Tech Tips for Catholics

If you follow us on Twitter, then you know how much we love Kickstarter.com.  Kickstarter is a fun way to fund creative projects.  So, whether you are a Christian musician trying to fund your album, an artist trying to inspire, a software developer with an idea for a game, or someone with an idea for a book and a board game, Kickstarter is a super, great way to get others involved.  What we love about Kickstarter is the community aspect of it.  I have personally created one project and have backed several other worthy projects.

Why really great projects do not succeed…

1. You have no clear vision for your project: If you don’t know exactly what you want out of your project, how do you expect others to be on board?
2. Your project lacks a personal connection: Kickstarter people are real people, doing what they love.  Show your passion. Tell your story.  If your kickstart does not feature a good pitch video, of you, then your project is destined to fail!  Just be yourself and have fun with it.
3. You spam, rather than share: Sending out unsolicited @ tweets makes the rest of the Kickstarter community look bad.  A status update, letting those in your social network(s) know about the project is fine (just don’t over do it!)  Letting your family and friends know about your exciting project is totally acceptable and encouraged.  Podcasting and blogging are other great ways to share your project with others on a personal level.  If your project is creative enough, the buzz may come naturally.
4. You have lame backer rewards: One of the cool things about Kickstarter is the ability to create fantastic rewards for different level of support.  The more special the reward, the more support you will have for your project.  Spend some time looking at what other successful projects have offered to get an idea of what works and what doesn’t.
5. Your goal is too high: Because Kickstarter uses All-or-nothing funding, it is more important to reach your goal, than it is to reach the amount you hope you can get to fully fund your project.  If you go above and beyond your goal, then great!  But, if you do not reach your goal, then you get nothing.  Some people that you see often, and who want to support your project, but do not feel comfortable using Amazon payments, will probably provide funds the old fission way.

We hope to support your Catholic Kickstarter in the near future.  If you kickstart a  project and you would like to plug it in the comments section below, please do!
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Tonight, I took my 4 year old daughter to go see Kelly Croy’s fantastic chalk drawing show!  Croy inspires people, young and old, to live richer and fuller lives, as a teacher, a writer, speaker, coach, father, husband, and in tonight’s case, an artist.  My daughter, an artist in her own right, was captivated by Croy’s performance.  But it was so much more than just a performance.  He brought a message, during this busy, over commercialized Advent season.  He challenged us to slow down, unplug, and meditate on the Nativity.

If you are looking for a great Catholic speaker/presenter at your Parish, company, retreat, or school, Kelly Croy is your guy.  And Kelly can customize his message to match your event theme, if given plenty of notice and information about your specific needs.  Something else that is cool, Kelly usually donates the drawing to the group that hosted him.

Below are some related links to this topic:

• TeacherCast Podcast 07 “The Wired Educator”
• Kelly Croy and the Nun Bun
• Eager buyers line up for iPhone

September 18, 2011 is National Back To Church Sunday! What is your parish doing to reach out to the community and invite people back to church?
Some churches have begun planning for this wonderful event.  Talk to your Priest and ask him if your parish is planning any kind of outreach for “National Back To Church Sunday”.  If not, ask if it would be okay to put something together.  Get others within your parish on board.

• About six weeks prior, and up through Sunday, September 18th, post something in the bulletin.
• Get some professional postcards designed, inviting others in the community back to church.  It is suggested that you mail them out about three weeks before your event.
• Put posters up in your Catholic School, Church, or other public places (Don’t litter them or stick them under people’s windshield wipers―It just comes off as lazy)
• Two weeks prior, would be a good time to equip parishioners with outdoor banners, extra invite cards, or links to a promo video or church website (assuming it is presentable)
• On the day of the event and beyond, be prepared to welcome your visitors! When I came back to church, there was a smiling face there to greet me.  Words can not describe how encouraging and reassuring this was for me at that time of my life. Put together a welcoming packet, with information about how they can get plugged-in to prayer groups, Bible studies, apostolates, volunteer opportunities, info about RCIA, etc.  One of the neat things that our church put together was a booklet describing the various symbols and decor found in the sanctuary.  Perhaps a booklet explaining the Liturgy would be great to include in the packet.  Think both inside and outside the box.  Pray about it.

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You and your school could each win up to $25,000 for education!

Get out your camcorders and let your creativity shine. The Diocese of Brooklyn is sponsoring a video contest about having “an active life of Confession.” For more details, check out www.i-confess.com
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And, as if that isn’t enough, there is also a video contest for World Youth Day!  For more details, visit www.envideomadrid.org
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Scientists have developed a nuclear method that might just save religious treasures from pesky insects, bacteria, and fungus forever. Museums and Churches in Eastern Europe are already adopting this radiation method… [Rome Reports]

In the heart of “1000 Journals” I’d like to send out 5 blank journals into the Catholic community. The holder of the journal has the special opportunity to share their faith with other Catholics in words, art, or whatever other way the spirit moves them. When the holder of the journal has created an entry page, he now has the obligation of passing it onto another faithful person, with the hopes that the journals will one day be completed and returned to me. When I have received a completed journal, I will share the journal pages, in both picture and video form, online so that others can enjoy. I have titled the project “One Voice, One Church.”

