{"id":2258,"date":"2011-06-08T01:05:05","date_gmt":"2011-06-08T07:05:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=2258"},"modified":"2011-06-07T22:38:26","modified_gmt":"2011-06-08T04:38:26","slug":"missions-catalyst-06-08-11-practical-mobilization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=2258","title":{"rendered":"Missions Catalyst 06.08.11 &#8211; Practical Mobilization"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>In This Issue: In This Issue: Steps to Start &#8211; How to Get Going with Social Media<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> FEATURE: Steps to Start &#8211; How to Get Going with Social Media<\/li>\n<li> SUBVERSIVE MOBILIZATION: Trip Reports that Grip Hearts and Minds<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.missionscatalyst.org\/\"><!--more-->Missions Catalyst<\/a> is a                   free, weekly  electronic digest of mission      news       and          resources      designed to inspire and  equip  Christians         worldwide           for   global     ministry. Use it  to fuel  your       prayers, find     tips     and           opportunities,  and  stay in     touch  with how God   is    building       his     kingdom      all  over    the   world. Please   forward it    freely!<\/p>\n<h3>FEATURE: Steps to Start &#8211; How to Get Going with Social Media<strong> <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>By <a href=\"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?page_id=610\">Shane Bennett<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Today I put off writing Practical Mob awhile in favor of following <a href=\"http:\/\/events.apple.com.edgesuite.net\/11piubpwiqubf06\/event\">Steve Jobs&#8217; keynote<\/a> at Apple&#8217;s Worldwide Developers Conference. By &#8220;follow&#8221; I mean that I  bounced between two web pages on which people actually at the meeting  worked feverishly to type, photograph, and publish the complete  presentation as it was given. Sort of like attending a wedding by Morse  code. But I loved it; more cool tools and avenues of interaction between  like-minded people.<\/p>\n<p>So it was pretty natural for me to challenge us to jump into the world of social media &#8211; to use the tools recently available to advocate for our causes and to build tribes to reach the world. In last month&#8217;s article, <a href=\"..\/?p=2207\">Four Reasons Mobilizers Avoid Social Media<\/a>,  I asked us to assess whether we resist using Facebook, Twitter,  YouTube, etc., for some of the same reasons Gary Vaynerchuk puts forth  in his recent book, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Thank-You-Economy-Gary-Vaynerchuk\/dp\/0061914185\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1305046521&amp;sr=8-1\">The Thank You Economy<\/a>.  Do we see social media as a passing trend, fear losing control of our  message, lack time for one more thing, or believe we&#8217;re doing fine  without it?<\/p>\n<p>This  month I&#8217;ll take a wild stab at how some of us might want to actually  try out social media for the benefit of our efforts. Since my wild stabs  often send the kids running for Band-aids, I turned to a new friend, <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/#!\/missionmobilizr\">Peter Slayton<\/a>. Peter is a mobilizer for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lbt.org\">Lutheran Bible Translators<\/a> (yeah, they have a Bible translation agency!) and he knows a thing or  two about social media. I asked him for models or examples of ministries  excelling in social media.<\/p>\n<p><em>Shane:<\/em> &#8220;Hey, Peter. Did you get my Facebook message?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em>Peter:<strong> <\/strong><\/em>&#8220;I  did.&#8221; [So far so good, but not for long.] &#8220;I don&#8217;t have any examples of  ministries that are really excelling at social media. It&#8217;s something  I&#8217;m struggling with now, trying to figure out who actually has good  conversations going. I probably need to widen my circle to find the ones  who are doing it well. At the same time, in social media, if they don&#8217;t  become visible without much effort on my part (or anyone&#8217;s), then they  probably aren&#8217;t doing it right. I truly wonder if there are any good  social media ministry examples out there.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em>Shane:<\/em> &#8220;Hmmm, interesting. I wonder if there&#8217;s good stuff going on, but just  on a more micro-level, really niche tribes or something like that?