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I have both facebook and myspace and use them as marketing for our youth group/church.
I found with my teens that it's easier to remind of events and other stuff through myspace then it is through email, phone, postcards, etc...
Posted 54 months ago.
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we use facebook and myspace as well.
Posted 54 months ago.
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in what ways do you use them?
Posted 54 months ago.
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mostly reminder of events, announcements and a way that people (mostly younger ) can connect during the week. Our Facebook is really handy with our college crowd as they are so all over the place wit htheir schedules. Most of them are on Facebook several times a day. Good point of contact.
Posted 54 months ago.
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we use facebook, myspace, flickr and we're also starting to use twitter somewhat for our church.
i just posted a blog about this... would love more input.
So I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not - but there’s this phenomenon going on around you - Web 2.0.
I don’t know that anyone’s really settled on a definition of this new wave of Internet sites but I think everyone can agree on what it’s not - stagnant, outdated websites that simply push information onto people, rather than allowing them the opportunity to pull the information they want/need.
Think about sites like Flickr, YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, Wikipedia and Twitter where there’s a broad wealth of information and content that is typically user driven and user created. No more Mr. Corporate America telling people what they will and can’t read. Users are sharing content and connecting in new amazing ways.
Last week as Laurie and I were out and about I received an update via txt message from my mate Thomas over in Scotland. He was watching the final episode of 24, Season 6 with his wife.
I commented that I knew more about Thomas than most of my friends who live within a 30-45 mile radius of my home — and Thomas and I have never met in person. Thomas later commented that he knows more about Laurie and I than he does our next door neighbor - maybe a good thing and a bad thing.
As part of my job here at DCCCD we’ve been discussing our district’s and specifically our department’s Intranet presence. I was forwarded an article (must be a member to read) yesterday from Communication World that suggests most Intranet sites are built around early 1990 standards, not the new Web 2.0 ideas. I would hardily agree - at least of the few that I’ve seen.
Most companies chose to block Web 2.0 sites and applications from their users - I’m sure Laurie can give you an earful on how annoying that is for her where she works. She’s now blocked from visiting our own personal blogs and sites at work. She has to use a work around by using a VNC viewer to access the web over her computer and our DSL at home - very clever on her part.
The article in Communication World also suggests that because these Web 2.0 platforms work so well, people are finding their own work arounds for sharing information and building communities - even work related communities.
So what about our churches? Do we know folks we’ve met through Myspace or Facebook better than those around us at the ultimate community - our own church? And can churches use Web 2.0 ideas to build community - or should they?
After reading the article in Communication World it occurred to me, there may also be some Open Source Social Networking software out there. Sure enough - there is.
I found Elgg which looks like it’s super customizable (and also appears to have their entire website built around a Wiki). Could churches use software like Elgg to build their website, or at least expand on their current website? Or should churches simply build communities around social networks that are already out there?
I tend to believe we should be where the people are - not pulling them into separate realms or worlds but I don’t know. Maybe something like encounterSpace or iencounter would be beneficial. Right now our average attendance is between 180-250 each week. By far MySpace seems to be the most used social networking site used by folks at our church. We have 75 MySpace friends, we have 21 members in the encounter Facebook group and 4 or 5 people who have submitted photos to the encounter Flickr group. But would those numbers increase and communities form on a separate network “exclusive” for encounter folks? I don’t know. I participate in a semi-social networking site for geocaching but I don’t typically seek out other geocaches on places like Facebook and MySpace. Yet while my university offers an Alumni Social Networking portal, I’m more likely to connect with folks from UMHB through MySpace or Facebook. What do you think?
Posted 53 months ago.
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we have a facebook group, but i personally deactivated my facebook account. i really don't need to know that someone i went to college with 10 years ago is washing dishes or compare movie tastes to a "friend" that i've never even met.
Posted 53 months ago.
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I haven't heard of too many social networks specifically for churches other than MyChurch or just using the usual popular networks like Facebook and MySpace. Ning is a good way to quickly get up your own social network and I've also heard very good things about Elgg.
