Even if you’re a journalism or English major, chances are, you’re still going to make mistakes when you write.

Editing doesn’t mean just checking for grammar or punctuation errors, it goes much deeper. True editing looks more at the content.  Below are three “C’s” to start editing content. Think in terms of user friendliness. Who’s going to be reading your content? Who do you want to read your content?

1. Clarity- Does each sentence make a complete thought? Does each paragraph pertain to the entire piece that you’re writing? Or page of content, if you’re writing for your website.
2. Conciseness- Is each sentence to the point and does each paragraph only contain useful information pertinent to getting your point across? If it’s filled with needless jargon and repetitive thoughts, you might want to consider re-writing.
3. Conformity- You have to understand your reader and what they’re looking for. You don’t want to use a bunch of “Christian” lingo that someone who is interested in visiting your site won’t understand. Use normal language and get to the point…quickly.

It’s never been easier to record a vlog. Most computers now have built in webcams. Or if you have a smartphone, most likely you’re able to record videos quickly and upload them to your computer.  It’s probably faster than typing out a blog, now!

If you’re toying around with the idea of starting a vlog but not sure you’re ready, here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Don’t be shy- I hate cameras and seeing myself on a video. However, if you’re going to be a vlogger, you’ve got to get past that. Pretend the camera is a friend and talk to it like you’d talk to a friend.
2. Keep your camera still. Try to avoid moving the camera as much as possible.
3. Keep it short-  Outline your thoughts before you start recording, so you don’t ramble on and on and on and on…
4. Edit your video with a simple editing tool like Windows Movie Maker- You don’t have to edit a ton, maybe include subtitles or a link to your website or other important things you want your viewers to remember.
5. Give some Vlog love- Do short videos of other vloggers you like and follow. Hopefully, they’ll do one in return for you.

Is it ironic that I typed out a post about vlogging instead of recording it?

*photo by fensterbme

If you Google: “Internet Evangelism” you’ll see quite a large number of results. There are coalitions, groups, blogs, studies, news, pictures, websites…etc. all talking about this term “internet evangelism.”

In fact, there’s even a day dedicated to internet evangelism. You can read all about it at: http://www.internetevangelismday.com/   or you can “like” them on Facebook.

Internet Evangelism Day was created to have one day focused on communicating the potential the Internet can have on the Church. It was created to share tools, ideas and information on all things that can be used for digital evangelism.

This year, Internet Evangelism Day falls on April 29^th…it’s coming up! It’s a great time to think about how you’re using the internet to reach out to people.

What ways has your church used the internet to reach out or build relationships with people? Have you seen results you would like to share?

Maybe it’s more convenient and easier to download an e-book.

Some other interesting stats:

-    41% of tablet owners say they spend more time reading, now

-    35% of e-reading device owners say they spend more time reading, now

-    35% of those who owned either device for less than six months say they are reading more

-    Men under age 50 who own e-reading devices say they are more likely to read more with an e-book reader

-    Printed books still dominate the world of e-book readers

-    72% of American adults have read a printed book in the past year

-    There are four times more people reading e-books on a typical day now than 2 years ago

What do these stats mean?

Are we getting smarter because people are reading more? Or is it that we’ve always had a desire to learn, but now it’s easier to download a book than it is to go to the library or bookstore?

I imagine within the very near future textbooks will all be available on e-book readers and more and more libraries will start investing in e-books  than in printed books.

* photo by PiAir (Old Skool)

As you could expect, most of the site’s visitors are women who post picture featuring home décor, crafts, fashion ideas and recipes.

I recently attended a webinar about Pinterest and its use in marketing and SEO. If you’re wondering if Pinterest is just another social avenue or if there’s a way you can use it for your church, please consider the following:

1. While most website visitors are on and off of your site within a few minutes, Pinterest users linger for an average of 16 minutes.
2. You can use keywords and hash tags in the description of your pictures, this will help with link building.
3. Each picture you post can have a link to another webpage. Maybe your blog? Website?
4. Use keywords in the description of your board titles

How Can Your Church Use Pinterest?

