Social Media Archives - Page 5 of 10 -

Category: Social Media (page 5 of 10)

The future of magazines?

I made fun of myself in my last promotion (HERE) of the Small Groups Digizine. I’ll not do that again, thank you very much.

But I will heartily recommend the new edition! Partly because it’s free (you can snag your copy HERE)…mainly because it’s awesome.

Sam O’Neal and the SmallGroups.com team have done a phenomenal job compiling a great resource for small group leaders and pastors. I really think that this format (the digital magazine, a.k.a. the ‘digizine’) could be the future for many magazines, because of the speed of distribution and the low cost of production. In addition, the interactivity is so much greater than reading a traditional magazine. Instead of reading Sam’s editorial intro…you can watch it. Instead of a mere reference to worship songs…you can listen to them right there in your browser while reading the rest of the content. It’s heaven for a multi-tasking, multi-sensory generation.

But I’d like to offer a couple of suggestions for improving the digizine in the future.

Room for improvement

1. Social media – give me a chance to interact with my online community while I’m reading. I’d love the chance to link to direct

2. iPhone/iPad app – I tried viewing this on my phone, and, yes you can pull it up…but it’s tiny. If you try to zoom in, things get wonky. If you try to view it in landscape mode, it shows 2 micropages at once. I’d love to be able to read this more easily on my iPhone…maybe even in an app (I don’t think there’s another small groups app out there). And I could definitely see something like that driving the reader count through the roof, even for archived content on SmallGroups.com, as the app links to “suggested resources.”

3. Publish it more often! You guys are onto something big here…capitalize on it! Twice/year isn’t enough.

4. Add more hyperlinks. Make this digizine even more interactive, providing links back to SmallGroups.com and outside sites. You’re being incredibly generous in offering this resource for free…but providing links for other resources, sites, and ideas is a way to take generosity to the next level.

Have you grabbed your free copy yet?

Why I won’t follow you on Twitter

January 27, 2011 / Ben Reed / 13 Comments

I love Twitter and social media. But just like any other form of media, the pool gets diluted pretty quickly.

So I’ve come up with some of my own rules for why I won’t follow you back on Twitter. Don’t be offended. If we ever run into each other in person, we’d probably be friends. But my Twitter profile has standards much higher than I do.

Why I won’t follow you on Twitter:

Your picture:

has you resting your head on your clenched fist.
is of you wearing sunglasses.
if of you taking a picture of yourself, and we can see the camera.
you don’t have a picture because you haven’t taken the time to upload one.

Your profile:

includes “Internet expert”
includes “social media expert”
includes “Internet social media expert specialist”
includes any of the above words in any order

Your Auto-Direct Message

Your followers:

You have over 1,000 followers and only 2 updates
You have over 1,000 updates and only 2 followers
You follow 2,000 people and only 2 follow you back

Your updates:

You only update about your own stuff (website, blog, self-promotion, etc).
Any of your updates include: “I got thousands of followers using ______…you should try it!”
You never reply to anyone
You never update. Ever.
All you do is reply…to 10 people every update.

Have you ever consciously chosen not to follow somebody back on Twitter?

Why or why not?

Creating a culture vs shaping one

January 26, 2011 / Ben Reed / 7 Comments

Some people like to start from scratch, and create their own culture.

Others like to change an existing culture.

Church world

photo by Ales Cerin

Some people like to launch church plants.

Some people like to work within existing churches and change the culture.

Blog world

image by Scott Foster

Some people like to create a culture based on their unique wirings and giftings.

Others do research prior to launch, determine trends, and shape their writings around that.

Business world

photo by Augusto Avila Jr

Some people like to forge their own path and start a new business.

Others would rather work to improve and expand an existing one.

I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer here. What you prefer is based on how God has gifted and wired you. We need both.

And I’m thankful that we serve a God who does both…and neither at the same time, because He’s making all things new.

So what do you prefer?

Do you like to create a new culture or shape an existing one?

Would you rather save a sinking ship…or let it sink and build a new one?

Maybe it’s not worth it

January 25, 2011 / Ben Reed / 4 Comments

The more I delve into social media, the more questions I have.