With the funds, I plan to purchase five really nice journals and items to make them unique and set them apart from just any ordinary journal. Each journal will have specific guidelines and directions on how the current holder can keep the community updated on the specific journal’s whereabouts. Also, some of the funds may go toward the shipping of the journals to different parts of the World (Japan, Canada, and opposite sides of the United States). Be assured that if we go above and beyond the goal of $125, that the extra funds will go towards better journals or perhaps we could up the number of journals that we send out. But, if we do not reach the goal, then the project fails and we all go back to our boring lives ; )

Ultimately, I hope that people have fun with this project and that we will be inspired by one another, and by the gifts that God has given us!

I’m asking any and all who read this to help me spread the word about this project. Feel free to rip the audio from my YouTube video and use it in your Podcast, Blog about the project, Share the project with your Facebook and Twitter friends, tell someone about it while you are socializing after Mass. The link to my Kickstarter Page is” http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/710603221/one-voice-one-church-5-journals and the hash tag that I plan to use on Twitter once the project is funded will be #1voice1church.

Thanks for being a part of this!

- Josh

Finding images for your post is an important part of blogging.  Your images should relate to what it is you are writing about.  The image should be intriguing and cause a person to think to themselves, this might be something I’d like to read more about.  You should have permission to use any images that are not taken/created by you.  Sonia Simone, an Associate Editor of Copyblogger, added in his post titled “The Lazy Blogger’s Guide to Finding Great Post Images,” that the image should also set an emotional tone.

But, what if you are having trouble finding an image that does all of these things?  How about using a cartoon!  There are several Catholic cartoonists out there, whom allow bloggers to post their images.  Each have their own guidlines, so be sure to check out their websites first, or e-mail them and ask their permission.   Most are more than happy to grant permission as long as appropriate recognition is given.

Here are just a few:

Posted with permission of Gary Cangemi
(www.umberttheunborn.com)

Posted with permission of Paul Nichols
(www.catholiccartoonblog.blogspot.com)

Posted with permission of John Francis Borra
(www.veritatisthecartoon.blogspot.com)

If you know of any others, feel free to post a comment.

The topic of giving up social networking for Lent has come up quite a bit.  I have been pondering the idea for about a week-and-a-half now.  I normally give up pop (that’s soda for you whom are living outside the Ohio limits ; )  Friends keep asking me what I am giving up for Lent and before I can reply they say, “Don’t tell me you are giving up pop again” (in that tone of voice too).  “I think you should give up Twitter,” one friend uttered.  To be honest, I didn’t like the sound of it, but upon further prayer and reflection, I have come to the conclusion that this would be the best thing for me to give up this Lent.

So for those like Lindsey Turrentine, the author of “How to give up Facebook for Lent and keep your friends” (who is not even Catholic) and myself, here are some Lenten avatars that you are welcome to use.

I will continue posting to the blog, but other than that, I’ll be focusing on Scripture study and Prayer this Lent.

Below are some related links to this topic:

• Poll Question: “Are you giving up social-networking for Lent?” [current results]
• Giving up Facebook for Lent? Read this first!
• Discerning Our Fasts

Merry Christmas everyone!  Enjoy this video by one of my all-time favorite Christian bands, Jars of Clay.

Here is a live version of the song as well!  May Christ’s peace be with all of you this Christmas season and beyond.

Let the peace of our Lord enter your heart this Christmas!  I personally invite you to attend Midnight Mass near you!  If you are not Catholic — perhaps you have fallen away from the faith — or maybe you want to celebrate the Birth of Christ in a very special way this year — come join in our joyful celebration.

Some services begin earlier than 12:00 a.m. so check with your local parish.  Ours’ is at midnight (which is awesome!)

BUS SHELTER NATIVITY

Download a free, hi-res version of this poster for your church’s Christmas publicity. Since the 15th of December, this specially commissioned painting of the nativity, set in a bus shelter, was displayed at over 1,000 bus shelters across the UK.

The painting is by Royal Academy Gold medal winner, Andrew Gadd. The oil painting is on canvas and depicts the holy family, with halos, in a dark bus shelter. The shepherds and wise men are replaced with fellow passengers waiting for a bus. Some are watching the nativity intently; others appear oblivious and are checking the bus timetable and flagging down a bus.

Francis Goodwin, the Chair of CAN, says: “We are very used to the Renaissance image of the Nativity. But what would it look like if it happened today? Where would it take place? We want to challenge people to make them reassess what the birth of Jesus means to them. By using a powerful and contemporary piece of art, from a world renowned painter, we can create an enduring image for our own times.”

See you at Mass : )
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