Ministries and churches have the opportunity to reach their communities with the love and truth of Christ and to amplify their efforts through strategic brand development.
Yet at a leadership level, there seems to be a lot of confusion about branding. What is it? Why does it matter? How do we do it? Is it different than marketing? Everyday, in consulting with ministry leaders throughout the country, these and many other questions surface.
Branding concepts can be inherently elusive and difficult to define. For some leaders, there’s also resistance toward something that smacks of the questionable methods of Corporate America. This mindset reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature and purpose of branding.
Once past these mental barriers, ministry leaders can begin to leverage the strengths of strategic brand development and harness its raw power.
1. Understand branding concepts as tools to do ministry more effectively.
It’s important to correctly understand and properly define branding. How many times have you heard someone describe a church logo as its brand? Yet branding is much more than a logo. A logo is just one of many brand identifiers, but not the brand itself. I talk more about this here.
Here are a few definitions of branding that illustrate the difficulty in nailing this down:
- To burn a distinctive mark into or upon with a hot iron, to indicate quality, ownership, etc., or to mark as infamous (as a convict).
- A person’s perception of a product, service, experience or organization. The Dictionary of Brand A-Z
- A distinguishing symbol, mark, logo, name, word, sentence, or a combination of these items that companies use to distinguish their product from others in the market.
- A promise to your members or constituents.
- Branding is the art of becoming knowable, likable and trustable. Duct Tape Marketing by John Jantsch
2. Stay focused on the stuff that matters.
Ultimately, good ministry branding is about speaking the truth in love in such a way that it resonates with people. It’s about loving them truthfully. These two spiritual dynamics connect them with the people of God and the heart of God. It is true that humans want and need love, but they also want to be challenged by the truth claims of the Gospel. These are the alluring twins of ministry that when combined and intentionally nurtured, connect with the hearts and minds of mortals. Ministries can’t go wrong when they stay centered here.
But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ. (Ephesians 4:15 HCSB)
3. Distinguish between brand identity and brand story.
Corporate identities, logos, websites, marketing collateral, etc., are all part of a brand’s identity. Identities serve to express a brand’s essence and ethos. They are simply visual and tangible symbolic representations of the brand.
The brand story, is a coherent set of messages that articulate the meaning of a brand. The tighter the messages, along with the strategies and execution of sharing those messages, the more clarity there will be surrounding the ministry’s brand story.
So, you want to build a vibrant and effective church or ministry brand? Foster a spirit and environment where truth and love permeate every inch of the place. Then, articulate your brand story and develop a brand identity that beautifully reflects and communicates that spirit.
That’s good branding.
Today’s post was written by Kerry Bural, the principal of The Resonate Group, a church and ministry brand consulting and development firm. Kerry blogs at Ministry Marketing Coach . You can follow him@KerryBural.
This looks to be a great series of article for the ministry that is still just getting into this "internet" thing. It comes from churchcrunch, so be sure to check them out and subscribe via RSS so you can get all the rest of these posts.
Jason Cooper @cooperjason
This is a guest post by Tom McFarlin
When it comes to maintaining an online presence, the modern church is not exactly flourishing. To make matters even more challenging, the church is still about four years behind everyone else with respect to technology.
Finding – and affording – good designers and good developers is hard so it’s typically up to volunteers to step up to help contribute to the cause.
But there’s a problem: The Internet is a big place. A really big place.
When you sit down to begin building a site, there’s a lot of stuff out there you must sift through – various services, applications, technologies, and so on. Unless you’ve got a background in web development, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all of this information let alone trying to even find a starting point.
Processing all of this stuff is like drinking from a fire hose. But I’d like to try to slow the flow a little bit.
Each week, I’m going to toss out a couple tools, utilities, applications, and/or best practices that are geared towards those of you that are looking to bring your church online but lack the time to invest in all the research.
Ready? Let’s go.
Where do I start?
Forget about development. Simply finding a place to begin is an incredibly daunting task.
Do I build the site first, or should I find a good host? I don’t even know how to register a domain. What’s the best editor for creating a website? What’s CSS? JavaScript? What’s coffee gotta do with it? It looks nasty. MySQL? I didn’t even know I had an SQL! I thought Ajax was some kind of bleach.