Here’s what I’m wrestling with today:

Are all of my readers and commenters the same as yours?

If everybody’s drawing water from the same pool, and the pool’s not getting bigger, then we’ll eventually dry the thing up, won’t we?

If everybody is adding water to the same pool, but nobody is coming to take that water away, the pool becomes a cesspool. Nasty.

Are bloggers creating a cesspool of mind-dump…or a refreshing well of idea swap?

Sometimes, I wonder if the people that ReTweet my updates are the same ones that ReTweet yours. And whether the folks that comment on my blog are the same ones that comment on yours. If there are a few thousand people that read blogs, and promote them among themselves, but they never really get outside of that circle, then isn’t it like we’re just scratching each others’ backs? Spinning our wheels? Puffing up our own numbers so that we look good…to each other?

Maybe this is a form of effectiveness. Maybe we’re making an impact in the lives of this pool of social media-ites, and they’re impacting the lives of those they come in contact with on a regular basis. Maybe.

But maybe we’re ReTweeting and commenting so that somebody will ReTweet and comment on our stuff…so that our numbers will increase, so that we can draw a little more ‘water’ from the pool of bloggers. So maybe ReTweeting and commenting are just a form of self-service.

I love social media. I just want to continue to strive for effectiveness, reaching new readers, sharing ideas with folks who are putting them into action, and propelling people to take steps of faith.

Are blogs really making a difference in the world?

Is social media worth the effort?

Online effectiveness

January 18, 2011 / Ben Reed / 28 Comments

I read a lot of blogs. And I think that blogs will continue to become an increasingly respected source for opinion, information, and idea sharing. Because no form of print media has the ability to impact as many people globally, in such a short time, as blogs.

But for the blogger that’s just getting started, or the company that’s looking to expand their influence and effectiveness, what should they be doing? Here are some essentials, for both on and off your site.

Off of your site

1. Read other blogs. Although each blog has its unique twists, there’s a generally accepted format. You pick this up the more you read other blogs. In addition to formatting and styling, when you read blogs in your niche, you’ll notice trends, and what your readers care about. You may think you know what makes your audience tick…but you also may be surprised by what bigger bloggers are saying. And trust me, if they’re a big blogger, they’re doing research to know what posts will drive traffic to their site.

2. Comment on other blogs. And don’t just say, “Nice post!” Interact on sites you like. The more you do this, the more you will build your platform (your online reputation) with your potential audience.

3. Build your online platform on outposts. I’ve stolen this term from Michael Hyatt, and I think it’s helpful. You don’t own Facebook, Twitter, or FourSquare. But you use them as outposts, representing yourself there. You’ve got a unique voice…let it stand out among the rest on outposts.

5. Guest post. If there’s a site you’re learning from, and that you know the readers of your blog enjoy, ask the site owner if you can put a guest post together for them. Of course, this would be something you’d do for free. And though it may take you some time to put together a high-quality guest post, the return on investment you’ll see is worth the effort, as you build your online platform with a wider audience.

6. Connect offline. When you get an opportunity, connect with your online friends offline. Don’t just be a robot. Let online interactions spur you to build real, in-person relationships.

7. Read voraciously and widely. Don’t just hang out in the blogging world. Read books. Magazines. Journals. Pamphlets. Brochures. The fine print on back of your insurance card. The more you know, the better blogger you’ll be.

On your site

1. Consistency. Some of your blog posts will hit a homerun…and some will be a pop fly to the catcher. And that’s ok. Blogging is, in a sense, an experiment. The more you do it, the more you’ll know what will work with your audience. But don’t let a few strike outs keep you from posting again. Just keep putting your stuff out there.

2. Creativity. Try something different. Mix up your posting style. Try posting

a series of pictures
a video (that’s consistent with your niche)
a review of a product you’ve tried
a guest post
a praise of another site
a story from your childhood
a list of resources you use
a series of posts on ‘how-to’ do what you do
a question that helps people interact

3. Value. You need to be consistently posting, but to be successful, your posts need to add value to your specific readers. If your audience is primarily young pastors, then posts with just pictures of your children probably won’t add much value. However, if you’re a ‘mommy blogger,’ posts with pictures could be your m.o. Knowing your audience is key.

