Obviously I'm not the best at following through with goals to keep in touch - this blog being a case in point (I haven't QUITE made it two months without posting, but I'm going to try and pay attention again). Maybe that's why I'm resisting Twitter so strongly. I also resisted Facebook for a long time but eventually got sucked in too. We'll see how Twitter goes!
That being said, Twitter is one of the most popular, fastest growing social networking services online right now, so it does deserve attention. For those who don't know, it basically is a way for users to update their "followers" (for most people, their friends and/or colleagues, for celebrities it would be their fans, you get the picture) in 140 characters or less.
One way that it can be used is as a way to provide the latest news without having to create a feed or send out an e-mail (remember, though, it's SHORT news!). For example, several synods are "tweeting" their assemblies this year.
To push the idea a little more, some congregations are even encouraging tweeting in worship. While it's probably not going to replace fellowship hour, and I wouldn't even go so far as to recommend it, I think it does present some good "food for thought." Read this article from Time for more information.
by Julie Niehoff, Constant Contact Regional Development Director, Texas
This morning when you opened your email inbox, did you notice that some emails immediately jumped off the page at you, demanding your attention? Maybe there was a message from your boss, something from a coworker or a key customer that needed your assistance, or a newsletter from a store that you love.
Some emails get your immediate attention, while others are flagged for later or go relatively untouched. A compelling subject line can make all the difference.
Most of us just don't have time to get to every email message. We all live in this reality. We all play the same game of managing our inboxes and flagging emails that we'll "get to later" -- I call this the battle of priorities. We all play it, and as a marketer, you can win that battle.
When someone first gets your email, you have on average three seconds to get them to open it. The first second is spent on the From line, recognizing who sent the message. From there, you have just two more seconds to compel them to open your message with your subject line. That is why I came up the2-2-2 Principle:
Have you ever wanted to share a website with your congregation, but the URL (the web address) is SOOOOOO long and complicated that you wouldn't want to publish it (and they wouldn't want to type it in)?
The website TinyURL.com can help this problem. This site lets you enter a long URL and it transforms it into a short one.
Pros:
The result is MUCH shorter
The URL doesn't expire (at least as long as the original URL is valid)
The site now lets you name the result yourself (ex. at last August's workshop, Paul Edison-Swift wanted to provide a list of resources at http://archive.elca.org/webministry/workshops/index.html, so rather than use the randomly generated URL, he named it tinyurl.com/stepitup for the name of the workshop)
It's REALLY easy to do
There aren't any ads or any other visual signs when re-directed
Cons:
It doesn't include the name of the site, which could be seen as less publicity for the original site
Every TinyURL has to start tinyurl.com (so it could be seen as promoting this site, but it's a free service, so I say why argue?)
Today's tip is probably most needed when working with columns, but it also applies to pages and other layout options.
I've noticed a lot of people who spend lots of time moving things around in Word to make them line up "just so." The good news/bad news is that they're wasting time because Word can do most of those things for you.
First, if you want your information to appear in table or column format - do that! Rather than tabbing over (or worse, hitting the space bar until you get there), just use the commands in Word. If you want columns, you can either type your information and then turn them into columns by highlighting the text, selecting Format and then Columns. From there you can select the number and the space between the columns. Also make sure the bottom box is selected correctly (do you want it applied to the whole document, just the selected text, etc.).
If you want your data in a table (columns and rows), just go to Insert, Table. From there select your options. You can always insert more columns and rows. Note that you do have to do this before entering the data. This way your information can be grouped together (ex. an address isn't intermingled with other information if you're doing a directory, so it makes for easier copy and pasting), you can have grid lines appear if you want to, and most of all it's a lot easier!
And the real meat of the tip today - check out the command to Insert Break (insert is on the menu, break is the first choice). If you've done the columns and you don't want information to flow across two columns, rather than inserting extra spaces, just insert a break. The downside is that if you go back and edit later, you may not want that break there. If you click on the icon that looks like a backwards "P" but with an extra "leg" and the "hump" filled in (it's a paragraph symbol used in editing) it will show you all of the formatting characters in your document (including column and other breaks). Don't worry, these don't print and all you have to do is hit the icon again to make them go away.
If you have a table with multiple lines of text in each row and you don't want a row to be split between pages (or if you have any other kind of document where you don't like where it goes to the next page, just insert a page break (Insert > Break > Page). Most of the time this does not work to move the two lines on the next page BACK up to the page before. You typically have to insert the break before the paragraph/table row/etc. If you want the lines on the next page to move up, you'll have to change formatting in another way (decrease margins, change font size, etc.).
Use these "breaks" to help save a lot of extra spacing and make your formatting a little neater!
These tips to help your website get found are from the March-April 2008 edition of Seeds for the Parish:
With an estimated billion or more pages now on the Internet, the adage "build it and they will come" simply does not work for Web sites.
Here are tips to help you fine tune your congregation's site for search engine optimization:
Find out how you come up in the search engines by searching for your site on Google, Yahoo and MSN. If you do not find your site within the first three pages of search results, it isn't optimized.