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em>Peter:<\/em> &#8220;Yeah, that could be. [Woo-hoo! I live for guru affirmation!] I just  can&#8217;t find any, specifically on an organizational level. I recognize  though that I define good social media by the conversations it  generates, not just the content pushed out. Lots of organizations push  lots of content out, but I don&#8217;t see many actually engaging in  conversation or generating conversation among their followers. Pushing  out good content is like printing the most amazing brochure in the world  that no one picks up or reads. Who cares if the brochure is good?!? I  want people reading it and then showing it to their friends and talking  about it over dinner!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>What about you? How might you get some of those conversations going? For a quick, insightful overview, check out Peter&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=52vBDppqIIQ\">social media sum-up video<\/a> from a recent gathering of mobilizers.<\/p>\n<p>Ready to jump in? Here are some starting points for Facebook, then Twitter.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Facebook Quick Look<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A good friend of mine (in my dreams!), Guy Kawasaki has made it his goal to dominate emerging media. He&#8217;s authored <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Guy-Kawasaki\/e\/B000APBIYC\/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1307423756&amp;sr=1-1\">great books<\/a>, oversees a <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.guykawasaki.com\/#axzz1OZ3ZfFkC\">world-class blog<\/a>, and racked up a bazillion <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/#!\/GuyKawasaki\">Twitter followers<\/a>. In his article, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.openforum.com\/articles\/how-to-use-facebook-to-enchant-your-customers\">How to Use Facebook to Enchant Your Customers<\/a>,  he gives ten great tips that will help you get going (or get better)  with a presence on Facebook. Step Three is &#8220;Create a Great Cause.&#8221;  You&#8217;ve already got that one down, right? Only nine to go!<\/p>\n<p>If you want to know what you&#8217;re up against, go to DJ Chuang&#8217;s post on <a href=\"http:\/\/djchuang.com\/2011\/top-church-pages-on-facebook\">Top Church Pages on Facebook<\/a>.  DJ provides a table with the Top 20 &#8220;liked&#8221; church pages. Find some  good ideas, and maybe some things to avoid! As you look at some of these  pages, remember what Peter said: It&#8217;s not as much about getting good  content out the door as it is getting people interacting with each other  over the content.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tips on Twitter<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If  you think you might help your organization, tribe, or cause by using  Twitter, you&#8217;re probably right. If you have no idea how to get going, <a href=\"http:\/\/mazarinetreyz.com\">Mazarine Treyz<\/a> says, &#8220;My friend asked me to write a guide for Twitter &#8216;so simple a  monkey could understand it.&#8217; And I was so inspired &#8230; that I wrote <a href=\"http:\/\/www.treyzsocialmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Twitter-for-Monkeys.pdf\">Twitter for Monkeys<\/a>!&#8221; &#8220;Twitter for Monkeys&#8221; will give you a step-by-step plan to make a big dent via Twitter.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What I&#8217;m Going to Do<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s a little post-it note on a big blank wall above my desk that says &#8220;2, 1, Up2Date.&#8221; That&#8217;s my <a href=\"http:\/\/shane.posterous.com\/my-lofty-social-media-strategy\">social media plan right now<\/a>.  Two worthwhile tweets a day, one decent blog post per week, and a  personal website that&#8217;s up to date. (If someone is thinking about  inviting me to speak, it should only take a couple clicks for them to  find me and decide.) So far the tweets are manageable, the blog a little  less so, and the website is Lame2Date. But this will change!<\/p>\n<p>If all this social media jabber leaves you feeling a little achy and isolated, check out <a href=\"http:\/\/www.navigators.org\/us\/serve\/Articles\/items\/14%20Ways%20to%20Love%20Your%20Neighbors\">14 Ways to Love Your Neighbors<\/a>, courtesy of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.navigators.org\/us\">Navigators<\/a>. Not media, but very social.