Three years ago, the Social Media company, Mashable, created Social Media Day. In 514 cities, Social Media enthusiasts will gather (many in a bar) to put a real live face and warm handshake to the entities that drive the keyboards and hide behind little square avatars. It will happen again tomorrow, June 30.
Perhaps we will someday declare a Social Media Sunday, a time when Social Media Ministries physically welcome the people whose lives they touch from a distance.
It raises an interesting concept? What kind of program would a church’s SM Sunday promote?
There would be a temptation to do things the way the Church always does things.
They would hold a big worship service centered around a few people doing a few things in the chancel while everyone else sits or stands (as able) on demand. They would ask the strangers to break into ancient song at appropriate times, prompted by an overpowering organ. They would focus the newbie’s attention on the scriptures as interpreted by one person for fifteen, twenty, or thirty restless minutes. They would require that they shake everyone’s hand without really knowing a thing in the world about the hand they are shaking. They would bless them as they turn to walk out the door to be greeted warmly (perhaps) by a caring pastor and one or two others before returning to total anonymity.
That’s how a church service might seem to the uninitiated. Churches all over the country do this every Sunday, many with feeble results.
(And people say Social Media doesn’t create true community!)
Who is your audience? Are your readers busy people scanning a dozen blogs like yours every morning in hopes of finding one useful piece of information? Are your readers people searching for information that is not easy to find?
One exasperated institutional Church blogger threw her hands in the air. She was following the common advice and looking for guest bloggers among clergy. “It’s impossible to get preachers to limit themselves to 500 words,” she concluded as she waded through the lengthy submissions.
Getting people who tote Bibles to limit their message to shorter thoughts is a new discipline—and there is value in it.
But wait! Who made this rule? The fact is there is no rule. Some of the most popular bloggers take a thousand words to introduce their topic.
Most blog posts that are bookmarked are probably those that truly define an issue.
More people may be attracted to shorter posts, but serious readers (the kind you hope will consider you an authority) are looking for truly helpful information. They don’t want to be spoon-fed answers to their questions in five posts spread across two weeks.
The goal of Social Media is to engage others in a topic of mutual interest.
Social media is just beginning to be explored by churches. Judging from 2×2’s analytics, there is great interest. Much of it may come from lurkers just starting to remove their socks so they can dip their big toe in the water. We recommend diving in!
There is great potential for the church in the use of social media, but it requires engagement. Engagement requires time. More important, engagement requires sincerity and the careful exercise of the social graces.
Think of Facebook dialog as if you were at a party. How far would your conversation go if all you did was acknowledge someone else’s comment? If there is to be a flicker of life at this digital party, you must foster dialog. When you acknowledge a comment, leave the door open a crack to let your virtual guests come in — if and when they feel comfortable.
Here are some simple social graces to use in engaging with your readers.
Respond with a question. Glad you enjoyed our review of “We Have a Pope.” How did you like the ending?
Answer a question. Good question! Thanks for asking! Here’s our answer: . . . .
Add some additional information to the comment, even if it means sending them to another site. This is expected on the web and can be helpful to you, too. Glad you enjoyed our post on children’s sermons. You might also enjoy this web site (add link).
Make an invitation. If you are interested in movies, you might like to attend our movie night next Friday. We’re showing….
Acknowledge a commenter’s expertise. Thanks for pointing out our mistake in today’s post. We corrected it right away. Overall, did you like what we are trying to say? Please, if you disagree, let us know!
Invite participation. Thanks for your comment. You seem to know what you are talking about. Would you like to contribute a post to our site? Our readers would love to hear your point of view!
Ask for links.
Thanks for telling us about that youth project. Do you have a link we can share with our readers?
One caution: readers expect the owner of a Facebook page to be a real, live person. If they share serious concerns, you must be prepared to have the most qualified person in the church respond with true empathy and unselfish advice.
Your guests may choose to remain anonymous, but there should be real names attached to the responses from your congregation. Truth and transparency are vital.
