Day long course designed for the Church of England, encouraging people to think about why, what, when, etc. to use social media, provided by Dr Bex Lewis, Director of Digital Fingerprint Social Media Consultancy.
1. SOCIAL MEDIA
FOR THE
SCARED
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
International
Dr Bex Lewis, Digital Fingerprint
URL: http://j.mp/cofesmsfeb14
February 2014 for:
http://www.churchcommstraining.org
22. The Church Front Door?
For many churchgoing is no longer
the „cultural norm‟. People don‟t
actively ignore the church: they don‟t
even think about it. Matthew 5:13-16
calls us to be salt and light in the
world, and for thousands in the
„digital age‟, that world includes
social networks such Twitter,
Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.
With literally billions in the digital
spaces, the online social spaces
presented by churches need to be
appealing, welcoming, and not look
like they are just an afterthought:
they are now effectively the „front
door‟ to your church for digital
users, and you ignore those
spaces at your peril.
http://www.churchgrowthrd.org.uk/blog/churchgrowth/g
rowing_churches_in_the_digital_age
Image Credit: Sxc.hu
23. • We are not selling something to the world that will
make more people like us, believe in our story,
join our churches. We are trying to be something
in the world that invites connection and
compassion, encourages comfort and healing for
those in need, and challenges those in power to
use that power in the service of justice and love
• (Drescher, 127)
29. • An incredible new
technology enables the
transmission of text on a
worldwide basis. It rapidly
reduces production and
distribution costs and for
the first time allows large
numbers of people to
access text and pictures in
their own homes.
30.
31. • The new technologies will bring
„every individual… into immediate
and effortless communication
with every other‟, „practically
obliterate‟ political geography, and
make free trade universal. Thanks
to technological advance, „there
[are] no longer any foreigners,‟
and we can look forward to „the
gradual adoption of a common
language.‟
32.
33. • “For this invention will produce forgetfulness in the minds
of those who learn to use it, because they will not practice
their memory. Their trust in writing, produced by external
characters which are no part of themselves, will
discourage the use of their own memory within them. You
have invented an elixir not of memory, but of reminding;
and you offer your pupils the appearance of wisdom, not
true wisdom, for they will read many things without
instruction and will therefore seem to know many things,
when they are for the most part ignorant and hard to get
along with, since they are not wise, but only appear wise.”
(Phaedrus 274c-275b)
36. • “Furedi suggests that moral panics have
a tendency to occur „at times when
society has not been able to adapt to
dramatic changes‟ and when such
change leads those concerned to
express fear over what they see as a
loss of control.”
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Stu
dents/lcs9603.html
Image Credit: Stockfresh
37. Digital Literacy
• "digital literacy defines
those capabilities which
fit an individual for living,
learning and working in a
digital society”
Image Credit: http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/video-assist
40. http://bigbible.org.uk/digidisciple/
• Whether as a Christian or a digital explorer, you‟re a newbie or
an old hat, a rookie or a bishop (and in the digital sphere, there
will be some who fit in all categories), we all have something to
contribute to the digital space. The concept of the digital as
„space‟ or a „culture‟ is important as we come from a
perspective in which:
• As Christians we live 24/7 for God, in whatever spaces we live
in or engage with (see LICC for more on this).
• There is no such thing as „virtual‟ and „real‟ worlds: only online
and offline space/cultures – the connection between the two is
different for each individual.
• We need to take seriously our Christian presence both online
and offline. Are we the same person, living by the same values
in both „spaces‟?
43. Human Beings at Machines, not
“are machines”
http://www.sxc.hu/photo/192333
44. Love thy neighbour?
• What does it mean to „love your neighbour‟ in a world in
which a „friend‟ might as easily be the kid from down the
street you grew up with as a woman in Botswana whom
you‟ve never seen in person and only know in the context
of Facebook status updates, photos, and notes? … How
can we negotiate spiritual interaction in these
contexts without losing sight of basic elements of
Christian faith expressed in traditional embodied and
geographically located practices of prayer, worship,
and compassion towards others?
