X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, informed me yesterday that I've been a part of that community for 15 years. A Strange Year Last year, I reflected on my first 14 years noting that I might soon leave X given the many unfavorable changes that Elon Musk had implemented since purchasing this once great platform. And, yet, somehow I've lingered. And, now, I'm writing again after another year has passed. Sadly, I cannot report that there's been any signs of restoring the platform Read More …
social media
2023 in Exactly 100 Words (#2095)
As a way of seeking to update the Christmas letters that for decades were slipped inside of Christmas cards and delivered by postal mail, I started writing 100 word "year in review" notes in 2016. Recognizing that one must be concise in the current social media era, I've limited contents to a few highlights. This year's edition follows. 2023 in Review In my third year at White Rock Center of Hope (Dallas) my title changed from Executive Director to Chief Executive Officer. I returned Read More …
Pandemic Posts: Wisdom for Ministry During the Time of COVID-19 (#1990)
When COVID-19 was initially announced no one knew how to respond, and everyone wondered how long it would last. Over the last two years and two months, I've written 35 posts focused on ministry during a pandemic. This post provides a comprehensive listing of these vital resources. In-Person Worship Attendance: Continued Challenges (April 2022) All Saints & All Souls in a Pandemic (November 2021)Pandemic Worship: 10 Sacred Spaces (October 2021)Mask Up (August 2021)Latest Church Trends: Read More …
Social Media in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic (#1885)
Social media has played such a significant role for so long that I rarely think about life before social media. Perspective When I stop and think about the arrival of social media - and the onset of my utilization of it - I recognize that I spent most of my life in a pre-social media world. I started using social media in my thirties. In 2009, I entered the world of social media when I joined Facebook. Later that year I started this blog and joined Twitter. I added LinkedIn in 2011 Read More …
Tweeting: My First Decade (#1825)
When I logged on to Twitter this morning I was greeted by a message wishing me a Happy Twitter anniversary and reminding me that I've now been tweeting for 10 years. Unexpectedly Consistent In 2015, I blogged about my first six years on Twitter noting some similarities between my first three years and my next three years. Now, at year 10, I'm intrigued that the last four appear to be an extension of that pattern. First Three Years Next Three Years Last Four Read More …
8 Years of So What Faith (#1662)
When I launched So What Faith back in 2009 I didn't really know what I was doing, but I had an adventurous spirit, adequate tech skills, and a desire to write about matters of faith that mattered. The first year I managed to publish 59 posts, which I shared primarily with those in the congregation I was serving and a few former colleagues. Growth Once I got the hang of how to blog, I started to expand my horizons through more intentional use of a variety of social media and interactions Read More …
Twitter: My First 6 Years (#1584)
I started my social media journey in 2009 by launching this blog, opening a Facebook account, and beginning to tweet. At that time, I realized I was anything but an early adopter of Facebook (stats show around 300 million active users by the time I joined) or blogging (stats show around 125 million active bloggers started blogging before I did). I was, however, a part of Twitter before it really took off (stats show only about 15 million active accounts at the time I Read More …
Churches & Social Media (#1455)
Meredith Gould is the author of The Social Media Gospel: Sharing the Good News in New Ways, which I named as one of my top books of 2013. On a more personal level, I have benefited from her wisdom as a communications consultant and as the founder and frequent host of #chsocm. As the World Cup has progressed, I have been involved in more conversations about social media than usual. Interestingly, this has even carried over into church life and conversation. During this Read More …
Required Digital Detox (#1395)
In the Spring 2014 edition of Facts in Trends Marty Duren, manager of social media strategies for LifeWay, suggests that everyone needs to engage in a digital detox. According to Duren, a digital detox involves completely abstaining from "everything online for a period of time" (p.45). While stopping short of prescribing the interval at which detoxes are required or the duration he recommends, Duren clearly believes that everyone who participates in the online world needs to take time Read More …
The Age of the Selfie (#1339)
Galen Guengerich, senior minister of All Souls Unitarian Church (New York City, NY) and of author of God Revised (one of my top books of 2013), recently wrote about the "selfie culture" on the occasion of the Oxford Dictionary adding this word to their 2013 edition. Selfies are pictures people take of themselves then share via social media. They are doing far more than merely cluttering social media feeds. Guengerich writes: This moment in dictionary history may Read More …