1. Maybe your church had a really great VBS theme. Take some pictures, post them on Pinterest with links back to your church’s website.
2. Maybe you need some ideas for projects for your Sunday School classes…try searching Pinterest
3. Maybe you’re taking a dish to a pot luck (do people still have those??) and need a new recipe- search Pinterest
4.  Look for interesting ways to organize your rooms, offices…etc.

What other ways can you think of to use Pinterest?

1. 10 Tips for Having a Great Church Blog
2. Audio and Video Recording in Worship Services- Part 1
3. Creating a Winning Team from Dysfunctional Members
4. How to Get Guests to Give you Their Information
5. Social Media Demographics

Every organization needs creative types in order to gain new perspectives and come up with better ways to do everyday tasks. Whether you’re a church, a non-profit or a successful business, you should encourage your staff to be creative. Think outside the box.  When you expose yourself to new things, new experiences and different situations, it opens up your brain to be able to connect the dots of old things to new things and produce creativity.

Today I read this post on the HBR Blog Network: Creativity Lessons from Charles Dickens and Steve Jobs

One of the main points is that everyone is creative in their own way and as individuals we can work on “optimizing our innovative capacities.”

A few take away points to share with your teams:

1. Reduce Stress- Stress affects creativity. Studies found that someone who is too focused or too wound up won’t be able to solve problems as well as one who is relaxed. Get up and take a walk.
2. 2.       Get out of the office and into unfamiliar environments.  Research has proven that exposure to unfamiliar perspectives can help foster creativity.
3. 3.       Let your mind wander. We should take time to let our brains wander, see new things and create new things.

A little excerpt from the post and a quote from Steve Jobs:

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things… A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have.” 

Photo by: Rachael| The Slow-Cooked Sentence

Everyone at faithHighway just finished going through the book, “5 Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni. If you haven’t read the book or never even heard of it, I highly suggest you check it out. While it’s about building teams in business, the fundamental points are applicable to any team, anywhere.

There are 5 main points to the book and each one is dissected and requires discussion among team members. I know, you’re thinking, “touchy feely…yuck!” But it’s not.  I promise. The discussions are in depth and require team members to be open and share with their team their areas of concern regarding the team. It’s a great way to evaluate what a team does well and what areas are considered “problem areas.”

The 5 points:

1. Absence of Trust- Discusses the unwillingness of team members to be vulnerable with each other. This is the base on which all the other points are built upon. Without trust it’s impossible to build a winning team.
2. Fear of Conflict- Without trust, teams cannot engage in unfiltered and passionate debates of ideas. It’s not about arguing and proving your point, it’s about sharing your ideas and listening to other’s ideas. If you’re a team, you’re all working toward the same goal. It’s building on the trust that was discussed in the previous section and learning not to hold back. The goal is to solve a problem, not have false harmony.
3. Lack of Commitment- If team members hold back or feels like they aren’t heard due to fear of conflict, then it’s likely they will lack commitment.
4. Avoidance of Accountability- It’s learning to have peer-to-peer accountability and not rely solely on the team leader to hold everyone accountable. When a team is all striving for the same goal, trust each other and are committed to each other, then they are free to hold each other accountable.
5. Inattention to Results- Team members should know and understand how their individual results affect the results of the team and how the team’s combined results affect the overall results of the organization.

You can get the book on Amazon fairly inexpensively or you can order the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team entire workshop kit. It includes facilitator’s guides, work books, video presentation and online assessment.

-           The largest percentage of people using facebook are 45 years or older and in the $50-$99,999 income bracket.

-          The average age of Twitter users is split pretty evenly across the four age brackets

-          43.82% of Google + users are single.

-          Pinterest stats were pretty much exactly as I thought they would be

-          49% of Linked In Users are 45 years and older.

-          67% of social media users use social media to stay in touch with friends

Via: Online MBA Resource