• Tweet if You Heart Jesus, p.xiv
48. Who are you?
• What are your values?
• What do you stand for?
• What is your „tone of voice‟?
• What can you contribute to the
conversation?
• Locally?
• Nationally?
• Globally?
49. What Biblical values do we want to
see in our (digital) world?
Image Credit: iStockPhoto
55. Who is your audience?
Image Credit: Purchased Stockfresh
56. DISCUSS: Your audience
• Turn to person
next to you.
• Who are you
interested in
reaching/listening
to?
• What „problems‟
are you seeking to
solve for them?
Image Credit: Purchased Stockfresh
58. • What do you
have in place
now, and
what tools
are you
already
using?
Image Credit: Purchased Stockfresh
59. A Clear Plan
• Avoids
• Wasted Time
• Wasted Effort
• Backlash from
those who don‟t
see social media
as „working‟
• Social Media
fatigue
• Missed
Opportunities
Image Credit: Purchased Stockfresh
60. “Call to Action”
• Those were the more creative ones. But the
majority read like this:
• Do mail your acceptance to me today.
• So act right now. The postage is paid and you’ve got
nothing to lose but a great garden to gain!
• SEND NO MONEY NOW! But please mail your card
today!
• So if you’re looking for knowledge, a rewarding
adventure, and the advantage a future perspective
can offer, mail the enclosed card today!
• http://blog.crazyegg.com/2013/07/24/call-to-
action-examples/
61. “Call to Action”
• Don‟t make it too
complicated to participate
• Define an (easy) action
• Define the (simple)
benefit(s)
• Give a (short) time frame
Image Credit: Purchased Stockfresh
62. Shareability
• Knowing
• Your Audience
• Your Values
• What motivates you
to share?
• Funny?
• Poignant?
• For a particular
person?
http://bzevents.com/blog/wpcontent/uploads/2012/09/Instagram-wedding-
79. Twitter Spokesperson:
• Twitter brings you closer to
the things you are
passionate about - and for
millions of people across
the globe that is faith.
• http://news.sky.com/story/1
022800/senior-bishops-totweet-christmas-sermons
80. What‟s it good for?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
New connections through shared
interests
Building your “brand”
Pre/During/Post Event Conversations
Breaking news
Asking questions
Share good resources
Sharing pithy statements/quotes
Being “polemical”
Image Credit: Stockfresh
92. Tweeting in Church?
• Good Thing?
• Bad Thing?
• Why might/might
not people tweet
in church?
• What might
encourage more
„engagement‟?
Image Credit: Purchased Stockfresh
107. What can you do on Facebook?
• Find friends
• Post status updates
• Comment on others photos
• Post & Tag people in photos
• Offer pastoral care
• Leave public messages on the „wall‟
• Send private „messages‟
• Join Groups, Like Pages
• Link to other social media
• Set up events
108. Facebook functions in ministry?
• Encourage Community
• Whole (life) Church
• Groups (e.g. 20s30s)
• Give others insights into „church life‟
e.g. photo sharing
• Offer pastoral care
• *Youth: PM‟s, CC parents/another
leader in
• Advertise Events
125. Blog Characteristics?
• A reverse diary (most recent entry first)
• A publically accessible personal journal
• Reflections, comments and hyperlinks
• Commentary/news on a particular subject
• Text/Image/Links including media
• Interactive, especially comments
• Potentially informal tone
126. Ideas for Content?
• “See what we‟ve been up to”
• Thoughts & Reflections
• Reviews (Books, films, websites, etc)
• Challenging ideas for debate
• Interviews (Text, Audio, Video)
• „Best Of‟ Content
• „How-to‟ Posts
• 10 things you can…
• Guest Posts
Image credit: RGBStock
141. Think About
• Who are you blogging for?
• How often can you blog?
• What style of blog will you use?
• What content can you produce?
• What do you want Google to find?
• Who else can you bring on board?