List your Web site in the Open Directory Project (DMOZ). This is a free human-edited directory of the Web. Go to www.dmoz.org and submit your site.
Submit your ELCA Congregation Web pages for inclusion in the elca.org "find a congregation." Go to elca.org/FindaChurch and follow the "Add or Edit Your Congregation's Web Address" link. Search engines take the number of external links pointing to your Web pages as a vote for your site. [Don't forget to share it with the synod too! If it isn't already listed correctly at www.semnsynod.org/webcong.html, send an e-mail to livingood at semnsynod dot org]
Make sure the keywords you are using are relevant to your congregation. Your keywords may not be the terms people are searching. Use a keyword selection tool such as wordtracker, at www.wordtracker.com for data on search term frequency and search phrases.
Link your internal pages through text links as well as your menu navigation. Remember that search engines cannot see icons or the text in them.
Do not use "frames" for navigation. Search engines simply can't index them.
If you use dropdown boxes for navigation make sure there is another way to navigate to those pages.
Avoid using a flash animation "splash" page. Search engines consider your homepage the most important page on your site. If you do not have keyword-rich content on your homepage you are missing a great opportunity.
Do not use the same titles on all your pages. Each page of your site should use one or several unique keyword themes, e.g., "Worship at St. Peter" and "About the St. Peter Lutheran Church soup kitchen."
Do not use "click here" for your hyperlink text unless you want to rank high for "click here." Search engines associate the link text with the pages you are linking to.
Remember to delete obsolete links to pages no longer on your Web site. A search result of "Page not found" is not a good recommendation for visiting your site.
If you have any questions about any of these, simply post it in the comments or e-mail me at livingood at semnsynod dot org.
This morning's edition of The Alban Weekly, the Alban Institute's electronic newsletter, had a wonderful article dispelling some myths that congregations buy into to believe their communication is going smoothly when, in fact, they may need to be addressing some issues.
Below are the myths and the "short version" of Alban's explanation, but I really encourage you to read the whole piece.
Myth 1: We’ve got a mission statement, so we’ve figured out who we are. A mission statement is simply one small way among many that a congregation can communicate its heart and soul. In fact, everything about a congregation communicates.
Myth 2: Our identity is rooted in our faith. In the same way that individuals within any faith tradition bring specific gifts in service, so faith communities have particular values and emphases.
Myth 3: If we focus too much on figuring out our own identity, we may become self-absorbed. While focusing on congregational identity all the time would definitely cause an imbalance, many congregations are already out of balance in that they focus too little on the way their actions, publications, and use of symbols communicate their priorities and the distinctiveness of who they are.
Myth 4: We don’t need to think any further about the implications of new communication technology because we already use it well. [Using new technologies] doesn’t mean [a congregation is] communicating wisely. Congregational leaders need to consider how everything the congregation does—communication technologies as well as things like programming and the use of physical space in the building—speaks about the congregation’s priorities.
Myth 5: We’re a traditional congregation, and we have chosen not to use most of the new communication technologies. We’ve figured out our identity; it’s the same as it’s always been, so why complicate things? All congregations need to periodically rethink and explore who they are and what they value. While I do think new communication technologies offer some wonderful opportunities for congregations, I would never suggest that congregations need to use all of them. I do argue, however, that everything congregations say and do contributes to their identity. Therefore paying some attention to the issue is wise, no matter what forms of communication are used.
Myth 6: We avoid the new technologies because we’re leery of the consumer culture, and we don’t want our congregation and even our faith to turn into yet one more consumer item. Everything we say and do communicates what we consider to be important, and what congregations communicate about faith values shapes how members act on their faith. Therefore, from time to time, congregations need to stop and evaluate what they are communicating.
Myth 7: Our congregational values are being communicated effectively through words. Our pastor and leaders preach the sermons and put a lot of thought into the words used in our newsletter and on our website. People are increasingly influenced by images as well as by words. With the move away from a word-based to an image-based culture, leaders of congregations need to do some careful thinking about the role of visual communication in our time.
Myth 8: We’ve got a great Web designer and newsletter editor, and our newsletter and website are terrific. In this increasingly visual culture, forms of visual communication such as layout, photos, and graphics need to be evaluated to see if they communicate the desired message, particularly if one person is choosing most of them. I believe that all the new communication technologies have created the necessity for “critical friends,” people who understand the importance of the new forms of communication for congregations and, at the same time, are willing to look at those forms with a critical eye.
Myth 9: If your heart is in the right place, communication takes care of itself. Just as individuals with good intentions can benefit from learning listening skills for their personal relationships and speaking skills for their oral communication, so congregations can benefit from considering the implications of the ways they communicate and what they are communicating. In this age of rapidly proliferating communication technologies, this task of evaluation is even more urgent.
I came across a rather interesting video today (thank you Sara Masters!) that might help us look a little differently at some of our practices in the church, especially in relation to new members. This post from the Beyond Relevance blog shows the video "What if Starbucks Marketed Like the Church? A Parable." It sheds some light on what the experience of an un-churched person in a congregation may look like.
If you have any comments to share on this, I'd like to hear them. We might also talk about this at a meeting, maybe even next week!