<\/p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; Thoughts? We&#8217;d love to <a href=\"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=2258\">hear from you<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>SUBVERSIVE MOBILIZATION: Trip Reports that Grip Hearts and Minds<\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>Some  pals and I are in final countdown for a month of scouting cities in  Europe and hanging out with Muslims. Really, I could have a happy life  just doing that, especially since two of the pals are the Sweet Thing  and our oldest daughter. During and after our trip I want to report in  to our church in absolutely the best, most gripping, non-cheesy ways  possible. Will you help me?<\/p>\n<p>I want to do this in part to see what  really is best. But I also want to do it (and here&#8217;s the subversive  part) because I want the people to fall in love with the vision that&#8217;s  core to this trip. I want them to sell out to what God is giving our  church, and I think we&#8217;re going to see the start of it this summer.<\/p>\n<p>So,  what to do? I&#8217;d love to hear what you&#8217;ve seen work, what has taken a  ton of effort and produced pathetic results, and what has inspired scary  strong passion.<\/p>\n<p>Specifically: What platforms have you seen  work? A team blog? A Twitter stream? Facebook page? What about Skyping  in to a Sunday morning service? Texts? Email? How frequently should we  report in? What should we do after returning home? What should we avoid  like pulled pork in Pakistan?<\/p>\n<p>&gt;&gt; Your five minutes in the <a href=\"..\/?p=2258\">comments section<\/a> might save me, and many others, a ton of grief. Thanks for reading and weighing in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:shanebennett@takeitglobal.org\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" title=\"ShaneBennett\" src=\"..\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/ShaneBennett1-201x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"124\" height=\"184\" \/><\/a><a href=\"mailto:shanebennett@takeitglobal.org\" target=\"_blank\">Shane Bennett<\/a> has served in missions mobilization since 1987, much of his energy     going to recruiting, training, and sending short-term teams. He\u2019s been     on research teams in Bangkok, Bombay, and Turkey. He coauthored <a href=\"http:\/\/r20.rs6.net\/tn.jsp?llr=zaeaz4bab&amp;et=1104439231559&amp;s=0&amp;e=001JFwnltQYuyiHt6lM0XjZzUjW5YeT8DY3EuTsut0M7XjT_LltRp1EDaeDHgC-9vV0yc3IprbKAOo0U4fI50Wo776bejR1s9k1WXUFv3byNIQ8D10Y1wQgs0wAQKdS8xDAbkFs-0xcxpjEn6XR9yHuwA==\" target=\"_blank\">Exploring the Land<\/a>, a guide to researching unreached peoples, and has written numerous articles.<\/p>\n<p>Shane now works as a public speaker for <a href=\"http:\/\/r20.rs6.net\/tn.jsp?llr=zaeaz4bab&amp;et=1104439231559&amp;s=0&amp;e=001JFwnltQYuyiHt6lM0XjZzUjW5YeT8DY3EuTsut0M7XjT_LltRp1EDaeDHgC-9vV0yc3IprbKAOqFuy_XASOJW4fCx73EpAEJrrSU4Rt8gOc=\" target=\"new\">Frontiers<\/a> and is part-time missions pastor at <a href=\"http:\/\/r20.rs6.net\/tn.jsp?llr=zaeaz4bab&amp;et=1104439231559&amp;s=0&amp;e=001JFwnltQYuyiHt6lM0XjZzUjW5YeT8DY3EuTsut0M7XjT_LltRp1EDaeDHgC-9vV0yc3IprbKAOq2-qmYMjTRt-RLT1ZacP3VheWspMqhMr8=\" target=\"_blank\">Union Chapel<\/a>. He and his wife, Ann, have five school-aged children. They live and work in Indiana.<\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- AddToAny BEGIN --><br \/>\n<a class=\"a2a_dd\" href=\"http:\/\/www.addtoany.com\/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmissionscatalyst.net%2F%3Fp%3D2258&amp;linkname=\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/static.addtoany.com\/buttons\/share_save_171_16.png\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Share\" width=\"171\" height=\"16\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\nvar a2a_config = a2a_config || {};\na2a_config.linkurl = \"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=2258\";\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><br \/>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/static.addtoany.com\/menu\/page.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- AddToAny END --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In This Issue: In This Issue: Steps to Start &#8211; How to Get Going with Social Media FEATURE: Steps to Start &#8211; How to Get Going with Social Media SUBVERSIVE MOBILIZATION: Trip Reports that Grip Hearts and Minds<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-practical-mobilization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2258"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2262,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2258\/revisions\/2262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}