150. Simple ideas for Video:
• Set up a channel, e.g.
http://www.youtube.com/mybigbible
• Think of the STORIES you have to tell, and
how you might tell them – no need for BBC
production values
• Events: Before/After
• Sermons: Quick Overviews/Responses
• People & Their Lives
• What can you “How To”?
• Engage with other‟s videos:
• Comment (no flaming)
• Blog about them
• Add to favourites/playlist
168. • We also saw that, contrary to popular wisdom about
what goes viral, neither “difficult” subjects nor
fact-filled presentations scare people off. Nearly
20% of the people who watched a deep dive into
American health care policy thought it was worth
passing along to their friends. A powerful historical
video of a teacher giving her young students a
firsthand lesson in bigotry was viewed more than 3
million times. And four of the posts in the top 100
were about the important (but thoroughly unsexy)
topic of income inequality.
184. http://www.methodist.org.uk/ministers-and-officeholders/technology-and-church/social-media-guidelines
• The principles applied to this are:
• Be credible. Be accurate, fair, thorough and transparent.
• Be consistent. Encourage constructive criticism and
•
•
•
•
deliberation.
Be cordial, honest and professional at all times. Be responsive.
When you gain insight, share it where appropriate.
Be integrated. Wherever possible, align online participation
with other communications.
Be a good representative of the Methodist Church. Remember
that you are an ambassador for Christ, the Church and your
part of it. Disclose your position as a member or officer of the
Church, making it clear when speaking personally. Let
Galatians 5:22-26 guide your behaviour.
Be respectful: respect confidentiality. Respect the views of
others even where you disagree.
185. Bath & Wells Diocese 9 Twitter Rules
• Don't rush in
• Remember tweets are transient yet permanent
• Be a good ambassador for the Church
• Don't hide behind anonymity
• Be aware of public/private life boundaries
• Maintain a professional distance
• Stay within the law
• Respect confidentiality
• Be mindful of your own security
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25848873
189. What is required?
• Back to: WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?
• What feels „acceptable‟ as a starting point?
• Platform?
• Frequency?
• Personal/Organisational?
• Shared?
• What will your “KPIs” look like? Can such things
be defined in numbers?
• Sustained is better than „energy burst‟
followed by „dead space‟…
[Form: Twitter exercise – explain how introduce myself in Twitter, and what the bio needs to do]
Something about me … often gets people talking to me – esp if I wear t-shirt as used to in Twitter photo…
Social Media – all about RELATIONSHIPS, so we are going to start by getting to know each other as if we are on Twitter (look at all 4-5 areas of the document)
Commonality – finding a starting point & getting to know each other – essential building blocks of any evangelism, etc… with a strong focus on LISTENING! You’re looking to provide information, engage in dialogue, listen to your audience … build a community who will be interested in the other things that you do .. Expect that these next few days will take some time to digest … it can seem like a lot of information, but this is intended to challenge, enable strategy and move us forward.
Is this your experience? Right, so we’re going to see what else we can do with this… (remember that was built in an era of ‘give it all away’, freeness, etc. and in recent years has been taken over more commercially)
Best part of 4 mins, still the best video, even though it’s really old …
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pope-francis-takes-twitter-by-storm-in-the-first-papal-selfie-8792660.html twitter.com/abcjustinDon’t’ forget the SOCIAL in social media … about engaging rather than broadcasting (FOR MOST) thought argument for e.g. just not possible… These are two of the most powerful men in Christian circles … both actively engaging online – see here Justin Welbyapologises for not engaging with everyone … makes sense!
Don’t’ forget the SOCIAL in social media … about engaging rather than broadcasting (FOR MOST) thought argument for e.g. just not possible…
Some examples of campaigns already happening in Christian circles – recognition is growing that we need to be involved, but we need to train more people up to be involved…
Now, these may surprise you, as you may expect that I come in, tools first, and say “let’s do it all digitally”, but as it has been for many years, and will be for many more – we should start with the PROBLEM(S) that need solving, and then look at how the digital fits into the mix.