Yeah. I know. So. much. stuff. But that’s okay – we’ll get to it eventually. There’s really no well-defined, clear-cut place to start so we’ll pick one.
Address Availability
Your website has gotta have a place to live. Sure, there are a lot of free hosts out there, but rarely are you gonna find a church site hosted at Blogspot or Tripod. A domain name is your address on the information superhighway.
That was a lame pun and I apologize.
Still, if you want to have a relevant, easy-to-remember site then it helps to have a good domain name. Here are three services – in no particular order – that make it incredibly easy to see if your domain name is available all of which feature the results in real time.
Instant Domain Search is arguably the simplest of the three. Enter the domain name that you’re interested in purchasing and it will give you the availability of the .com, .net, and .org equivalents in addition to several registrars that can be used to purchase it.
PCNames is very similar to Instant Domain Search in that it will provide results for your requested domain as well as a set of available registrars; however, this service also returns available domains featuring the suffixes for .info, .biz, .us, and .mobi.
Domai.nr is the mother of all web 2.0 domain searches. It will scan all of the available domains for the aforementioned suffixes as well as domains that can use the domain as part of the suffix. For example, say you’re considering purchasing a domain for a family night supper-oriented church called Lets Eat It. Domai.nr will return all available results including a suggestion for LetsEat.It. The word is part of the domain? Yep. Ultimate creativity.
There you go: three free applications you can use to begin setting up your church’s online presence. But what’s in a name? If you’ve got nothing to show for it, it’s not gonna be worth much.
Next, we’ll take a look at some of the more popular web hosts and things to consider before purchasing some space for your stuff.
[Image from B Tal]
Picnik also let's you connect to several popular sites where your pictures are already stored (Flickr, Facebook, etc.) so you may not even have to upload. I didn't try this feature, but I like the idea.
via picnik.com
Posted via email from Cooper-ation | resourcing for ministry
Great article from webdesign.com. I was pleased to realize we had done most of what they recommend. Not a fan of the "send update" function on FB though. Much prefer to use status updates for most communications. (I never check my own FB updates page)
Jason Cooper (@cooperjason)
10 Ways to Make the Most of a Facebook Fan Page for Your Business
Facebook’s fan pages are easy to set up, but not so easy to master. Unfortunately, Facebook’s system for setting up and maintaining pages is needlessly complicated and sometimes buggy. It can be a little frustrating, but that’s the price of reaching a network of 300 million people. It’s worth the effort to put Facebook to work for your business. We can help:
1. Setting Up Your Page
Take your time while setting up a Facebook fan page. The category you choose at the very beginning is something you can’t change—unless you want to dump all your fans and start over. Different categories let you display different information (hours, parking and public transit options for a restaurant, mission and products for a website), so choose wisely. This site explains the differences.Once you’ve picked your category and set up your page you can start adding basic info (most of this information will be in the “Info” tab that isn’t visible until a user clicks on it). You can also add a short bit of copy to the sidebar on your wall, which is an important place to give a basic overview of your business.
Like every other social networking site, your profile photo is an important branding opportunity. Facebook does zoom and crop images when it displays thumbnails, so it can be helpful to properly size your image so any important details aren’t cut out in thumbnails.
Take a look at the settings before you finish and make sure you’re comfortable with the default settings. By default Facebook fan pages are designed to be interactive, which means fans can post content on your wall. This is a great opportunity to hear from your customers, but you’ll probably want to keep an eye on it.
Don’t forget to publish your page when you’re ready to go live.
2. Status Updates
Status updates could be called the heart and soul of Facebook. Much like Twitter, these are the constant stream of updates that show up on the “wall” of a profile. Each user’s homepage shows a flood of status updates from their friends—so you can see what a vital opportunity these updates are to communicate and connect. Each status update can be commented on and “liked,” which gives ample opportunity for feedback.It’s important to understand the place of status updates. The average Facebook user has 130 friends, which means quite a few status updates will come and go on their home page in any given day. The bottom line is that one or two status updates won’t change the world. You need to have consistent and quality updates to connect with people. And it doesn’t hurt to repeat an important update—don’t assume because you posted it once that people saw it (just don’t go overboard either).
