Yeah, I’m learning that my job isn’t to convince everyone to use all the online applications at all times. My job (because I enjoy it) is to act as a filter and highlight everything that I think can be useful for our occupation and help us increase our influence and collective effectiveness for the Kingdom.

This conversation has started a whole bunch of tech related blog posts in my mind. Perhaps even a “best of” tech resource page with case studies attached to it.

What’s funny is that you and Carolyn are probably on the front end of using technology in our region. Carolyn has a blog and you’ve been using a website for a while. Give yourselves some credit!

There are people who are naturally prone to using technology and use it at ease – like you or Darren. I am not in that category. I am not technologically ignorant, but rather more of a technology pragmatist. So I need people like you to a) create the felt need so I am motivated to learn to use the tools and b) break the task down and show me how.

Yes, the tools exist. I think the great comments preceding have offered good insight into why they aren’t more quickly adopted. Benson’s comment made me think that we are almost always against something until we are for it. Is there really anyone out there that says “I love twitter!” or “I love blogs!” that isn’t actively using/consuming them? It seems the switch flips when people understand a practical way it can help them in some defined way and begin engaging. I think of recently reading about how parents of teenagers are pretty prolific texters. Staying connected with your kids is motivation to engage the technology. What reasons are we giving people to use the tech? I think the more specific the examples the better.

So if you guys start connecting metro students, staff, and volunteers for greater kingdom impact using web 2.0, I assure you that other staff/ministries are going to start coming to you asking you to train them!

There’s also the question of simple inertia. We’re in habits where our first thought is to send an email or pick up the phone. It might not be the best format, but it’s familiar and doesn’t require learning anything new in the moment.

Web 2.0 is new and still has emerging standards of usage and common practice. Part of our role as leaders on this front will be to serve as filters (so Carolyn et al can do what they do best), experimenting with the tools, and helping those around us understand the next step to engagement and the return (in ministry effectiveness) on investment (of time) it offers them.

It would be fun for us to, as Jocelyn brings up, lead the way on this as a ministry. As I think I may have mentioned before to you, in some ways it seems social media/web 2.0 was invented for ministry. Imagine if you described facebook to a campus minister from 2000. “You have the contact info, with pictures, for anyone in your ministry, and can see what they are in to and who they are friends with. Anytime you talk to someone on campus and get their name, you can go online and see who you are both connected to and follow up with them if you desire and continue the conversation one-on-one or in a group.” I’d go on, but it should almost be a blog post: how would you describe what facebook can do for you to a campus minister that just showed up from the year 2000? I think we take it for granted in once sense, and in another are not using it (and other web 2.0 tools) strategically and just view facebook/etc. as entertainment.

Okay, that’s enough for now. Again…great post, Matt!

Part of the usefulness of these things, comes when we’re mature enough to turn them off too.

Thanks for commenting. Having a rockstar like you comment on my blog adds some credibility to this effort.

According to Wikipedia…The term “Web 2.0″ (2004–present) is commonly associated with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design,[1] and collaboration on the World Wide Web.

So Web 2.0 is basically any application that a user like you and me can create content with and share it with people. (blogs, facebook, etc.). Web 1.0 was static websites that only highly technical programmers new how to create. No real interaction or collobaration between users with web 1.0.

I agree with the noise comment too. The sheer volume of stuff available to learn out could paralyze us before we get started. There is so much good stuff out there! Right now I’m subscribing to 83 blogs…sheesh!

There is a balance in everything, based on usefulness vs. distraction. Each person is going to be different depending on how they’re wired. For me harnessing the power of things like a blog and Facebook, means focusing on leveraging a few minutes of my time and specific tools for Kingdom minded interaction and saying no to other good things.

I am trying very hard to be a learner, and not be afraid of technology. (Lovin those apps for my new Ipod Touch!) I don’t want to be a curmudgeon! (See, I am reading your blog, Matt!) But I do recognize my limitations, and my particular vocation, and saying yes to my vocation means saying no to some other (good, innovative and useful) things.