Engaging in social media is work, but it is the easiest way for the church to reach the most people. It is well worth the effort.
If you don’t invest the appropriate time and resources and have an open attitude, your Facebook presence will be as effective as the generic caveat on every church bulletin board. “All welcome.”
Church happens on Sunday, right? Sunday is only one seventh of the church week. But old habits are hard to break. Even the deepest theological thinkers tend to concentrate on Sunday church activities.
If your message goes out to only Sunday morning Christians,
you have a very narrow audience.
Social Media hands church leaders all the tools needed to extend the church week.
In the past, communicating with people who are not in church on Sunday was a challenge.
Newsletters are cumbersome to put together and circulate. They are expensive, too.
Phone chains serve a purpose for critical news of death or serious misfortune requiring community prayer.
Knocking on doors — it’s just not done anymore!
Advertising is expensive and requires planning ahead.
Out of sight Monday through Saturday tends to be out of mind. This has influenced our expectations of ministry.
Social Media changes this. You can and should be communicating daily with church members in a conversation anyone can join.
There are many Social Media tools to consider. Let’s concentrate on three —Facebook, Blogging and Google+.
Facebook
Your members are likely to be spending more than an hour every day checking their Facebook accounts. Statistics show most people spend 20 minutes at a time on Facebook, but they check their account several times a day. The Facebook demographics are growing in every age category. Even the elderly are finding they can connect with distant children and grandchildren.
Develop a strategy that will be welcome to followers, not intrusive.
Churches can share their Sunday morning world in many ways. They can:
Post pictures
Post video
Highlight sermon summaries
Tell about activities
Pose thought-provoking questions
Excerpt a Bible study
Feature a meaningful quote
Post a teaser question from an upcoming sermon
Ask for help on a project
Promote an upcoming event
Remember to engage, engage, engage.
Blogs
Blogs are effective, too. Used properly, they will attract an audience of people you do not see on Sunday morning. They are not limited in length and can have a longer “shelf life.”
Blogs are most effective when they address topics of broad interest — not just parish news. Your focus must be outward. If you limit your topics to current church activities, you will burn out. Results will be poor.
We recommend using both a blog and Facebook.
Google+
This is the new kid on the Social Media block and it is up against a well-established giant (Facebook). Nevertheless, it is gaining ground and has definite potential advantages.
Google “owns” the search engine world! Activity on their Social Media platform will help you find traffic.
Google also owns YouTube, which is growing incredibly fast.
Google has pledged to keep their Social Media platform advertising free. (Facebook is all about advertising).
An article in Forbes today talks about how design is now a pivotal part of any organization’s identity.
The article speaks to the Church. Churches are accustomed to poor design in their publications. They work with poor equipment and volunteers much of the time. The church newsletter, dotted with cheesy clip art, is fairly standard even among large churches. It’s almost a universal branding—and the branding message is not a good one.
Your members will accept this approach to design. But is it working beyond your church membership? Is it helping you communicate with the world — a world that is increasingly influenced by design.
Don’t despair. Good design is accessible even to design amateurs.
Facebook makes design simple. All you have to do is upload photos. Everything will fit into the design template. There is still an art to finding, choosing and using photos. Taking your own photos is so easy today, there should be nothing stopping you.
But Facebook is Facebook. One design fits all!
Blogging formats offer the same professional design capabilities with more variety. Start your blog by choosing a theme — there are hundreds to choose from. It will be easy to create a clean and functional web site using a theme (template).
Ask your members to spend an hour taking photos of the neighborhood for you to use on your congregation’s web site, blog or Facebook. Make a contest out of it to get more people involved and add to the fun! They don’t have to be “church” photos. They can be street scenes, store fronts, parks, schools, gardens, fields, sports, architectural features or public events. This will communicate to the unchurched that your congregation cares about the neighborhood.
Be cautious about using images of people without their permission. You can do this by artful cropping. Watch your local TV news for tips. Whenever they take school footage for example they tend to show backs of heads or images of kids walking or playing with heads totally cropped. If the people are your members and they say OK — go ahead and use full images.