Feel free to double up on your status updates. Facebook can automatically publish your updates to Twitter, and a number of applications can import Twitter updates to Facebook (though sorting out the best method can be complicated).
3. Applications
There’s an unending supply of applications to give more utility to your Facebook page. You can add extra tabs that contain unique content and post extra information in the sidebar of your wall. The applications can do things like post your Twitter feed, hold contests, conduct polls, play music and more. Not all of these will tie into your status updates, which means you’ll need to find ways to make sure your fans find them.One of the standard applications you’ll want is Static FBML, which lets you add basic HTML. It’s very basic (javascript and iframes aren’t allowed), but you can add images and other extras to customize your page.
4. Importing Blog Content
You also have the option of importing blog content to your Facebook page. The easiest approach is to import the RSS feed of your blog using Facebook’s Notes. The upside is that it’s simple and easy, plus users can read and comment on your entire post in Facebook. The downside is that users can read and comment on your entire post in Facebook without ever visiting your blog. Depending on your end goals that may be a problem.There are also a number of third party applications that will import blogs. Some will display them in boxes on your page, which is less helpful because you’re relying on users to go looking for those boxes. Other applications (like RSS Graffiti) will import the blog content and post it as a status update, which delivers the content directly to your users.
5. Choose Where People Land
One thing you’ll notice is that each fan page has multiple tabs for content. You can add as many as you like and there is an option to change the default tab people first see when they view your page (Edit Page: Wall Settings: Edit). So you could build a custom tab introducing people to your brand instead of just sending them to your wall. Some folks have even experimented with using this functionality to show unique content to non-fans.6. Communicate
One of the bonuses of the fan page is that you can send updates directly to all your fans (personal profiles can only send a message to a maximum of 20 friends at a time). These updates appear in a special tab in a user’s inbox, which mean they can be easy to miss. But these updates can also be targeted by location, age and gender. That’s a huge bit of demographic targeting courtesy of social networking.7. Share More Content
Just like a personal profile, a fan page can add all sorts of extra content, like photos, videos, events and more. Default fan pages also come with a discussion board built in. Be sure to take advantage of these extra goodies and post some content, even if it’s just something fun. Make sure something appears on those extra tabs—if you don’t want any content there, consider removing the tabs so users won’t wonder why they’re empty.8. Get a Custom URL
The first challenge when you launch your Facebook fan page is to secure a custom url. By default the link to each Facebook fan page is pretty ugly. But once you get 100 fans you can add your own custom url (http://www.facebook.com/yournamehere). You just need to cross that magic threshold.9. Spread the Word
And the best way to cross that threshold to 100 fans is to spread the word. One quick way is to become a fan of your own page. That update will show up in your profile and other folks might see it and check it out. You can also suggest your page to friends and add the page to your favorites. From there you can go beyond Facebook and add a ‘fan box’ to your website that promotes your Facebook page. Consider promoting your Facebook page in other channels like a blog, e-mail newsletter, link on your website, etc. People can’t become a fan on Facebook if they don’t know you’re there.10. Examples
Finally, it’s always worth checking out a few examples to see how some of the best are doing it. Take a look at some of these major Facebook pages to see what’s working for them:You can also search for your competition and see if they have a presence on Facebook and if so what they’re doing. Also check out these five inspiring examples for more.
Now you can make the most of a Facebook fan page for your business.
If you like what they say, subscribe to the webdesign.com blog.
Posted via email from Cooper-ation | resourcing for ministry
Posted via email from Cooper-ation | resourcing for ministry
Posted via email from Cooper-ation | resourcing for ministry
Posted via email from Cooper-ation | resourcing for ministry
Posted via email from Cooper-ation | resourcing for ministry
For us, we still use email marketing, and will continue to do so, but we have gone from multiple “articles” and “announcements” in a single email newsletter to single event (and therefore single message) emails.
We know that people glance at what is on their screen when they click on an email, skim quickly and move on. Many only look at the subject line. Long emails lose attention quickly, with the stuff at the bottom being ignored completely since it is usually off the preview screen.
