Rethinking Facebook
It seems that there is starting to be a groundswell of, shall we say, “concern” around the use of Facebook. Most of this has to do with the privacy issues, but I think some of it also has to do with the independent spirit of those on the front edge of the Internet. Just as a backlash against Microsoft has led to the Linux/Firefox/OpenOffice user, I think we are starting to see a Facebook backlash. No one likes to be told what to do – the Internet was built on open standards and Facebook (just as Microsoft did) is trying to become the standard.
There are a range of reactions to the current situation from the “digital elite”. Some are canceling their accounts. Others giving up and opening up their privacy settings to be as public as possible. I personally have not taken any action – yet – but I am starting to understand the concerns.
We all will have to make our decisions about what we will do with our personal Facebook accounts. But a bigger question that concerns me much more is how churches and ministries respond. Many ministries (such as Lifechurch) have begun to heavily commit to using Facebook. I am working with two organizations right now who are considering heavy work inside of Facebook. I, myself, keep this blog as a page on Facebook. But if you do heavily use Facebook, what does that imply? If the “medium is the message”, are we then giving implicit approval to the use of Facebook and its terms of service? And if our use of Facebook encourages people to create accounts and/or begin using Facebook more, should that concern us?
So, will this all blow over? Just as Facebook was starting to be seen as more important than Google, will its decline begin? What do you think? What will your church or ministry do?
Creating a Facebook page for your ministry
Just wanted to point you to a great article (beginning of a series actually) that ChurchCrunch is posting on how to create a Facebook page for your church or ministry. This is a very detailed posting that describes the different options and gives you ideas for your page. Read through the comments for more great info!
Also – on a related note – I’ve finally got a real “username” for my Lessons From Babel Facebook page: http://facebook.com/lessonsfrombabel. Check it out – and if you’re not a fan, what are you waiting for?
Insights into paid search from Jesus.net
When I was at the TIEN 2010 conference in Turkey, I had a chance to hear from David Nolent, who is currently listed as a webmaster and team leader for Knowing God. The Jesus.net ministry is a network of evangelistic and discipleship sites, including GodRev, TopChretien, and LookingForGod.
At the conference, David’s focus was on the use of Google AdWords and Facebook ads as a ministry tool. Jesus.net is one of the biggest Google AdWords users and has had tremendous success. In this post, I just wanted to summarize some of what he shared with us. Remember, this advice is for those looking to pay for ads via the Google or Facebook networks, not necessarily general SEO advice:
- All ads should be in line with your ministry’s focus and budget. They should be strategic!
- 94% of Google searches use multiple word phrases, not single words. If you are going to buy ads, focus on multiple word searches.
- You should take advantage of negative keywords as well, so you can better target your audience without being too general.
- Use all the tools provided, including: Google Insights for Search (http://google.com/insights), Google Keyword Tool (http://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal).
- Customize your ads by location and by ministry, if applicable.
- Facebook advertising is a bit more expensive than Google, but it is much easier to target your ads.
- Facebook requires an image with their ad: make it relevant!
- Facebook is relationship-based, so your ads should draw people into a relationship. Link to a fan page or something else within Facebook that the user can interact with.
- When doing these types of ads (Google/Facebook paid ads), you should plan on doing a lot of testing first to see what works!
What is your advice for AdWords or Facebook ads? What has worked for you?
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.
Being intentional about our online lives
As part of my preparation for my book on strategic online ministry, I am working my way through some of the latest books and other materials on the topic. As I review these for myself, I will also share my thoughts about them on this blog.
When I first started reading The Church of Facebook by Jesse Rice, I was a bit cynical. The title seemed a bit corny and so many people have said so many things about Facebook already that there couldn’t be anything new to say. Besides, any book written about a specific technology is going to be outdated a year after it was published, and since this was published in 2009, I figured it was already going to be out of date. But, as I began working my way through the book, I was pleasantly surprised in many ways by this book and would recommended for reasons having nothing to do with finding out about Facebook or online ministry.
The book begins with a quick history on the rise of Facebook, in which the author compares the impact that Facebook has had to other technological breakthroughs in modern history. I did find it a bit hard to buy the comparison of Facebook’s impact to that of air conditioning or London’s Millennium Bridge. The discussions of how quickly Facebook’s popularity rose and the founder’s plans for the future can be found in many places. But for the uninitiated, it provides a good background on the popular social networking tool.
Lessons From Babel now on Facebook
As many of you know, I will be on a “half-sabbatical” the next two semesters at Biola. My focus during this time will be to create a book on the strategic use of the Internet and social media for ministry (see my first blog post of the year for more details on what I am up to). As I create this book, I want to collaborate with the best minds in Internet ministry: those who are doing it! To get the best feedback possible, then, I need a lot of people reading what I post and giving me feedback! To make this easier for people, I have created a Facebook page for this blog. In fact, you may be reading this via Facebook right now!
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.
The technologies, they are a changin’
As I have stated in a previous post, I believe that some of the current social media tools we are using are really just the first successful incarnations of some future technologies. Changes in technology, along with the competitive marketplace, force the software tools we use to evolve and change. Just as Friendster gave way to MySpace, which is giving way to Facebook, so the latest darlings such as Second Life and Twitter will most likely give way to something being created right now. › Continue reading
Facebook fakery in the name of Christ
We all know that Facebook is a great tool for keeping in touch with friends and “friends”. It also a way to meet new people that we would not have had a chance to meet otherwise. It can even be used as a place to share the gospel with those whom we have built relationships with. But what if that relationship is built on a falsehood?
I am part of an online message board that discusses using the Internet for evangelism. A recent message there highlighted a blog post that highlighted the use of online social networking as a tool for evangelism. Specifically, the post shows how Facebook could be an excellent way to interact with Muslims in other countries and to answer their questions about the Christian faith. The post is quite interesting, and he makes several good points. In fact, I do believe that Facebook can be a GREAT tool for reaching others for Christ. But as I said in a previous post, we must be as open and authentic as we can when doing this. And this is where the ethical questions comes up.
China and web 2.0
A new report on how the Chinese are embracing web 2.0 gives me ideas on new strategies for reaching this mission field (hat tip to Sampsung @ HiLaws). According to the report, Chinese Internet users are much more likely to use user-generated content to make purchasing decisions than Americans (58% to 19%). They are also much more likely to post comments to blogs and are younger than those in the US. To me, this points to a trust issue: the Internet users their trust each other more than those here. It could also possibly point to a distrust of corporate web sites as well. If we want to reach these users, we should understand this. Tools such as Facebook, MySpace, SecondLife, and others should not be foreign to those trying to reach the next generation of Chinese…or Americans, for that matter. Missionaries should not create new web sites but, instead, learn how to get involved in the spaces where the people already are.
But are any missions organizations giving this a focus? I honestly don’t know…but I’ll find out!
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Welcome to Lessons From Babel
This blog is where I share the latest thoughts on my research in the world of Internet ministry. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment. For more information on what I am doing in 2010, see my first post of the year. 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.
- Dave Bourgeois