Some of these examples hopefully give a good idea…
Based on Mark 4 – thoughts about ‘fishers of people’ … 1.5 mins (recorded straight from the iPad in 1 take)
What you’d expect from working missionally…
Qualman – 4 mins (business focused, but worth thinking about…)
The same article, but the beginning of it… the church is just not on many people’s radar .. On a Sunday the Cathedrals of the shopping mall and the football pitch draw people in and provide the social spaces that people used to get from the church… so is there something else that Christians are seeking to offer… (But also need care that not using that space just to promote what you doing … if the church community gets onboard can see true community)
Building relationships takes time, but church has never been about “bums on seats”, so much as about encouraging those who attend to live full lives of discipleship. Many of those who enjoy the digital spaces are skeptical about being ‘preached to’. We live in a world of “pull” rather than “push” media (show me why I will be interested, rather than tell me I should be interested), but as Elizabeth Drescher says:We are not selling something to the world that will make more people like us, believe in our story, join our churches. We are trying to be something in the world that invites connection and compassion, encourages comfort and healing for those in need, and challenges those in power to use that power in the service of justice and love (Drescher, 127).
Scary – so many, or encouraging as you clearly can’t use them all, so think about what you need to do, and which tools might fit that…
Ever seen this? Quite old now (last year!), but quite helpful in demonstrating the purpose of different spaces online and which aspects you may emphasise.. E.g. on Twitter looking to build relationships around common interests, whereas Facebook to develop those you already have – will change the kind of things that you can say… We’ll come back to this after the break!
If I share something on my own page – far more likely to pick up comments than if it’s on BB’s page…
Within the church we need to think about how we engage more - this is the model many churches have now… (as a educational developer, I note that many teachers do this too….)
Can we move towards something more like this – what does this mean for church leaders, especially you as youth leaders…?
http://wondermark.com/socrates-vs-writing/
This book written to help fight against ‘moral panics’ – we’ve survived every other technological development … and we need to think what differences it makes to our lives … but not be over-awed by it all… Covers a lot of digital culture, designed to take the fear out of using it – seen as the biggest sticking point for most… so useful for all, but with particular focus on those aspects that affect kids
This is something that I work with… explain…
Explain ‘The Jesus Arms’ at Greenbelt… (2mins) … “being comfortable in your own digital skin” [digital not a replacement for other aspects of life, but part of it…]
As mentioned in the video we saw earlier… Online/offline = REAL – not the same, but real!
Always remember that there is a human being at the other end of the keyboard - each uniquely created by God… and as is noted by many communicators is not what you’ve said, but what others have ‘heard’ … not everyone receives the message that you send in the same way .. And one message definitely doesn’t fit all… we’re in the world of what is described as “the long tail”, where rather than being able to send out a mass message, we have to have more concern with individuals (which I always hope we as Christians do anyway, but…. ) – Google searches for ‘niches’ (small keywords/multiple entry points, etc.) So…
Apologise to those of you who may already have seen this … seem to produce a new one each year, and last year it was June, but I think it helps set the scene really well as to why this online space is SO important to engage with! (2-3 minutes)
This was kinda summed up at a recent conference…
This is something we’ve done a couple of times with Big Bible – love to see more – great way to get people to engage with the Bible – think about how to “change” the words to apply in the digital age…
Thinking through how things have changed – we don’t PUSH the message at people – we seek to be intriguing and draw them in…
Stand for, rather than against. If can agree this – removes the pressure from any one person - discuss
EXERCISE with flip-chart… want you to think about this over coffee break and will do exercise on return… Integrity (own comments “I feel, etc.)Self-control (consider consequences of interpretation – inc revisited later) Patience (expectations for response times)Authenticity (consistent to “you”)Trust (information can be out there, don’t speak on others behalf unless permission)Non-manipulative (audience aware, do someone down, bad spin; “If you love Jesus share this”)Respect (encounter different opinions – think through reactions); Good Manners; not ‘entitled’ to respect – respect others first.. Treat as you expect to be treated“Freedom of Speech” – think carefully; LibelSelf-awareness – context; read differently – can you “hear” tone of voiceDon’t press “send” in anger …Kindness – encourage online, messages of supportTransparency – do we know the source of all this… Aliases? Who’s saying what? Accountability. Who are they?