Single event/message emails seem to overcome some of these factors. The subject can be specific to the event/message, and the reader can know whether or not they want to read it simply from the subject. This would not be true of "newsletters". The danger, of course, is that you could overwhelm your subscribers with too many emails when you go with this approach.
The article below prompted my thoughts on this. What do you do? Do you still use email? Or have you moved to RSS, Twitter, Facebook, etc.?
Jason
At least I like to pretend that they are. The fact of the matter is that I hate email newsletters with a burning passion. People mostly ignore them, they’re a pain in the butt to design and I think it’s just a dumb way to get information to your audience these days.
I realize that this is a strong opinion to hold, and one that not everyone agrees with. Lots of thriving ministries place a big emphasis on email newsletters, and Cleve even threw together a great list of bulk email services that he’s had success with.
With that said, I’m trying to move our church further away from email newsletters with every project I take on. Here’s why:
RSS is More Effective
News feeds are finally gaining mainstream popularity due to the abundance of personalized start pages and feed readers that are built into just about everything these days. RSS feeds push information out immediately, can be integrated into countless programs/devices and require no extra effort on our end.
Facebook is the New Start Page
It seems like almost everyone I know starts and ends their time online by checking their Facebook page along with their email. Since our Facebook page automatically pulls in our RSS feed, fans immediately receive the latest news without having to take additional steps to subscribe.
Feedburner Has Email Subscriptions Built-in
If visitors really want to get our news in email form, Feedburner makes it super-easy to get our news updates in your inbox. Check out our subscription page if you like.
Newsletters Aren’t Effective Any More
Do you regularly read the email newsletters that end up in your inbox? I know I don’t. Even if I sign myself up intentionally, I’ll skim the first message I receive (maybe) and will then ignore all of the rest. They even begin to annoy me over time, requiring me to unsubscribe or just block the message as spam. Just like ads online, my eyes are in the habit of ignoring the newsletters in my inbox.
Am I saying that email communication all together is a bad idea? Not at all. I understand the importance of occasional email blasts for special events and promotions. I just feel that the weekly newsletter format is an outdated way to push out your information online.
So there… I’ve layed out my opinion on the matter. I would love to hear your side of the story; do you have a rockin’ email ministry that’s extremely sucessful? Are newsletters still necessary in today’s online world?
[Image © Pepo]
Posted via email from Cooper-ation | resourcing for ministry
CreativeMYK.com is a great online resource for graphics, photos, logos, etc. CreativeMYK is basically a pool of Christian artists and their graphic art.
What makes CreativeMYK.com great is that everything is downloadable and contributers distribute their artwork in various file formats (jpeg, photoshop, illustrator, etc.). Resources include everything from photos to logos to bulletin layouts to flyers, etc.
As with all such sites, be sure to read the "terms of use" guidelines. CreativeMYK.com is intended to be a place Christian graphic artists can share their work, request feedback, and offer critique. It is not intended as a place to "rip off" someone else's work.
That being said, it is a great place to get inspiration for your own artwork.
Jason
Gallery - A place for anyone looking for free, quality Christian graphics and photos shared by Christian artists around the world.Artists - A place for Christian artists to show their creative talents.
Is your ministry looking for a new camera (or cameras)? Ready to go HD!
Check out this post from Collide Magazine
Jason
Tools of the Trade: Cameras
Daniel Darnell - Originally posted Monday, October 19, 2009 - Comments (0)
Master artisans have tools that assist them in accomplishing their work. The most important tool in a videographer’s arsenal is the video camera, so we’ve put together a list of cameras ranging in price from less than $200 to almost $8,000. If you’re looking to purchase a new camera or replace an old one, we hope this helps you find the right camera for your needs and budget.
Sony EX 1
pro.sony.com
Over the years, Sony has produced some outstanding cameras, and the EX1 is no exception. Boasting three 1/2” CMOS sensors, the EX1 offers higher resolution and better depth of field than other cameras. Unfortunately, the larger sensors equate to a higher cost.
