Meet RockMelt RockMelt is the new web browser everyone is talking about. Founded and financed by a group of Netscape alumni, which includes Marc Andreessen, RockMelt is based on Chromium: the open source project behind Google’s Chrome browser. RockMelt has been constructed with the understanding that most online activity today revolves around socializing on Facebook, searching on Google, tweeting on Twitter, and monitoring a handful of favorite websites. It is currently Read More …
Social Media
Social Networking is . . . (#0177)
Yesterday, I explored the ever changing social network map. Today, I want to explore the meaning of the map as a whole: to consider what social networking means to you based on your own experiences. Spence Smith was the drummer for Big Tent Revival in the 1990s and has become a social networking guru in the 2000s. He currently works in artist relations for Compassion International and thinks of himself as "a connector, influencer, and thinker in the worlds of Read More …
Inviting Ellen – A Lesson in Silly Creativity (#0173)
The United Church of Christ, a progressive mainline denomination with 1.1 million members, recently launched a creative campaign designed to land Ellen DeGeneres as a keynote speaker at their General Synod, which will be held from July 1-5 in Tampa, Florida. Geoffrey A. Black, the UCC's General Minister and President, wrote a letter explaining why and how the denomination is pursuing Ellen: Your life, values and humor represent the best of what our church hopes to embody Read More …
Uniquely UCC (#0172)
The United Church of Christ's Still Speaking Campaign is the most well known marketing campaign undertaken by a mainline denomination in recent years. The campaign started in 2004 with television ads, which can be viewed here. In April 2010, the campaign moved online with an ad designed to spread via social media called The Language of God, which I wrote about on my blog. Today Uniquely UCC launched in conjunction with Still Speaking's National Read More …
5 Ways to Use Social Media (#0164)
Scott McClellan is the editor of Collide: a magazine for church leaders who use media and technology to communicate Truth. Additionally, he is the director of Echo: a media and tech conference for creative church leaders. To learn more about McClellan visit his website, friend him on facebook, or follow him on twitter. Earlier this week he wrote about five ways your organization can and should use social media: Listen: follow thought leaders, culture Read More …
Net Neutrality Matters for Faith Communities (#0163)
Net or network neutrality is a new term and one that is important to understand. According to the PC Magazine Encyclopedia, network neutrality is defined as, "A level playing field for Internet transport. It refers to the absence of restrictions or priorities placed on the type of content carried over the Internet by the carriers and ISPs (Internet Service Providers) that run the major backbones. It states that all traffic be treated equally; that packets are delivered on a Read More …
Celebrating my Twitterversary (#0142)
Happy Twitterversary Sowhatfaith I joined Twitter one year ago today, which makes today my first twitterversary. Initially, I tweeted sparingly (between 31 and 56 times a month). Once I felt more familiar with the discipline , I tweeted a bit more (between 89 and 97 times a month). Last month I fully embraced tweeting and posted more than ever by some margin (276 tweets). This month I am on pace for about the same number of tweets as last Read More …
Happy Social Media Day! (#0110)
Mashable, one of the best known Internet news blogs, has proclaimed June 30 as the first Social Media Day and invites everyone to celebrate “the revolution of media becoming a social dialogue.” One way they suggest to celebrate is by participating in one of over 600 meet ups. According to blogger Vadim Lavrusik: Today we acknowledge and celebrate the revolution of media becoming social. A day that honors the technological and societal advancements that have allowed us to have a Read More …
Reflections on Year One (#0102)
As I began to read more and more blogs and participate in social media, I wanted to create a site to share some of my thoughts. Sowhatfaith.com started one year ago today when I launched a shell of a website and a simple introduction: Welcome to the site that continually asks the critical question, “So what?” when it comes to issues of faith. This is not the place for answers. It is a place to find encouragement for asking the important so what questions and responding with Read More …
My Experiences with Tweeting in Worship (#0092)
A few weeks ago, I wrote Tweeting in Worship to highlight the expanded usage of Twitter in corporate worship and consider some of the possible benefits. To move from that theoretical exploration toward an experiential appraisal, I tweeted in worship services on two consecutive Sundays in congregations affiliated with different denominations. Shown below are my unedited tweets with time stamps: May 9 - Emmanuel Lutheran Church (ELCA) Bountiful God, Read More …