So – plenty to mull over there in the break time. Got a slightly more condensed session after the break… working our way through a range of tools!! So caffeine up!
Post-it note exercise… take 5 mins to think of at least 3 potentials, 3 fears…
Limited time & ££
Not PUBLISHING, but looking for CONVERSATIONS/relationship building
Are you listening to them, producing something for them, or for yourself, … e.g. Old Spice campaign – designed because they realised men weren’t buying it, but women buying it for their men to smell nice… so if you’re trying to get people into church, who are you seeking to reach?
Problems – are there any have an idea of where the digital might help? Then feed back in – will we have a flipboard … let’s hold onto some of those, and start to think about what digital tools might help solve them…
“Does Sam exist in real-life? Probably not exactly like this. But that’s not the point. The point is they have a target. They know who they’re going after. Do you?”Take time to create rough personas of those that you are trying to reach – they have a name, an age, characteristics – help you keep them in mind whilst you are preparing communication – not what you say, what they hear…
Use flipchart board to draw a spider diagram summarising what people are already involved in. Discuss similarities/differences (learn from each other), and start to see where social media already fits/where it may be expanded. OR can scribble into PPT itself…
Without a clear plan, you can end up diving into everything and scattering yourselves too thin, which is not helpful! Or end up not engaging at all..A clear plan = avoids wasted time, effort, backlash from those who think you are ‘playing’ rather than working. Avoid social media fatigue (Twitter/3 months!), or missing opportunities (all the opps I’ve had via Twitter).However, DO leave space for experimentation in the strategy.
Don’t block entry to the site, demanding an email address before allowing entry…
What would this look like on a church website – e.g. the final “don’t” would be asking for a commitment to church membership, or to Jesus, before allowing further entry… but find out where people are/what connects with them, allow them to try things for ‘free’ without feeling like they have to give it all in, encourage now/soon (though I don’t like – do this or it closes in 3 days kind of things.. I feel played – let me know you’ve got a great deal, long-term … isn’t that what we have – time limited by life-span but only God knows that…
Based on knowledge of that audience, and/or yourself – but don’t assume everyone the same as you –Steve Fogg // encourages people to contribute BEFORE sermon, etc. put hashtag up in church…
As a result of these, people get involved in conversation – with similar on FB, had 3 people ask to come to church… but this requires that churches = GIVE PERSMISSION = encourage people to participate digitally BUT never force… Come back to discuss pros/cons of this after break?
The importance of the visual – and tools such as Pinterest…
So – plenty to mull over there in the break time. Got a slightly more condensed session after the break… working our way through a range of tools!! So caffeine up!
Lots of people have this response to Twitter, but it’s got a growing user base … a couple of years ago had about 100 million active users, now nearly 300 million… http://www.landingnet.co.uk/blog/the-truth-about-all-this-twitter-ing-twoddle/
Celebrity culture – be aware that power structures from “offline” (note online/offline) also work online – e.g. you’ll trust something from the BBC more than from someone’s blog… so need to build up credibility…
Straightforward…
Explain send one small message and cascades out .. Message gets bigger with each RT – I have 5k followers, someone with 30k RTs – they are saying message is worth listening to .. And all their audience may see it too.
ModeratedRetweet (esp to make it shorter), and Hat-Tip … all about collaboration, acknowledging the source, etc…
Scotland independence marches, etc.
How many to use, how to create a new one, how to advertise them in church, etc. prospective pitfalls.. Keep it short, consistent, advertise it before the service, let people know about it (don’t try and take over an organic hashtag), make sure it makes sense and that it’s not already in use for something else…
Are there conversations you can genuinely join in on? E.g. this will be on Channel 5 in December…
Why might they want to/not want to tweet about church? Recognise the assumptions that you might be making about them? What might encourage ‘engagement’ that’s more than a like…
Discuss – what like about this – timeliness, friendliness, taking responsibility even though it was for a different company…
Who is going to do this? When aka “how often” (twice a month = lost)? What content is worth sharing – each tweet doesn’t need to be a mini “War & Peace” but also let’s not have too many breakfast tweets…
Great tool (others might use Tweetdeck) – allows you to preset tweets, across accounts – free up to 5 accounts!