Optical Sensor Size: 1/2”
Optical Sensor Type: 3xCMOS
Lens: Fixed with Fujinon 14x zoom, 5.8mm-81mm
Resolution: 1920 x 1080/60i/30p/24p, 1280 x 720/60p/30p/24p
Storage Format: SBP-8/16/32GB SxS Expres 34 Cards
MSRP: $7,790
Canon XH A1
www.usa.canon.com
As you’ve come to expect from Canon, the XH A1 delivers professional HD video at a reasonable price. The XH A1 comes with a Genuine Canon 20x HD lens and Super-Range optical image stabilization. Nevertheless, the XH A1 does not offer 720p recording and the lens is fixed.
Optical Sensor Size: 1/3”
Optical Sensor Type: 3xCCD
Lens: Fixed w/20x zoom, 4.5mm-90mm
Resolution: 1920 x 1080/60i/30F/24F
Storage Format: Mini DV (HDV)
MSRP: $4,999Canon EOS 5D Mark II
www.use.canon.com
Every photographer has heard of Canon’s new 5D Mark II, as it is the camera to use for professional photography, but photographers aren’t the only ones utilizing this camera’s power. While its main use is to take stunning photos, the 5D Mark II also shoots 1080p HD video surprisingly well, and it’s half the size of most video cameras.
Optical Sensor Size: 36mm x 24mm
Optical Sensor Type: 21.1-megapixel single-plate CMOS
Lens: Canon EF lenses (Not included )
Resolution: 1920 x 1080/30fps
Sto rage Format: Compact Flash Type I and II
MSRP: $2,699Panasonic AG -HVX 200
www.panasonic.com
Despite the fact that the HVX200 was originally released in late 2005, it still remains a camera of choice for many videographers. The HVX200 delivers stunning HD video, a vast amount of frame rate options, and solid storage solutions. However, this powerful camera is also somewhat heavy, hard to learn, and has a fixed lens.
Optical Sensor Size: 1/3”
Optical Sensor Type: 3xCCD
Lens: Fixed w/13x Leica Dicor mar zoom, 4.2mm-55mm
Resolution: 1920 x 1080/60i/30p/24p, 1280 x 720/60p/30p/24p
Storage Format: DV, DVCPRO, DVCPRO HD, P2 Card
MSRP: $4,699Red Scarlet 3K
www.red.com
If you’ve been in the video world for a while, chances are you’ve heard of Red cameras. Reds are known for their superb quality, modular design, and their high price tag. However, Red’s new camera, the Scarlet 3K, promises to deliver Red quality at a fraction of the price. Details are still vague as the camera is set to release later this year.
Optical Sensor Size: 2/3”
Optical Sensor Type: Mysterium-X
Lens: Fixed 8x zoom
Resolution: 1920 x 1080p/1-30fps
Storage Format: Compact Flash or DSMC SSD
MSRP: $2,500-$3,500Panasonic HDC-TM300K
www.panasonic.com
For those of you with both a tighter budget and a need for quality HD video, Panasonic’s HDC-TM300K is a solid alternative to prosumer models. This small, lightweight camera rivals those four times its price while offering nearly equal image quality. However, many people aren’t fond of the LCD touchscreen.
Optical Sensor Size: 1/4.1”
Optical Sensor Type: 9.15(3.05x3) megapixel MOS
Lens: Fixed Leica Nico mar w/12x zoom, 4mm - 48mm
Resolution: 1920 x 1080/60i/30p/24p
Storage Format: 32 GB Flash (integrated ), SD
MSRP: $1,299Canon Vixia HF200
www.usa.canon.com
If you’re looking for the quality of a Canon minus the high sticker price, the Vixia HF200 is for you. Don’t let its small size and price fool you. The Vixia HF200 offers features that you will find in more expensive Canon models such as a 15x zoom, a wide range of shutterspeeds, and multiple aperture settings. Sadly, the Vixia HF200 doesn’t come with any built in memory.
Optical Sensor Size: 1/4”
Optical Sensor Type: 3.89 megapixel CMOS
Lens: Fixed w/15x zoom, 4.1mm – 61.5mm
Resolution: 1920 x 1080/60i/30p/24p
Storage Format: Flash
MSRP: $599Flip MinoHD
www.theflip.com
If you’re looking for HD video on the go, then the new Flip MinoHD is your best bet. This little fella packs quite a punch with its 720p resolution, 8GB of internal memory, 2 inch screen, rechargeable battery, and simple plug-n-play function. However, don’t expect impressive low-light performance.
