Considering the answer

Sometimes thinking digital first provides the wrong answer to a good question. One church was discussing spending a few thousand dollars installing a video projection system to project various parts of the service. This was not unusual. I know congregations which have gone that route for some very good reasons. One found the large projection helped a number of members suffering from macular degeneration more easily see the words. Another wanted to use visuals to illustrate the sermons. The weight and expense of the hymnbook led another to a digital solution.
In this case, when I heard the plan for video projection I asked ‘why?’ The answer astonished me. “Because the lights in the sanctuary aren’t bright enough and people have difficulty reading the hymnal.” Had no one thought of just replacing the light bulbs?

Often people don’t ask the right questions before embarking on a digital solution. In many traditionally built churches, screen placement is a major issue. If it’s in the centre it covers the cross. One congregation solved that problem by simply projecting an image of the cross on the screen and using it as a watermark behind the projected material.

There is an assumption that operating the video feed to the screen is simple. It may only be a matter of hitting a key to change the slide, but the timing of the slide change is critically important. Mistimed changes interfere with the flow of hymns or the rhythm of congregational participation. The operator needs to rehearse as much as an organist does. Both are part of leading a congregation in worship.

The true value with projection is not words but images. A well-illustrated reading from the Bible or sermon adds to the overall communication. But like choosing the best music, making decisions about visuals is just as important.

A digital solution is not always the easiest. Deciding to go that route must entail asking all the right questions and understanding the consequences…whether it involves simply setting up a website or video in worship.

What did he say?

Just when you think you have all the answers, someone changes the questions. That's the way I'm feeling about social media. As the various tools develop, different types of people, businesses and organizations become involved providing new ideas and insight. You know the field is drifting toward mainstream when you begin seeing research papers published.
For those interested in social media, Twitter becomes a feeding frenzy. Everyday, I see links to new research, new ideas or the latest developments. I'm following Socialmedia411 on Twitter. There is no website that I could find associated with the address, but it's good stuff.

Over the past week as I was conducting communication consultations I received a much-needed reality check. It was like a dog on a leash running too far ahead and being jerked back. I realized how easy it would be to speak for several minutes about social media and have no one understand a word I said. I guess at this point my role is to show what's happening, what is possible and lead by example as much as I can, while still having me feet firmly planted in the reality of old media.

Watch and learn

The inauguration of President Obama may have heralded more than an administration change in the US. If you followed both the primary and presidential campaigns, you know that Obama enlisted support at the grass roots level by using e-mail and websites. Obviously, those surrounding him understand the power of grass roots digital communication. The issue surrounding the need for him to give up his Blackberry is more than just a security. Having access to a Blackberry and the instant communication it symbolizes is part of the image built during the campaign. He and his team know how important it is to maintain accessibility.

Digital communication is the great equalizer. On Twitter, for example, I can respond to Tweets from national media such as CNN, CBC or The National Post. The “letter to the editor” is no longer on a piece of paper or in an e-mail. It is a 140-character direct response to the author and others following the Twitter feed. It provides immediate feedback.

During the next four years, it will be interesting to watch how the White House uses the new social media. With more than a million and a half e-mail address and more than a million Facebook followers, the administration has the opportunity to take its case directly to the people, bypassing any potential media bias and even political opponents. I am certain we will hear how constituents receiving the White House information put pressure on their members of congress and senators based on the un-“media”-ted information they receive.

Apart from the political potential, the social media may become a source of building activist communities comprised of people who want to be part of the promised change.

The next thing to watch is how text messaging becomes part of the communication mix.

Watch, listen, learn, adapt and adopt that which works!

Variety is the spice of communication

Over the past weekend I received another reminder about how important in any organization that thinking digitally has to be one of many communication options. Most of the people with whom I met were over 60, many over 70 years old. As a group they were struggling with communication issues. I made my pitch and kept reiterating the need to consider seriously the new world of social media. They politely listened and understood, then returned to their discussion about old media.

In some ways I am reacting with enthusiasm to social media because it is new for me, and yet has such a huge potential. I also understand that the old one-way media are in a struggle for survival as younger generations draw their entertainment, information and interaction from new sources on their own terms.

The thing is, unless we learn how to access and use the new media, we miss the opportunity for engaging a broader audience. We will only reach those who have a greater comfort level with radio, TV, print and Web 1 communication. I’m not saying stop communicating that way, but create a mix of communication vehicles that will reach the widest greatest number of people.

The penny drops

Yesterday I participated in a webinar presented by Ovrdrv.com. and, thanks to the clear explanations and examples finally grasped what social media is all about.

Now, I knew it was about connecting with old friends etc, but I had my doubts about how corporations and institutions could work in social media because of its people-to-people focus. My assumptions were wrong. The presenter, Harry Gold kept using phrases like “making lasting connections,” “making friends,” and “opening dialogue.”

The process of using social media is based on the notion of “weaving” the network using the various applications and online venues available. For example a YouTube video points people to Facebook or MySpace which points people to a corporate website which features links to YouTube, Facebook ….and so on. To see all the potential threads, check out this Social Media map.

The cool thing is that there is no immediate need for capital investment because the sites are free. However, like every website, there has to be ongoing maintenance. I’ve heard this called “seeding and feeding.”

I’m still digesting and working through how this can all work but I’m excited about the possibilities on a lot of different levels. I’ve recommended the webinar to some other people with whom I have contact and am looking forward to some productive discussion.

Saving trees

While I've always been concerned about whether I focus too much on digital communication and the Internet, some surfing today calmed any fears I have.

