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.

Last month I posted a review of Persuasive Technology by BJ Fogg. This book, which I highly recommend for those who are interested in understanding how to make their web presence more credible, details just how technology can be used to persuade people to your point of view.   While I was on my trip to Turkey earlier this month, I finished the follow-up book: Mobile Persuasion.

Unlike its predecessor, Mobile Persuasion is a compilation of essays written by leaders in the field of mobile technologies and captology (the study of computers as persuasive technology). Each essay focuses on a different aspect of how mobile devices can be used to persuade. While I did not find this book as compelling overall as the first, there are several nuggets of insight that are valuable to ministries and churches looking to understand and utilize the power of mobile devices.

I firmly believe (as does Google, by the way), that we are now moving quickly to the point where mobile devices will be the primary way people interact with the Internet and with each other.  With this in mind, here are some of my key takeaways from this book:

• the mobile-human relationship is one of the most personal, intensive, and lasting of all relationships. Just think of how you feel about your iPhone…
• because mobile devices are always with us and always on, they are positioned perfectly to provide persuasive prompts at the right place and the right time.
• a mobile service must be integrated into a user’s behavior pattern in order to succeed. I can see a church mobile “app” which reminds users of upcoming services, study suggestions, and registers their attendance each Sunday morning.
• developing a mobile “experience” is fundamentally different from a web experience. The experience is not only “smaller”, but  should also be “smarter”.
• users who know their activities are being monitored (voluntarily) are more likely to repeat the behaviors that we want them to.
• mobile devices can be treated as extensions of the way the user sees the world.
• mobile applications should be dependable, consistently solve user’s problems, and do so effortlessly.
• mobile devices are personal, so the programs run on them should be able to be personalized.
• if the mobile app is social, it can better persuade – we use the actions of others to decide on proper behavior for ourselves.
• being mobile is much less about technology, and much more about culture, connectedness, and fundamental human needs.

The book ends with a look at the future of persuasion through mobile devices. One interesting conclusion from this chapter (written by Dean Eckles, who is part of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford) is that individual messages will become less useful as a way to persuade. Instead, “it will be replaced by contextual information that comes to people based on their goals, their location, their activity, and – possibly- their state of mind.” This is then summed up by Dr. BJ Fogg, director of the lab, as follows:

By knowing a user’s goals, routine, current location, and current task, mobile systems of the future will be able to determine when the user would be most open to persuasion in the form of a reminder, suggestion, or simulated experience.

I have said before, the future is mobile and social, and we need to understand how to become a part of it.

Overall, I recommend Mobile Persuasion, though I would highly recommend reading Persuasive Technology first. The only real criticism I have about this book is that it was written too early. Specifically, it was written before the advent of the iPhone, which changed the mobile game completely. I would love to see an update to this book, taking all the latest technologies into account. However, the principles still apply and are worth reviewing.

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.