Optical Sensor Size: 1/4.5”
Optical Sensor Type: HD CMOS
Lens: Fixed Focus (0.8m to infinity)
Resolution: 1280 x 720p
Storage Format: 8GB internal memory
MSRP: $229Kodak Zi8
www.kodak.com
Unlike the Flip MinoHD, the Kodak Zi8 shoots 1080p HD quality video at up to 30fps. The Zi8’s 2.5” screen, speedy processor, and ability to take 5MB stills make it a noteworthy competitor in a market dominated by Flip. The downside, however, is that the Zi8 doesn’t have internal memory.
Optical Sensor Size: 1/2.5”
Optical Sensor Type: 5 megapixel CMOS
Lens: 6.3mm Fixed Focus (100cm to infinity)
Resolution: 1920 x 1080p/30p, 1280 x 720/60p/30p
Storage Format: SD/SDHC
MSRP: $179
For more specifications and reviews on these cameras, visit each manufacturer’s website or a third-party site such as www.cnet.com.
An iPhone app for your church? Well...sort of...
I became aware of this app via another blog (ChurchCrunch.com) and thought I would check it out. I had seen a similar service last week, though there appears to be some differences.
AppChurch allows you to list your church for free, and then choose to pay for additional features like posting events and sermons to the app. Looks like a great, easy, and fairly cheap way for a church to enter this arena without having to take the time to develop their own app from scratch.
There are some things I noticed, however.
First, it appears that AppChurch merely lists your church in their directory and the consumer would set one church from the directory as their "home" church. Not a big deal, but don't think your church members would go the the app store and search your church name to find the app. So, it is not a "unique" app with your church name/identity attached.
The positive side of this is that you can at least get your church listed for free so that those who use the app might stumble upon your church if they happen use the app to find a church when they travel, or even when they move. So, nothing to lose on at least getting listed.
Secondly, I was unable to install the app on my device. This is a BIG deal. When I searched for the app from my iPod Touch (2G with 3.1.2 software) it did not find it. When I searched using iTunes on my laptop, I found the app and downloaded it. When I sync'd iTunes with my Touch I was told it could not be installed as it was incompatible with my software. Double checking, it claimed compatibility with 3.1 or higher (which I clearly have). Not sure what the deal is there . . . but this is a slight problem.
In summary, list your church, but try the app out on your device before you pay for their services.
Jason
So, check it out thoroughly before jumping on the "paying" wagon.
Jason
There has been a lot of traffic around Cultivate 09. This blog post from WebdrivenChurch has some great summary points. For those who could not attend (which includes myself), enjoy!
Jason
Cultivate09
And there's no better way than going on a road trip with the Communications team.First stop: Cultivate09
I have so many things going on right now I can't see straight. I guess that just means I need to pull back for a few days and regenerate.
Here are my notes, chicken scratches and takeaways from the day. Overall a great conference. Met some new people and definitely left with stuff to chew on.
Phil Cooke
Creating compelling content in a media-driven world2 Things are happening:Four questions to ponder:
- Our content has become shorter
- We spend more time communicating + less time creating each message = Time Suck
- What are you really trying to do? "Remove obstacles/barriers (smooth the path) for people taking their next steps on the web.
- How do you deal with ambiguity? NOT providing the perfect answer to difficult questions when there really is NO perfect answer.
- Are you asking the right questions? Jesus is God - but so what? How does that impact my life?
- Stop focusing on: How much will it cost? And: When will it be ready?
Developing a web strategy
Drew Goodmanson (cobblestone software) & Gabe Taviano (Digital Disciples)SEO (importance of - added numerous visitors/members the weeks following the optimization)Online evangelism as a strategy is 1% or less successful. + side is that church members forming relationships in the community use the website as a connection point to get people into church.Theological issues exist in the understanding of online church and if it's even possible for people to connect that way.Must be PASSIONATE and PROFESSIONAL in order to be successful online.Use of website for visitors: Visitors can send message online letting people know they are coming to church so you can meet them and welcome them at the kiosk.