Clip art has come of age. There are great sources of photos available for free use if you add a photo credit at the bottom of your post. Try Photopin or Flickr.
Learn to use a photo image editing program. (Type “free photo editing software” into your search engine.) Most computers have a basic application pre-installed. Start by learning to size and crop your photos. Then learn to add type or adjust colors.
It’s time to say good-bye to the amateurish church newsletter. People expect more today. And it isn’t hard to give it to them. It helps to brand your church as progressive and forward-looking, not stuck in the past with out-dated communication skills.
Many people get involved in internet dialogue with hesitation. Typically, they lurk for a while, reading but not daring to comment. It is daunting to press that first submit key. It gets easier with practice.
Marketers and other self-interested web users can be tempted to use online forums for self-promotion. Congregations can be tempted, too. Beware! Your readers can spot self-serving comments with 5G rapidity. It can harm your reputation more than it can help. Enter the conversation carefully and keep the readers of the online community in mind. Remember, no one likes to be sold!
Pinterest entered the scene with its image sharing social media platform. It was received as a breath of fresh air. Marketers quickly saw a new advertising tool. Now there is talk about how marketers have ruined the fun. It remains to be seen if marketers will curb their own behavior or if Pinterest will revise community rules.
2×2 encourages online dialog. Here are a few basic guidelines.
Remember to share with a purpose. Be helpful. Be informative. Be clear. Be entertaining.
Use your real name. No one takes hidden identities seriously and being honest about your identity is fundamental to building trust.
Don’t pretend to be an authority if you are not. Consistent participation in forums is a way of creating authority, but don’t jump the gun. Build your reputation through conscientious commenting.
Participate in dialogue but don’t try to sell your stuff at someone else’s fleamarket. There is NO delicate way to do this. You always come off looking crass and self-serving. It’s a real turn-off and others might report you to the moderator as inappropriate. Limit your self-promotion to adding your title, position, company or church name to your signature. That gives readers a choice. If they want to know more, they’ll find you.
Share good things about others. If you know a good source that will further the dialog provide a link. It helps to build their reputation — and yours.
Acknowledge sources of ideas you are sharing.
Don’t bad talk your competition. Showcase your strengths, not other’s weaknesses. Leave the bad-talking to politicians.
Keep your comments on point. Reread the thread to make sure you are adding to the conversation, not just repeating what others have said.
Write with appropriate detail. If the forum tends to feature three-sentence thoughts, don’t write four paragraphs. On the other hand, if you are offering detailed help, use whatever length is appropriate to be truly helpful.
Use standard English and complete sentences. Without the nuances of a physical presence, it is easy to get wrong impressions. Take the time to be as clear as possible. Using jargon and allowing typos impedes conversation. Communication is the goal. Remember, the internet is worldwide. Not all readers will understand colloquial shortcuts.
Do not use vulgarity — ever.
Proofread your comment at least three times. Reading it aloud is very helpful.
Avoid direct criticism of individuals. Public figures are an exception.
Correct your mistakes as quickly as possible.
Be compassionate and forgiving for online gaffes. We all know how easy it is to click a button by mistake and send something with no way to call it back. If you notice an error, be gracious. Ignore it if it is innocuous. Notify the commenter privately if it is particularly embarrassing.
Don’t use other people’s mistakes, once they are admitted, to stoke the fire under your own cause. Sometimes passionate threads result from misunderstanding. Reaction is appropriate right up until the originator of the thread admits an error. To continue online ranting after an apology has been made is taking advantage of another person’s mistakes and is hurtful.
Be a voice of reason. Try to keep conversations on track and keep peace.
Respect others privacy. Don’t share personal information without permission.
If someone is abusing the forum, report it to the moderator. If you have a serious beef, handle it as privately as possible with a direct message.
Here are some ideas to help keep your blog active next month. Start writing now!
April begins with Easter but most of your writing about Easter should have happened in March.
Recap your congregation’s Easter. Include photos or video.
