echurch Cultivating Virtual Communities of Faith
The Road Ahead What is a virtual community? Why do pastors and the church need to cultivate virtual communities? Best Practices Tools!
Traditional Family Media
Modern Family Media
The Future is Here: Now What? Then Institutional In person Communal Obligation Assumed value Consume & Observe Now Non-Institutional Accessible Customizable Service Proven value Create & Curate (almost 50%!)
Traditional Community
Virtual Community
But is this a real community? Social networking sites are increasingly used to keep up with close social ties The average user of a social networking site has more close ties and is half as likely to be socially isolated as the average American Facebook users are more trusting than others Facebook users have more close relationships Internet users get more support from their social ties and Facebook users get the most support Facebook users are much more politically engaged than most people Facebook revives dormant relationships
Why does this matter? Not only about who is in the church but who is NOT in the church Jesus did not only focus on those who came to him, but went out Relevant About tools and media to communicate a message: GOOD NEWS!
The World is Your Parish
Relevance
Storytelling The story is the same- just a different medium Every Generation connects through story telling From camp-fires to stain glass windows to theater to books to Instagram and Snapchat How do we tell a story in a virtual world? Like this!
Social Networks
What to Post Have a goal- why am I posting this? Curation and Creation you don t have to make it all If it is controversial- own it and welcome the response and dialogue
When to Post Facebook at least weekly no more than daily Twitter at least daily YouTube once a month (can be more regular) Cross Post Do it on one- mention on all Regular anticipatory posting is key- if you post regularly people will respond Not posting = nothing is happening
RESPOND, REPLY, But Don t Feed the Trolls! If someone responds to your post/tweet/picture/ etc. respond within 24 hours. The sooner the respond the better online dialogues can be great HOWEVER respond faithfully, not in anger DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS Trolls people commenting to stir the pot and draw you into an argument
Tools Hootsuite manage posts, responses and analytics across SM platforms: www.hootsuite.com Buffer Hootsuite alternative: www.buffer.com Tweetdeck manage multiple Twitter accounts, schedule tweets, facilitated Tweetchats: www.tweetdeck.com Mailchimp free online Newsletter w/ auto posting to Twitter and Facebook www.mailchimp.com
Tools - media DON T STEAL credit, creative commons, ask! Videos! G-dcast excellent videos on Hebrew Bible (http://www.gdcast.com/video/#writings) SALT project- great videos and Christian themes (http://www.saltproject.org/christian-video-resources-for-small-groups) Pictures! Flickr (search for creative commons): www.flickr.com MorgueFile: www.morguefile.com Canva meme creation: www.canva.com Picmonkey - photo edit w SM Templates: picmonkey.com
Tools MEMES Credit when possible not typically covered under copyright
Example: Jacob and Esau Facebook: This Sunday- Twin Brothers - http://www.growproclaimserve.com/files/404/oct%2019.pdf Pinterest Red Lentil Soup Recipe - http://www.pinterest.com/pin/186336503306472376/ YouTube: G-dcast (2 Cartoon videos) Toldot: Jacob Esau and Tough Talk about Cheating Toldot: Trust in God AFTER: video of acting out or telling story Mailchimp sent some articles about Esau and Jacob to folks interested in Bible Study and the parent s page from Grow, Proclaim, Serve
Example: Jacob and Esau - 2 Twitter: Sibling Rivalry with Jacob and Esau #growproclaimserve #yourchurch #yourchurchsundayschool Would you sell God s blessing for a bowl of soup? #siblingrivalry #growproclaimserve #yourchurch #yourchurchsundayschool Instagram pics of twins, the soup, siblings Spotify: Hungry like the Wolf Duran Duran My Brother Esau The Grateful Dead
Last bit of advice Cultivating is about growing! Start smaller and more reasonable- allow yourself to grow Better than being ambitious and not following through Not either/or but BOTH/AND