges Globally [STATS]Posted: March 21, 2010From: Mashable!More stats on social networks, this one focusing on the amount of time spent...
- Yelp for Business: 4 Steps for SuccessPosted: March 21, 2010From: Mashable!If you're a location-based ministry, consider adding yourself to Yelp! And churches, I would do this now!
- Five Free Tools for Measuring Your Search MarketingPosted: March 19, 2010OurChurch recommends these tools for measuring your success in the world of Google and Bing.
- 10 Essential Social Media Tips for B2B MarketersPosted: March 19, 2010From: Mashable!This is a GREAT list of "tips" for using social media. If you liked my "getting in their stream" post a while back, this is a "to do" list for doing so!
- Gowalla and The GospelPosted: March 19, 2010I've been thinking for some time now that these location-based applications will be a strategic tool in the ministry toolbox. Here are some ideas on how this could be done...
- 4 Easy Ways to Engage Your Facebook FansPosted: March 19, 2010From: Mashable!OK, so you've created your Facebook fan page. Now what? Here's some ideas how your ministry could engage online...
- Plugin by C. Murray Consulting
Highlights from around the web – 3/19/2010
Here are the latest things that caught my eye from around the web in the past few days. I subscribe to dozens of blogs and news sources via my Google Reader and share them. You can keep up with them by following me on Twitter or even subscribing directly. I will also post them here in my blog from time to time.
- Theory Meets Practice In Online MinistryPosted: March 16, 2010From: Collide MagazineBen Simpson from Collide makes a great suggestion: let's move the debate about church online forward by providing examples, both "pro" and "con". I agree. And let's do some real research on this topic as well.
- Google: Mobile Query Growth “Dramatically Higher” Than PCPosted: March 16, 2010From: CMO.comGoogle lets us know that search is mobile as well.
- Five Free Tools for SEOPosted: March 16, 2010More search engine optimization info from OurChurch. This time, links to some SEO tools.
- Plugin by C. Murray Consulting
Highlights from around the web – 3/16/2010
Here are the latest things that caught my eye from around the web in the past few days. I subscribe to dozens of blogs and news sources via my Google Reader and share them. You can keep up with them by following me on Twitter or evensubscribing directly. I will also post them here in my blog from time to time.
- Learn Church SEO at Church Marketing Online UniversityPosted: March 14, 2010OurChurch.com is offering a set of articles for SEO - check them out!
- SEO & Social Media ROI: Ye Have Not Because Ye Ask NotPosted: March 14, 2010Great reminder that we need to go beyond the use of search and social media and be sure we are measuring as well.
- Top 10 Social Media WORST PracticesPosted: March 12, 2010From: CMO.comSome great ideas about what NOT to do with social media. Though written for businesses, ministries could do well to pay attention.
- Facebook To Announce Plans To Take Over The Internet With Facebook PagesPosted: March 10, 2010From: www.businessinsider.comFacebook wants to expand its "fan page" feature to all pages on the Internet. So now you won't need a separate page inside Facebook to get all the features of the social network. This seems like a logical evolution for Facebook - now companies won't have to maintain a separate Facebook presence.
- Plugin by C. Murray Consulting
Highlights from around the web – 3/9/2010
I haven’t been blogging much in the past week while I was speaking at the TIEN conference in Istanbul, Turkey. I am back and should get into the blogging groove again soon. Stay tuned! In the meantime, here is my regular update from my Google Reader shared items:
Here are the latest things that caught my eye from around the web in the past few days. I subscribe to dozens of blogs and news sources via my Google Reader and share them. You can keep up with them by following me on Twitter or evensubscribing directly. I will also post them here in my blog from time to time.
- TextMarks Makes Sending Mass Text Messages EasyPosted: March 5, 2010From: Mashable!Here is a way to set up a text message campaign quite easily.
- Understanding the Participatory News Consumer | Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life ProjectPosted: March 5, 2010From: pewinternet.orgGreat research about how people get news. The points made here in this research are something to consider when developing strategy for online ministry. The importance of developing online connections with people cannot be understated!
- 9 Search Engine Marketing Questions Every Organization Should Be Able to AnswerPosted: March 4, 2010More search engine optimization insights...
- Plugin by C. Murray Consulting
This blog is where I share the latest thoughts on the world of technology and faith. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment. To find out more about me, my company, and this web site, or to see what resources are available on this site, click on the images right below this.