According to data at Internetworldstats.com, more than 84% of Canadians use the Internet. In a country of 33 million, 28 million of us are Internet users. That doesn't mean we're all comfortable or competent, but the level of usage ranks Canada at #6 in the world (US is #13, about 12 percentage points below Canada.)

Those who "don't go online" will soon find themselves quickly out of the loop. Another report today said that the Los Angeles Times' "revenue is now sufficient to cover the Times's entire editorial payroll, print and online." This is a monumental statement and it demonstrates how readership is slowly but surely moving from print to online, especially when it comes to news. Not only that, but advertisers, the driving force behind all private communication enterprises, believe the online news is delivering a viable audience.

From a church communications perspective, we've always believed "if it's in their hands, they will read it." The 21st century axiom is more likely "if it's in their e-mail box, they will read it."
But how many congregations spend hundreds of dollars printing newsletters, bulletin announcements and posters, when all it takes is a compilation of e-mail addresses to do much the same thing?

Ten years ago I was part of a project that encouraged congregations to buy computers. The challenge now is to use them for more than word processing and flyers copied onto paper. It's a lot cheaper online.

Keeping up

A terrific source of information about the new media is the old media, in this case radio (which I listen to on my iPod at a time convenient for me!).

SPARK is produced by CBC and doesn't focus a lot of time on gadgets but rather on meaning; How does the new media affect people; what is the impact on today's society etc. It's available as a download or as a free Podcast through iTunes.

Another program which explores similar issues but from an international perspective is Digital Planet from the BBC. What I enjoy about the program is learning how far behind we are in North America when it comes to using some of the new media, especially cell phone communication.

It's not easy to keep up with digital developments, but these two programs sure help. If you have others I should know about, let me know in the comments.

Don't over-think it

I had an interesting conversation with a younger adult about Facebook. My focus was trying to understand what drives people to Facebook and other social networking sites. What needs does it fulfill? What were the underlying social reasons for joining? etc.
I gave her my observations about Facebook being different depending on your generation. For me (a Baby Boomer), I’ve connected with friends I’d not had any contact with since high school. My sons and their peers use it to keep in contact with current friends around the world, sharing things like instant cell phone camera pictures. For those still in their teens, it’s often an ongoing diary of their emotional roller-coaster.

The young person patiently listened to my analysis and then said “That’s the problem with your generation. You are always trying to analyze. We use Facebook because it’s there!”

Message received!

Understandable

One of the major differences between the first generation web communication (Web 1) and what’s happening now (Web 2.0) is collaboration and full interactivity.

The Web 1 model was like a library. For the most part, you would access the information, digest it, and move on. While many websites still continue that approach, the Web 2.0 model engages the consumer, encourages feedback—even input—thereby enticing people to keep returning to the site. In Web 1 you designed a site for “take away” value and a reason for people to return. In Web 2.0, this opportunity for full interaction is more like “y’all come back” value.

Historically, the church (and for that matter corporate) communication model is very much Web 1. “We talk, you listen.”

And here lies a potential difficulty. Younger church members expect some kind of engagement because that is the very nature of their world. (Schools wrestle with this all the time, dangerously clinging to a teaching methodology deeply rooted in the 20th if not 19th century!)

Some churches address this through an entertainment approach. But a lot of younger members will tell you they don’t want their entertainment in church. They are looking for real, honest, engagement with their faith.

In our Lutheran tradition, the reality comes through the real presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar, the forgiveness of sins and the power of God’s Word. These things don’t change. In our worship, God speaks through His Word and we respond by speaking back his word through liturgy and often congregational song.

We also have to understand that it’s not just the younger generation who are looking for engagement with their faith. We who make up almost 1/3 of the Canadian population, the Baby Boomers, are a growing part of the new media world and the mind-set it generates.

Like the climate, culture is not static. But like a rock, the pure message of the Gospel doesn’t change. Jesus spoke to His culture using word images and words to which people could relate. We are called to do the same.

More than gadgets

So often the discussion about digital media centres around the latest gadgets and software. I'm sure when the telephone first came onto the scene there was similar discussion. (I know there was when the fax machine first entered common use.)

But the current new technology is affecting lives. The digital media is used by real people. The gadgets and software are simply a means to an end.

I remember in 1996 when Hurricane Mitch devastated Nicaragua how thankful we were that we still had fax communication with the mission in Chinandega. The technology allowed us to tell the story across the country and mobilize a relief effort that changed, and continues to change lives in Nicaragua.

Home video on the Internet brought the December 26, 2004 tsunami into living rooms and onto computer screens around the world. Again, the digital communication made possible an unprecedented global response.

In North America we have a legacy communication infrastructure of wired telephones, cabled TVs and hardcopy newspapers. In other parts of the world which do not have these remnants of a past century's technological innovation, the digital world is the primary communication mode. Things we are just discovering are already the norm!

Lutheran Hour Ministries in Hong Kong has used text messaging for years to attract people to a Gospel message—a message that changes lives.

The new social media and digital technology connects people and builds relationships. Within those relationships our Facebook friends, fellow tweeters on Twitter, and MySpace buddies can learn who we are and how our faith affects our life. That's a lot more than gadgets can do!

In their hands

I heard an interesting piece on a radio show (I know...old media) about a school teacher experimenting with using cellphones and PDAs in the classroom. Instead of asking the students to turn them off, he integrated the devices into his lesson plan.

Recently, I downloaded a Bible program to my iTouch. This isn't news because digital versions of the Bible have been available for years. The cool thing about this program is the scheduled daily readings that will guide me through the Bible in a year.

Put together these first two paragraphs and put them into a youth group or even adult Bible study context. Students don't need to carry around a heavy Bible when they can have God's Word in the the palms of their hands.