iCampuses
Tony Steward (Lifechurch.tv Digerati) & Rhett Smith (counselor)How does your pastoral responsibilities translate to the web?How much are you responsible for? Do you have to answer every inquiry? Do you have to provide all services to all people?So many books out there to grow social media - but are there resources to shrink and better manage your use of social media?"Batch" your online usage. Check email/Twitter every hour or so rather than the minute it comes in.Boundaries are huge when faced with the new onslaught of online communication. AND it's not really up to the leadership to set boundaries (work schedule and time nanagement) when they are God's boundaries from the beginning (Sabbath).Matching space for space (people on computers are rarely standing) (Book: 4 hour work week)
Native to the environment (making the experience feel native to the user - what they would expect and want to see/feel)
Clint! Runge
Archrival Creative in Lincoln, NEDifferences between Gen X and Gen YGeneration Y
- Xers ask how can I be different. Yers ask how can we be different
- Xers = exclusion. Yers = inclusion
Mobile devices are the "First screen"Future of social media: 15 minutes of fame is an expectation rather than an aspiration.
- Attitudes: "we" (as in Wikipedia).
- Peer to peer approval most important thing. Branded to death so they tend to trust peers more than advertising.
- Success = good life, good job with purpose and meaning.
- Huge belief in causes: Environment (easy and no one is really against it), economy and education.
- No Brand Loyalty.
Let people in on your "secret" and who cares what everyone else things. Marketing plan similar to that used by Red Bull, "We just want the 14-20 somethings drinking our drink so we'll cater to them in marketing - who cares what everyone else thinks..."What's the next generation going to be known for? Those born in 2001 or later - Gen Y x50 or something to that effect. Born with the thought that they have all the answers and want
- First screen - "Social mobilization" GPS socialization.
- Creation of smaller social networks based on interests and not the global collective.
- Virtual world - Second Life.
family cohesion.Trends seen recently
- New politics: Skepticism. People want change but not sure that change will occur. "Apple will have more impact on them than the government will."
- The modern guy: What does it mean to be a guy these days? Free to explore things they are interested in. Things like dance, creativity, arts, starting different businesses, etc.
- Life tracking: adding content to social media and even medical outlets so that it can be tracked and the collective data used for personal development.
- Do the right thing: Too many ethical dilemmas. This generation gets very worked up over this stuff and there is a sense of relief when their decisions are seen as right or ethical.
Small Explosions
Bobby Gruenewald & Terry Storch (Digerati - Lifechurch.tv)Creating small but sustained explosions that can stand the test of time rather than huge explosions that make a big impact that then fizzles out quickly.Digerati Team: In the development of something like Youversion you start with the big picture in mind. But in that you must also check in each week to ensure the right steps are in place in order to move on to the next week's tasks. In these meetings you may only look a couple week's down the road rather than revisiting the big picture.New York Cab Driver example: Keep moving forward and don't look back or to the side. Everyone knows his or her role and as long as the meeting up front does well at setting the expectations and framing the roles then everything works.
The 3 T's: Text, Twitter and Thumbs.
Tim Schraeder & Michael ForsbergPark Community Church uses Jarbyco during all services to elicit feedback from participants on the messages and what they think. Also used interactive polling during a service to help drive the service.Facebook, Twitter and Texting each hit a niche area and can be used in different ways. Nothing wrong with using all three.
Jon Acuff
Author of the Blog: Stuff Christians Like"Booty. God. Booty." Description of being all about God only on Sunday mornings..."Satire: Humor with a purpose."The Devil tries to destroy your story and get you to discount your story.
Our response: Give your story to God. Don't forget why you tell your story.
I know there are a thousand variations of these kind of lists, so take it for what it is...one man's opinion of some of the better options out there for free services ministries can leverage.
Steve Fogg is new to me, but have gleaned several new ideas/resources from following him. Check him out at stevefogg.typepad.com
Jason
Top ten (in DJ voice over) coming in at number 1 is...
- Twitter: 101: This should be every Youth Pastor's and Communications peep's friend.
- Facebook: Create your church community connection point/marketplace. We have.
- Youtube: DIY online video distribution. You can literally broadcast yourself. We did.
- Vimeo: Another DIY online video distribution tool. I prefer this to youtube.