Another worksheet…
Here’s my suggestions for a ‘daily workout’ – anticipated to take around 20 minutes a day… worth the investment – really has to look active to generate interest!
Note that Facebook designed for College students so 18+, not surprising that less of the younger are on it (reports of them leaving in droves, but appear to be rejoining later)
It’s not uncommon for a pastor to live in an entirely different neighborhood or community than the people in their church. So, if there’s little opportunity for face-to-face interaction throughout the week, it’s only natural for pastor(al team) to find ways to immerse themselves in the online communities that their congregation is spending so much time in. Zuckerberg – community
Check understand difference – profile, page, group, event … what might pastoral care look like? Can also be done on Twitter Direct Messages… Can deal with more people in a quicker time, but don’t forget to be aware of when f2f is required… Who’s going to look after it?Where is the list of people to be referred to if the situation gets sticky, etc…
How much can we find out about people – how many people can we reach – not the hugest of numbers, but think compared to average congregation… is a bit of a game of numbers..
How this can help – particularly the free version…
3 types of groups .. Open, closed, private…
Tea & Toast – serving a real need – ended up gaining new members of the church – online/offline mix…
Coffee before the final furlong…
What sites have inspired them – some suggestions we can use if not others – think about what makes the different sites work?
Typical 7 of this, etc… old trick from newspapers, although is somewhat of a resistance to it..
MentionTumblr, core roots was just ‘fun’ then it grew… so do something passionate about…
Mention #adventbookclub
7 min vid – not planning to show all!
Will probably redo this shortly!
YouTube = 2nd largest search engine … often for ‘how to….’ – how might we change what comes up at the top of the search rankings – bearing in mind just creating something won’t appear…
Worksheet – we can work through this at the end if time… but it’s fairly straightforward … and thinking about WHAT you put on a video is more important in many ways…
3:41!! Probably would have worked better at 30 seconds …
Interesting – viewing numbers – lots re weddings (always a good touchpoint for the church), from Alan Wilson – blogging bishop/celeb … much smaller/more typical numbers for other videos…
This one very timely re Blue Monday – nearly 2000 views mid-Blue-Monday itself… what might have made it work (personal networks, topicality, known name, quality content…)
Let’s have a look, from the headlines, what seemed to be the kind of things that people wanted to share…
1:47 – what puts this kind of smile on a child’s face – and would you guess the brand before the end if you didn’t already know?
1:40 – v. clever – tapping into a huge phenomenon … finding the right hooks…You’ll see we’re looking to the secular world for inspiration here … we are in the world (if not of it) – how do we speak to people…
If you want to see what people have enjoyed in the past year … what will people watch?! Yes,… cats… no we’re not going to look!!
See some other good suggestions - http://www.buzzfeed.com/juliapugachevsky/most-remarkable-stop-motion-vines-of-2013 – the power of 6 seconds, again, viral?
What do people have time/inclination for? People find it easy to write/read … increasing numbers using these formats though – don’t forget about them… carry audio recorder around..
Collecting stories without having to search…
What keywords are people going to be searching for you for … make a list…doesn’t have to be definitive – keep working on it… note ‘the long tail’…
Social Media shouldn’t be an add-on, but should be considered in everything else that you’re doing… put links to the pages/Twitter name, etc. in church notice sheets, and publicity, etc…
If you are working for an organisation – e.g. a church – ensure that people can feel ‘free’ to go ahead and represent you …not having
… and don’t forget the cat.
Remember what we said about importance of person to person … our #digidisciple(s) get far more response from personal shares than organisational shares… but if you can get the original share from an organisational page, etc…
How to create a manageable and sustainable social media strategy.Which Media?;Who?; How often?; To achieve what?
Final word – remember – there is always a human being at the other end of the keyboard… think before you type…Questions?