Explore weekly scriptures and themes:
April 15, 2012 Acts 4:32-35 • Psalm 133 • 1 John 1:1–2:2 • John 20:19-31
The theme of the second Sunday of Easter is fellowship. The first lesson deals with the distribution of wealth among the early Christians. The Psalm continues the theme: “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” The apostle John also talks about the importance of fellowship in Jesus. His discourse shifts to a discussion on sin and includes the familiar words of confession used in many liturgies. The Gospel story is the Thomas, the Doubter, story which concludes with one of the first Christian creeds, “My Lord and my God!”
Write about your congregation’s fellowship outreach and how your congregation works together.
April 22, 201 Acts 3:12-19 • Psalm 4 • 1 John 3:1-7 • Luke 24:36b-48
The impact of Jesus and the Resurrection is a theme of third Sunday of Easter. Sin is overcome by forgiveness and Jesus’ sacrifice. The Gospel is another story about a visit from the resurrected Christ, one where he proves his return to human form by eating fish with his disciples.
April 27, 2012 Acts 4:5-12 • Psalm 23 • 1 John 3:16-24 • John 10:11-18
The theme for the fourth Sunday of Easter is Good Shepherd Sunday. Explore some art and poetry based on the 23rd Psalm. Several well-known hymns parallel the verses of the psalm. Write about the hymn history of these or other Easter season hymns. The sacrifice of the shepherd, founded in love and caring, can be explored. What examples of this type of love can you find in your ministry?
April 4 is the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. April 14 is the anniversary of Lincoln’s death. Tie the two together.
April 15 is the tax filing deadline in the United States. Tie the need to fund our government with the need to fund our church.
April is Autism Awareness Month. Explore ministry to families with autism.
April is Poetry Month. Feature some religious poetry. Hymn lyrics count.
April 22 is Earth Day. Write about stewardship of the earth. Tie it to service projects.
Look ahead to Pentecost. Will you have a confirmation or first communion class? Feature the class members.
School activities and celebrations peak toward the end of the month. Are there concerts, plays or picnics your members might like to support?
Does your congregation have graduates to honor?
Many churches/denominations have spring convocations. Include news or explore issues that will be discussed.
Start promoting your Vacation Bible School. Write about the theme or any events. Interview teachers about why they are willing to teach.
Start promoting your Church Camp.
Review the activities of various church committees and groups. Ask them to guest post!
A year or so ago announcing your presence on Facebook was the latest craze. Many Church leaders tried this route as congregations and regional bodies added Facebook pages.
We visited the Facebook page of one prominent church leader. It started with a hesitant attempt to engage the flock. Within one year, the Facebook page had deteriorated to nothing but announcements of press releases. One young person had posted a deep concern on the “wall.” The answer received to that post was obviously written by a staff person, someone monitoring this prominent leader’s Facebook page — a digital age blow off.
That points to a real danger of church engagement on Facebook. People reaching out expect a caring person online waiting to hear them and willing to answer. They expect the Facebook owner to be reading what they write and they expect that person to respond when they’ve invited the inquiry. A digital blow-off from a third party, offered days later, has the power to devastate.
People will sense phoniness and turn to active forums that really ARE listening and engaging.
As proof . . . after one year this church leader had NO friends and few followers. So what was the point of the big Facebook announcement?
Facebook requires more daily attention and commitment — more time than most church leaders are able or willing to give.
We visited dozens of congregational Facebook pages . . . again . . . mostly press release type announcements with no real engagement. Most had very little activity.
This is why we recommend that congregations enter Social Media through blogging. You can develop your pace and control the content much more easily. People can engage just as they do on Facebook, but are likely to be more thoughtful about it and more willing to wait a day or so for a response.
There is some value to being on Facebook. You can feed your posts through the various Social Media outlets and get some traffic benefits. But it is hardly worth the fanfare of announcing it.
If you make a big announcement about your Facebook page and then doing nothing with it, it is like crying Wolf. Don’t say it if you don’t intend to play it!
Headlines are the most important part of your post. They are the first thing your reader sees. Lackluster headlines will have readers moving on.
