——-QUOTES——-

“If you are not on social media… you are anti-social.” – Jeff Moors

“The implications of social media and the internet are more significant than the printing press.” – Sean Cannell

“Social media is another sub-culture of our society; it comes with its own rules, common courtesies, and language/abbreviations. It’s important that if you or your organization is going to engage in this sub-culture of social media, you should take the time and learn how to interact in it.” - Jeff Moors

“Whenever a new connection or communication platform has emerged, the spread of the gospel has accelerated!  The Roman roads 2000 years ago, the Gutenberg press in 1440, Radio in the 1930s, Television… and now the internet & social media.” – Sean Cannell

“There are now new boundaries when it comes to personal space thanks to social media” – Jeff Moors

“The most successful “social media campaign” (so far) by a religious group was by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the primary platform used was YouTube.” – Sean Cannell

“We no longer need the power to read minds in order to know what people are thinking, we just have to read their twitter, facebook, or blog” – Jeff Moors

——-Q & A——-
Why should a church or nonprofit engage in social media?
Churches and nonprofits should engage in social media for the same reason they use telephones or tradition mail.  It is a tool for connecting with people.  A Christian Church’s “core message” should never change (because the Bible does not change), but the “Methods” of the communication and distribution of that message can and should change.  Social media allows an organization to connect with a global audience, in creative ways, for little to no cost.  Social media is an essential tool that can be used to connect with people and communicate a message.

Is it a fun thing, or should there be a clearly defined strategy?
Social media has a fun side and a serious side. Imagine going to a friends house for a party.  Your friend introduces you to Tom, who you have never met, and you guys begin to chat. You ask Tom how his weekend went and if he saw the Miami game or not.  He stairs at you blankly and does not respond.  Confused, you assume he does not like sports and try asking him about his family.  No Response.  Slightly offended and ready walk away your thoughts are interrupted by remark from Tom.

“You should come to my church this weekend!”

WHAT!? Bro, you are weird and I am not coming to you church!

Churches do that on Twitter EVERY SINGLE DAY.  They push content on people, but never engage on a human level over social media.  Does you church twitter account talk back to people, reach out to individuals, or *smile and *laugh.  * :) * LOL

Relationship should always come before opportunity.  Churches and nonprofits have a clear mission but are also made up of real people that want to be cared about and not pushed and sold.  Having a good strategy and clear purpose is crucial to have genuine effectiveness with social media but it needs to be paired with a relational approach. Those succeeding with social media understand that being “human” and “genuine” is vital.

What tips would you give for leaders interested in using it?
The biggest tip I would give a leader wanting to get started with social media is to START.

But I don’t know how.  You used to not know how to ride a bike (some of you still don’t :) .
It seems too complex.  The computer you use every day used to seem complex too.
I’m too busy.  Your to bust to reach new people, discover new resources,  and raise awareness of your cause?

The second biggest tip is a niche website I use that not many people know about yet.  It’s call goggle.com. Kidding.  But seriously, once you decide to start using twitter for example, goggle phases like:

“How to set up your twitter”
“Tips for  using twitter effectively ”
“Using twitter for ministry.”

There is and unending and ever increasing pool of resources that will walk you through step by step with social media!

Where is this going?  What’s the future for these applications?
The internet is here to stay.  Will facebook be around forever? Who knows, look what happened to Myspace.  However, the 2-Way conversions talking place on Social Media are here to stay.  Therefore it is important to adapt to the changes the internet has brought about in the world.  How we consume news and entertainment, receive education,  find jobs, get discovered by companies, and share pictures and video with friends and family, has changed forever.  Specific platforms will come and go but it is important we adapt to these changes so we can embrace and leverage new technologies and platforms that will advance our message.

What cautions would you give?

Social Media and the internet introduced huge opportunities for reaching people you never could before, getting your talent or message discovered, and networking massive groups around a single cause.  However many dangers and even destructive implications have been introduced as well.

IAD did not exist before the internet, it was not possible. *Internet addiction disorder
Every second 28,258 internet users are viewing pornography
The average age of first Internet exposure to pornography is 11 years old
Facebook is cited in 20 percent of all divorces in 2011
Research has found a link between online life and depression
Overuse of social networks in teens is linked to narcissistic tendencies according to scientists

Have you ever seen a family of four at a restaurant, silently eating, while the two kids type away on there mobile devices?  Yeah, there is defiantly some downsides to social media and the internet.  However, we should consider that before the internet, families were dysfunctional, marriages split up, and people found plenty of things to be addicted to like TV, alcohol, or work.  A boycott of social media and the internet is ultimately not the solution but neither is a careless disregard of the dangers.

People are on social media.  Therefore your church should be as well.  As for the dangers consider these options:

There is software like http://macfreedom.com/ that allows you to to shut the internet down for a set period of time.
There is software like http://www.x3watch.com/ that can help keep you accountable & protected from pornography.
Some married couples share one facebook account to help discourage former partners from contacting their spouse.
Social media should not replace “physical human relationships” in our lives, so we have to intentional about connecting to local community.

Television has many downsides as well but churches and non profits have successfully used it for over the years for massive good.  Social Media can also be used for good, just make sure you proceed with caution and wisdom.

-——LINKS——-

Social Media – The Significance, The Implications,& How to Respond (VIDEO)
Social Media – 6 Practical Ways to Use it in a Ministry Context w/ Sean Cannell (VIDEO)
Social Media for Ministry, Business, & Life (VIDEO)

——-THE BOOK——-

http://www.outspokenbook.com/

“If you are in church communications, get this book!  Not only is it packed with phenomenal content but the 60 plus contributing authors are must  ”follows” on twitter to stay on the cutting edge of church communications and social media.” – Sean & Jeff

Here is the Twitter List of Outspoken Contributors: http://twitter.com/#!/OUTSPOKENbook/outspoken-contributors

 

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