I don't see any reasons churches can't or shouldn't use social networking to spread the Word. Whether or not they should create their own really depends on the culture and nature of the congregation(s):
Is there a large enough base of internet savvy people to justify the resources necessary to create a fresh social network?
How willing are current members to try out a new network, rather than sticking to one(s) they use or that they know are popular?
What age group are you inviting to your social network? What about the content found on existing social networks from other members?
These and other relevant questions should help come to a conclusion but obviously the answers will be different for each congregation.
Posted 53 months ago.
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i strongly believe that churches and christianity in general should not try to create duplicate networks. there's no need for godbook, when there is facebook. i'm not a big fan of godtube, or any other christian knock-off. if you want to social network, there are lots of options.
Posted 53 months ago.
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Great post, Jonathan. Lots of good info to take away. I love the interactivity of web 2.0. And I agee with Lava-don't duplicate what's already there. Be salt.
I'm starting to use Facebook as a viral marketing tool. Events - big and small - both open and closed are posted to Facebook. Community events I invite everyone in my local network to attend. I always make the invitations completely open.
If you login to Facebook and go to your homepage, you'll see where your friends have accepted invitations to attend various events. (I know more about the parties our college students attend than their parents could ever hope to know.) That means their non-church friends are seeing those events as well. I've instructed those on our staff and others from our church on Facebook to accept the invite (if they're going) and then to invite their church circle as well.
Of course it does look a little weird when I invite all the women to the Women's Retreat.
Posted 53 months ago.
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We use Myspace and facebook for our church, but only for the youth, college and young adults. Anyone over the age of 35ish, and that's pushing it, isn't really in to this. Be careful not to neglect your middle-age and older congregation.
Posted 53 months ago.
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christan.jackson - i would agree
i guess one advantage for us in that regard is our pastor is one of the oldest ones in our church ;-) and he's in his early 40's we may have 5 people older than him.
Posted 53 months ago.
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There's a pretty good post about this on Techsoup - Should Your Organization Use Social Networking Sites?. I guess I'd be a grizzled old timer in Jonathan's church, but here I'm the one trying to get our staff folk past email as the killer app. However, there isn't much point in the latest and greatest if you are the only one using it. Ultimately a tool is only useful when it is, well, useful. So, we are trying to move our church culture, both staff and attenders, towards a more nimble (current technology) mode of communication
Posted 53 months ago.
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I guess I have a little web 2.0 success to relate. Seems the local children's theatre was casting Annie. A short solo by the 10 y.o. who played Mary in our Christmas Pageant constituted about 90% of the very short YouTube video I shot handheld from the back of the church (while trying to prevent the animals from prematurely charging down the aisle) of our Pageant.
A week later, "Mary" auditioned for one of the principal orphan roles in Annie -- and suddenly I noticed there were 400+ viewings of her solo on YouTube.
She got the role, selected over 30 other kids who had tried out.
Here in secular New England, we take our successes where we can get them.
Posted 53 months ago.
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anyone "twittering" individually here? I'd love to add some of you folks.
twitter me
Originally posted 53 months ago.
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Russ Hutto (a group admin) edited this topic 53 months ago.
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I think the point should be brought up about the negatives of myspace...
All of the spam from friend requests can't be too great
Like Seth Godin says, I want to communicate with my audience any way I can
BUT as Christian organizations do we want to affiliate ourselves with the junk on myspace
I recently talked to a principle of a middle school who said that popular social networks like myspace and facebook have created so much drama between students that they now will not even hire a teacher who has a myspace
Personally, I am not sure where I stand on this issue, but what I do believe is a well developed website is an extremely great asset
No matter what web 2.0 internet application is popular at a given time the domain name of your church's website is as consistent as a street address
I believe you will be able to market your church over time better if you focus more on your church's website
Posted 53 months ago.
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I'm twittering @ordinary - twitter.com/chris_baker
Posted 53 months ago.
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We don't use it much in the congregation. But, I use it for networking with others in communications ministry, family and friends. Twitter and facebook. I've really enjoyed it and find it useful as a tool to reach others in our field.
Posted 53 months ago.
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I twitter: twitter.com/ryanimel
Posted 53 months ago.
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