Do you have a new site?

Have you found other ways to be effective?

Kindle book loaning

January 2, 2011 / Ben Reed / 9 Comments

I love using my Kindle. I wrote about why HERE.

One thing I complained about was that I wish there was a way to share a book with somebody. Here’s what I said:

I love to share books and give them away. But I can’t with the Kindle. And I get the whole copyright deal…I do. Authors work incredibly hard, and should be rewarded for their work. But here’s how sharing could work: if I share a book with you on the Kindle, I lose privileges with viewing the book on my Kindle…until you “give” it back to me. If you choose to keep it, I would never be able to view the book again, unless I purchased the book again.

Looks like Amazon listened to me. Well…I know I had little to do with their decision. But regardless, sharing is now a reality on the Kindle.

I can loan you a book (at which point I can’t read it…because I’ve loaned it to you). And it’s really easy to do. I’ll walk you through it.

How to loan a book on a Kindle

1. Buy a Kindle. (or get the app HERE).

2. Login to your Amazon account.

3. On the left side of the page, under “Shop All Departments,” move your cursor over “Kindle” (see below screenshot).

4. Click on “Manage your Kindle” (see above screenshot).

5. Scroll down the page, and at the bottom of the “Your Orders” section, you’ll notice a link to “View All Orders; ” click on that. (see screenshot below)

6. This will take you to a page (see below screenshot) of all of your past orders. On the right side of the order, click “View Order.”

7. Click the link for the name of the book to view the order.

8. Under the title bar on the next page, you’ll see a yellow-ish highlighted section. At the bottom of the highlighted section, you should see a link, “Loan this book to anyone you choose.” Click that link. (unfortunately, some publishers have disabled their title from being loaned at this time)

9. This will take you to the loan form. Fill out the loan form and click “Send Now.”

10. Your recipient will receive an email with a personalized message (if you so choose). They should click the “Get your loaned book now” link in the email. Your book will be automatically “returned” to you 14 days after the recipient begins the loan period.

Have any troubles?

Are you convinced that the Kindle is worth it?

Customizing your Posterous blog

December 7, 2010 / Ben Reed / 2 Comments

Although content may be king, design is incredibly important. It’s what attracts people to your product. It’s what shows people that you care about your product. It shows your eye for creativity. And it’s what separates you from everybody else.

Which explains why there is so much out there on blog and website design. And why it’s so expensive to have a professional customize your site.

And though you can spend lots of money designing your blog, much of the new blogging platforms are easily customizable…as long as you have a little know-how.

I have two blogs, one on WordPress (HERE) and one on Posterous (HERE). I’m often asked how I’ve designed my site, and I make it quickly known that I’m not a designer. I am, though, a learner. I’ve figured out how to manipulate my blogs to make them look how I want them to look. And I’d like to help you out.

If you don’t use Posterous, this isn’t going to help you…go ahead and move on. Or start a Posterous account and keep reading.

Here’s what my Posterous site looks like:

Here’s how I customized it to make it look like what you see.

Customizing your Posterous site

1. Login to your posterous account, and make sure you’re on the “Manage” page (you should see the “manage” tab at the top).

2. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on “Theme my site.”

3. On the top row, you’ll see a list (via screenshots) of the various themes you can use with Posterous. I have “MyList by Obox” applied.

4. You can click on “Customize” and find the options to change the colors, header image, and number of posts per page.

5. If you want to go crazy, you can customize the CSS and get a fully custom site. I found enough functionality in the out-of-the-box themes posterous provided.

6. Go back to your “Manage” page (see #1 above). Immediately under the main header that says “Manage”, you should see 4 different folder options: Posts, Pages, People, and Autopost. Click on “Pages.” (see screenshot below)

7. On the line that says, “Navigation,” Click “Link.”

8. Add the link where you want to point to, and make sure you indicate “Label,” because this is what the tab on your site will look like.

Do you have a Posterous site? Or maybe a Tumblr blog?

Have you customized your blog?