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!).

• 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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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.

How did I determine “best practices”? In the survey, I asked each ministry a set of questions that correlated with “success”. A “success score” was developed for each ministry. I then asked a series of questions about their online ministry practices in the area of technology, people, and process (my “Internet Ministry Framework”).  By taking the ministries who score the highest in their “success score” together, I was able to find which practices they had in common and develop a set of “best practices”.  The twelve best practices that I can recommend for any online ministry are as follows:

For full details on these best practice recommendations and more about the research project itself, download the report from the “Resources” section of either at my main site or my Facebook page. And while you’re there, take a look at the other resources available.

I am also looking to update these recommendations in the near future. If you have feedback or comments on these or other best practices, feel free to leave me a comment!

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.

There may be some who would ask: should a Christian ministry be learning about how to use technology to persuade people? Shouldn’t we just present our message and then let people make up their own minds about their faith without any technological convincing?  Isn’t the use of “persuasive technology” one step short of tricking someone into believing our message? This simple answer is: no. Persuasion is not coercion. In fact, I feel that anyone who wants to effectively share the gospel must understand how to persuade someone.  I would argue that anyone who puts up a web site, writes a blog, or even posts in Facebook is actually attempting to persuade: “go to my site!” “read my blog!” “like me more!”  It is incumbent upon us to use technology to its best effect for the cause of Christ; understanding how to make it more persuasive and credible is an important step in this.

Technology can be persuasive

The book begins by defining how computing technology can be persuasive.  Several categories of technology use are defined, along with the methods of persuasion that are associated with them. You can tell that Dr. Fogg is a researcher  and an academic by how he methodically moves through the definitions and categories, with each chapter building on the last.

In these first few chapters, there are several insights that those of us doing online ministry can learn from :

• One form of persuasion is the use of suggestions at “opportune” moments. These moments include: when one is in a good mood; when one finds their current world view no longer makes sense; when one can act on the suggestion immediately; and when one feels indebted because of a favor done for them, a mistake they have made, or a request they recently denied.
• The gentler the intervention to achieve behavior change, the better the long-term outcome.
• Simulations can be used for persuasion because they provide a safe environment to explore new roles or perspectives.
• Just as one can be more effectively persuaded by an attractive person, an attractive technology is more persuasive.
• Computers can motivate and persuade people more effectively when they share personality traits, opinions and attitudes, lifestyle, background with them.

Technology can be credible

It is the chapters beyond these opening, defining chapters, however, where this book becomes invaluable for online ministry.  Here Fogg begins describing the idea that a technology must be perceived as credible if it is going to be persuasive.  Perceived credibility is defined here as a combination of “perceived trustworthiness” and “perceived expertise”. You must be viewed strongly in at least one of these two components; being perceived poorly in either one will lose you credibility.    Dr. Fogg then takes these ideas of credibility and applies them to a research project on the credibility of web sites.  The results are a laundry list of web site characteristics and how they relate to credibility. In the book over fifty different characteristics are ranked by the positive or negative effect they have on credibility.

Here are several characteristics of interest to online ministries that have a positive effect on credibility:

• The site represents an organization you respect.
• The site lists the organization’s physical address.
• The site gives a contact phone number.
• The site has articles containing citations and references.
• The site looks professionally designed.
• The site gives a contact email address.
• The site links to outside sources and material.
• The site has been updated since your last visit.

Here are several characteristics of interest to online ministries that have a negative effect on credibility:

• The site makes it hard to distinguish ads from content.
• The site links to a site you think is not credible.
• The site is rarely updated with new content.
• The site has a link that doesn’t work.
• The site has a typographical error.
• The site is difficult to navigate.

The chapters on credibility end with the description of what Fogg calls the “web credibility framework”. This framework is designed to help us understand the many different variables and facets related to credibility in the online world. It brings together many of the concepts developed in the book and is a helpful tool for those of us who want our web sites to be effective and persuasive.

Final Thoughts

If I had any criticisms of this book, it would simply be that it is already getting out of date (it is copyright 2003). While many of the concepts presented are lasting, the examples used in the book could use a refresh. The good news it that Dr. Fogg and his team at Stanford continue to research and write on this topic and many new works are in progress or available. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to understand how to make their site more credible. If you want more information about web site credibility specifically, here is a slide presentation created by BJ Fogg on web credibility.

I was first made aware of Dr. Fogg’s work by Tony Whitaker at Internet Evangelism Day – I would highly recommend you take a look at their site and blog if you are not aware of all the great resources and insights they provide.

Feel free to provide me feedback on this review or your thoughts on this subject. You can look forward to more reviews as I prepare to develop my book on Internet ministry and put together the summer online course.

You can buy this book and many others at my Amazon bookstore.

• 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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• 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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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.

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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• 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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• 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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