If you’re into Facebook, I’d love to connect with you personally, but I’d also love it if you’d become a fan of this blog’s Facebook page, and if you like this blog, perhaps you’d consider spreading the word. It’s one more way to share the love and keep some great conversations going.
I rarely write on this blog about Twitter. Why? Because it’s easy to make fun of. Most people don’t get it, and I don’t blame them. That’s partly because of the common perceptions surrounding Twitter and social media, such as…
You might be familiar with “URL shortners” such as bit.ly or su.pr. These are tools which take a long url (internet link) and shorten it so you can easily share it on social networks, websites, etc. Well, ref.ly is a shortener of a different sort. Instead of shortening web references, it shortens Bible references. It’s a service of Logos Bible Software and has even gotten a very positive review from Mashable. Give it a shot – share your favorite verse! Mine is http://ref.ly/2Co4.5.
Social media. What in the world is it? Well, think about it. “Social” has to do with people who converse, gather, and relate to each other. “Media” is any platform for spreading any message. Mass media is speaking to the masses through radio, television, etc. Print media is magazines, newspapers, and other printed periodicals. Social media, then, is promoting a message through people, and the phrase is typically used in reference to online media outlets.
I’m a firm believer that the rise of social media is a revolutionary moment for the church’s ministry. We’ll either embrace it (as we did print media and mass media) or we’ll begin to fade (as perhaps we are already doing). John Saddington runs a couple of great blogs and wrote a pertinent article related to why churches don’t “get” social media.
Before you read it, know that I don’t always get it either. I’ve learned a few tough lessons recently, and find it hard to keep up at times, but I’m determined to be a student of a movement that absolutely must be embraced and studied by thinkers and leaders in the kingdom today.
I’ve been blogging for almost four years now, but I think I’d still call myself a late adopter. It’s only been within the last year and a half that I’ve begun to realize the power of optimizing my site for search engines, so I spent a couple of years blogging while nobody was listening. I’ve also been slow to catch on when it comes to social networking, but I’m quickly realizing I’m not alone – though many networks seem huge, most people I know still aren’t on them.
I thought I’d take just a few minutes and talk about the power of social networking and why I wish all my friends would jump in with both feet, as well as a couple of warnings…
I’ve been getting a lot of email invitations to join FaithOut.com, which claims to be the first “Christian alternative to Facebook.” If you want to join FaithOut, go right ahead. I’m sticking with Facebook, and I ‘m a Christian. My spirit is stirred at what some believers are doing in the online realm of things. Instead of engaging and impacting the online culture for the Kingdom, we’re attempting to create an online Christian subculture into which we can retreat. GodTube is another very popular example. (I actually use GodTube simply because of a lot of videos that are offered there that you can’t find on mainstream alternatives, but nonetheless…) This, in my estimation, is quite similar to the popularity in the brick-and-mortar world of Christian bookstores, Christian coffee shops, and other forms of Christian alternatives to secular offerings. Here are my concerns…
Brandon is first and foremost a follower of Jesus Christ. He's a husband to Angie and a Dad to Ella Grace and Samuel David. He's a Pastor to Bethel Baptist Church, Editor of Fuel Your Blogging and also a logo and web designer.
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