People who depend on headlines to improve sales study their effectiveness in the most minute detail. We know that most church workers do not want a degree in headline science. Nevertheless, we can learn from the people who make their living figuring out what works best.
We’ll condense their advice. If you want to know more, go to the experts. Here’s one.
Your major goals are to:
Pique interest
Inform readers
Help your readers solve a problem
Entertain! No one wants to be bored!
We’ve already covered that headlines should contain key words so that search engines find them. Arranging those words is the next challenge.
Some authorities recommend writing your headline first to help you focus your post. Others say write your headline last to be sure it truly reflects your message. Try both! Write a headline to help you focus and then revisit your headline before you post. Make sure you’ve kept the promise you made to your readers.
Headlines should address the question “What does this blog have to offer the reader?”
Let’s say you are planning to write a post to offer ideas on a common problem for many churches — post-holiday drop in attendance. Let’s figure the key words are some combination of “Church Attendance” and perhaps “Holiday” or “Post-Holiday.” If you are publishing at “Christmas” or “Easter” those words might figure as well.
Here are nine approaches to consider:
PROMISE A SOLUTION (HOW TO)
Does your post solve a problem? Use the words “How to” in the headline. How to Improve Post-holiday Church Attendance
NUMBERS Will your post give simple, practical advice? Use numbers. The people who study headlines can prove it boosts readership. They’ve even figured out that the number 7 works best! 7 Ways Your ChurchCan Boost Post-holiday Church Attendance
UNIVERSAL APPEAL
Certain Words Appeal to Readers. (easy, quick, free, more, better, new, grow, improved, guaranteed, fresh, you and your) 7 Easy Ways to Improve Your Post-holiday Church Attendance Quickly
QUESTIONS
Questions can make good headlines. Does Post-Christmas Church Attendance Give You the Blues? or Church Attendance Down? Where Did All the People Go?
TESTIMONIAL Will your article include real examples? How Grace Church Brought Members Back after the Holidays
AUTHORITY
Will your article quote an expert? Say so. Archbishop Smith Recommends 5 Ways You Can Improve Church Attendance Year-Round
URGENCY
Your headline can take an authoritative tone. Failure to Boost Church Attendance Year-Round Challenges Mission Budgets
EXPLORE THE PROBLEM
Help your readers understand why they share a problem. 7 Reasons Why Church Attendance Plummets after Christmas
BE CLEVER!
Headlines can be a place to have fun! Play on words. Use current hot buttons or old writer tricks like puns or alliteration. Shift the key words to the opening paragraph or perhaps a subhead before the opening paragraph. Done with Church ’til Easter? Santa’s Making a List! or Here’s the Church. Here’s the Steeple. Where Are the People?
As you look at the differences in headlines for the same proposed story, you will notice that the tone of the headline will influence the angle of your story. Remember: Write the headline. Write the story. Revisit the headline to make sure the story keeps the promise made to the reader in your opening words — your headline.
That’s the end of our short primer. Just one more bit of advice:
Join Bishop Ruby Kinisa as she visits small churches "under cover" to learn what people would never share if they knew they were talking to their bishop.
Undercover Bishop will always be available in PDF form on 2x2virtualchurch.com for FREE.
Print or Kindle copies are available on Amazon.com.
For bulk copies, please contact 2x2: creation@dca.net.
Contact Info
You can reach
Judy Gotwald,
the moderator of 2x2,
at
creation@dca.net
or 215 605 8774
Redeemer’s Prayer
We were all once strangers, the weakest, the outcasts, until someone came to our defense, included us, empowered us, reconciled us (1 Cor. 2; Eph. 2).
2×2 Sections
Where in the World is 2×2?
On Isaiah 30:15b
Be calm. Wait. Wait. Commit your cause to God. He will make it succeed. Look for Him a little at a time. Wait. Wait. But since this waiting seems long to the flesh and appears like death, the flesh always wavers. But keep faith. Patience will overcome wickedness.
—Martin Luther
