Matthew Maladay recently suggested the time has come to kill off the e-mail signoff. After twenty years of using e-mail, Maladay has decided to end the practice of concluding his notes with a signoff. While sharing his own preferred signoff for many years, "my very best," may have been misunderstood by many recipients of his note, his focus is on how the practice is outdated and unhelpful. As a holdover from an earlier era when notes were written with paper and pen, it is both more Read More …
Facebook Changed Your E-mail Address (#0772)
I was not as engaged in social media yesterday as I am most days, but noted one recurring theme: Facebook changed everyone's e-mail address. If you don't already know, be advised that your new e-mail address appearing on your timeline is an @facebook.com account. If you would like to restore your prior account simply Go to your profile page Click on About Click on Edit in Contact Info Click on the menu beside each e-mail address listed and choose your desired setting So What? I Read More …
Associate Pastors & Technology (#0691)
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) recently released its first systematic look at associate pastors in an 88 page report "Associate Pastors in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)." The comprehensive report is based on a 2011 survey of associate pastors and a 2008 & 2009 survey of key leaders. The survey found associate pastors spent an average of 11 hours a week "emailing, text messaging, or using the Internet" in their personal lives. Professionally, these pastors used differing Read More …
Within 24 Hours (#0598)
It has been several years since I made a resolution to begin a new year. This year, however, I opted to make a few resolutions. One resolution is to reply to e-mail within 24 hours. While I have generally done so, I have not always sought to provide feedback to all people within that time horizon. So What? Because I currently have multiple employers (and in boxes) and a varied schedule, e-mail is often the easiest way to reach me. Rather than use different rules to guide Read More …
Do Church Members View Your Website? (#0508)
In the July/August 2011 edition of Presbyterians Today, Joelle Anderson and Ida Smith-Williams wrote an article about trends in how Presbyterian congregations communicate digitally. They reported on research that shows a significant increase, between 2001 and 2008, in the percentage of congregations who use e-mail and websites to communicate with members. So What? While congregations have moved toward websites, perhaps congregants have moved beyond them. More specifically, Read More …
Will Talking by Phone Disappear? (#0309)
When I was a child people who wanted to talk to someone else either physically went where that person was or picked up a phone and called that person. The phone we used to place the call was either a home phone or a pay phone. In the 1980s it seemed every home had a phone and everywhere that was not a home had a pay phone. It was only when I was a teen in the early 1990s that I moved into the leading edge world of being able to be contacted without a phone. A beeper, Read More …
Generation Differences in Online Activity (#0234)
Over the last several years the question has shifted from whether or not specific groups use the internet to how they do. Recent research done by the Pew Research Center provides incredible insight into the generational differences in online behavior. The research is based on data from telephone interviews with 2,252 adults conducted between April 29 and May 30, 2010. The following chart provides a visual summary: So What? Consider yourself. How Read More …