- Wufoo forms: As they say, making forms easy, fast and fun.
- Blogger: Create your church homepage today for FREE.
- Gmail: Connect anytime, anywhere.
- Google Calendar: Whats on and when.
- Google maps: Where you are and how to get there.
- iTunes: While not strictly online, you can post your churches sermon every week.
As well as being free, these tools allow anyone (who has a spotty techie, geeky teenager) to set up a church website today. What are you waiting for?
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In that endeavor to educate myself, Kem Meyer is a name that I have run across many times. I recently bought her book and I have been reading her blog for months now.
If you are a "newbie" in the communication field, especially if you work with a ministry, you might want to check out her stuff. Visit her blog www.kemmeyer.typepad.com or the website for her book www.lessclutterlessnoise.com
OneBody just recently announced that they are releasing their most stable version ever, v1.0, to the wild, and one of the best things about it is they’re offering a free-version to download on your own server and run!
Most excellent.
And seriously, when they mean open source it appears that they really mean it. Just look at their pricing model (they have a paid service to support those that can’t host it on their own): 
The “free” version doesn’t hold anything back! I love how they’re giving it all away.
Besides the awesomesauce of open source the platform looks pretty stable and robust, giving everything you’d probably expect in a church social network and online directory.
Some of the newer features mentioned:
Seriously, if you’re in the market for something like this, you can’t beat free and the offering looks good.
I’d love to hear some testimonials! Knocking it out!
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Posted via email from Cooper-ation | resourcing for ministry
If you are constantly struggling to generate your own graphics that look professional and do it on time, Powerpointsermons.com is for you!
PowerPointSermons.com offers the best resources available on the web to help pastors present professionally prepared PowerPoint sermons every week. For a reasonable yearly subscription rate, pastors from any denomination can find help with the most important part of their weekly schedule. PowerPointSermons.com presentations contain visual elements that will make your sermon the central focus of the worship service. Also, it helps your congregation focus on the message before them in a way that enhances their learning experience.
Youth sermons, lectionary sermons, seasonal sermons, classic sermons, modern sermons, and more are available. We have everything you need to enhance your preaching and weekly sermons, announcements and other important church messages, so browse our articles to learn more.
How can we help your cause?
Animoto supports not-for-profits and other humanitarian causes with free pro accounts.
This site offers some very basic services for free, including producing quality video montages from pictures and short video clips. I haven't used it yet, but it boasts free "pro" accounts for non-profits. Worth checking out!
Could use it for graduations, weddings, baby dedications, etc.
Jason
You can create free online surveys for your ministry at surveymonkey.com! There are some limitations to the free account, but it is a great tool. Here are some ideas for use:
-Survey your class or group about future study topics
-Survey your group about ideas for fellowship activities
-Survey your group to find out areas of struggle (anonymous)
-Survey your group about anything you can think of
Jason
When to use a group? When to use a page?
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By now many ministries have become aware of and began utilizing social networks like Facebook. We started doing so just earlier this year. We have found it to be a great way to do day to day communicating with our "friends" on Facebook.
While it cannot replace our other avenues of communication, it is worth taking a few minutes to add to the repertoire.
We debated about whether or not to create a "group" or a "page" on Facebook for our church. (If you don't know the difference, check out this blog post http://tiny.cc/g4i3y) There are advantages to each, and it is worth thinking about which way to go. For us, we went with a page.
The two main reasons we chose a page for our primary Facebook presence are external visibility and more visible communication.
External visibility. Pages on Facebook are visible to those outside of Facebook. You do not have to join Facebook to see a our church's Facebook page. Not only that, my understanding is that pages are indexed and therefore have the potential to show up in search engines. So, we can advertize our church's "page" as a direct link on our website or in our email marketing and anyone can stop by the page, whether a registered FB use or not. (http://tiny.cc/calvary67)
Visible communication. The other benefit of a page is the ability to do a "status update." Just like a personal profile, page status updates are posted to all your friend's (technically, fan's) walls. This allows these updates to be visible on a persons "feed" page - the default landing page after you log in.
A side benefit is the ability to copy some code and put a "fan box" on your own website that show the "wall" from your page right on your sight. Can't do this with a group.
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