Over at UniversityParent.com, there is a terrific article entitled Social Media Do’s and Don’ts for College Students. The facts and ideas presented in this column are important to review with your children of any age who may be using Social Media. Around our house, my kids are constantly reminded that their Facebook pages are their “online resumes” — future college choices, employers, and even their own parents will be closely watching their online activities and judging their characters as a result.
The information in this article is also pertinent to adults of any age who are active online. Think twice before you type, post a photo or video, or hit “send”.
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.
Flip Title is a site where you can easily generate upside down text. You can use this generated text in a couple of different ways:
IM screen names
Put it in your profiles like MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, Facebook, Youtube
Create strong passwords
Encrypt your download links to prevent leechers
Freak your friends
Now, I think this is somewhat annoying if you are using this to micro-blog, but I kind of like the idea of using it to create strong passwords, encrypt download links, and to freak out your friends : )
Like the different divisions within the Protestant Reformation, some of the social networking identities are “throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” for the sake of “unity.”
Both MyChurch.org and MySpace have been making changes to be more like Facebook (or so it seems). Facebook is making changes to try and distance itself from the copy-cats (or so it seems). Then MyChurch.org goes and tries to copy the changes that Facebook is making (or so it seems).
MySpace has managed to implement some of Facebook’s features pretty well. I just hope they don’t go even further and try to copy facbook’s latest changes. This is what MyChurch.org is dong and it will probably backfire on them. I wonder, how many less people are logging onto Facebook since the new changes? The only time I log onto Facebook anymore is to check a post someone has left on my wall or to view my friends’ pictures. MyChurch.org is headed that direction. I find myself using MySpace more than I previously had been.
MyChurch had some neat things that set them apart from other social networking sites and these are some of the things they are getting throwing out. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
4marks.com, which is similar to Facebook, has not made the switch to the new Facebook format yet. Who knows, they may become my new social networking home. I do like their built-in poll feature. I stumbled upon 4marks a long time ago, but you had to pay a monthly fee to use many of its features. They have since opened it up and you can now use these features free of charge.
I would be interested to hear what features our readers like about their favorite social networking sites and what they dislike. Click here to take part in the discussion.
MyChurch.org is donig a great job of using applications to draw folks to their social networking site. These include a Facebook app simply named My Church, a MySpace app called Famous Christian Quotes, and they have a couple blog tools as well.
Here are the descriptions of each of these apps that I’ve listed above:
Famous Christian Quotes (MySpace App) ↓
Display Inspirational quotes from famous Christian preachers and leaders on your profile and share them with your friends.
My Church (Facebook App) ↓
Show what ministry, denomination, or church organization you’re a part of. You can also find others on Facebook who are members of your church organization. Stay in touch with your larger church body.
Your Church Calendar on your own Website (Blog or Website Script) ↓
Share your church’s events on your blog, Myspace, or church’s main website.
This past weekend I attended the first ever PodCamp Ohio. It was great! I learned some new stuff and, had I not had this stupid head-cold, probably made some new friends. While at the event, I heard a lot of chatter about Ping.fm, which is a new service that makes it simple to update your many social networks.
Now one of the other things that I learned while at PodCamp Ohio, in the “Orchestrating a Viral Explosion” session, was how to drive “talk” about your online program/application by making it “invite only”. To suggest that a person is part of an elite. Gmail is a perfect example of a company that tried this tactic and found it to be quite successful. This is why Ping.fm is requiring a “beta key code” to join. Notice that on their login page they give you a hint that it is pretty easy to acquire this important key code. All you need to do is simply contact them and ask for one. So, does this type of product campaign work? I’m blogging about, so I would have to say that in many cases it does. Go get your beta code and see what Ping.fm is all about!
I am sure most of you are aware of how popular social networking has become in the last couple years. Millions of people are now connecting and keeping in touch with family and friends through these online services. Over the past year and a half the folks at 4marks.com have been developing just that kind of service especially for Catholics. Recently they had some major changes so they want to tell you a little about what they have been up to.
Here is a videocast that explains some of what they have done.
Really any Catholic who is looking for a great way to connect with other Catholics, stay in contact with and share things with friends and family (even non-Catholics) all in a family friendly environment.
What can I do on 4marks?
Connect with Catholics in a Catholic friendly environment. (They claim to be better than Facebook)
Connect with your friends and family (Similar to Facebook)
Over at Pro Blogger, Daniel Scocco has a very good look at the etiquette related to the use of Social Networking sites. Take time to read through the comments, which give added value to the article. If you’re using social networking tools to market your work, you want to make sure you are following these rules rather than driving folks away from you by your online behavior. I witnessed something last week on one of these sites that changed my impression of one of the participants (and not for the better). Good to know the culture of these places before diving in! What Are The Unspoken Rules of Social Networks?
About a year ago, I came across MyChurch.org and have found it to be a great tool for our parish community and it has helped us to grow in community.
What is MyChurch?
MyChurch is a free community‐buiding site for Christian churches. You can create a profile page for your church and allow members to join and connect through blogs, photos, events, media, bulletins, small groups and more!
Is MyChurch Safe?
A dedicated team of staff and pastors review thousands of church submissions each week to make sure church profiles are reserved for Christian churches that follow the Nicene Creed. Your church profile page can be moderated by multiple staff or members and each small group can customize their own level of privacy.
Connecting with a Purpose
With an extensive platform of tools, MyChurch allows your community to connect in a unique and fun way throughout the week. It’s like MySpace, but completely centered around your church! Keep members up‐to‐date on announcements and prayer requests with Bulletins. Post single or recurring Events, and allow members to RSVP. Small Groups let members connect around ministries and interests. Share and learn more about each other with Blogs. Upload church Sermons (Homilies) and Media, where members can add comments.
Please Note: Because MyChurch is not strictly a Catholic network, some Catholic parishes are not listed and might need to be added. Do a search for your Church prior to adding it.
Features: In the menu bar, after you have logged in, there are a couple of menu categories.
The “Home” menu is all about you. You will see submenus such as Main, Write, Subscription, Photos, Friends, Comments, and Mail.
The “My Church” menu is all about your church and takes you to your church’s MyChurch page, where you can post a bulletin, upload church photos, check out small groups, post an event, or post to the sharing board.
The next menu I’d like to talk about is the “Explore” menu. This is where you will find public blog posts, reviews, and videos posted by other MyChurch people (keep in mind that not all posters in the explore section are Catholic and some maybe even anti-Catholic, but generally the posts are ecumenical in nature).
The new menu that they are working on is the “Ministries” menu. Not a lot has happened with this one yet.
And the last menu is the “Churches” menu where you can search for churches. This is good if you are going on vacation and are looking for a Catholic church near your destination (though I recommend MassTimes.org for a more official search). But you could maybe see what is happening in the parish you will be attending. They also have a pretty cool map feature that is similar to Frappr! Map, only with the different churches in a certain destination.
Over at UniversityParent.com, there is a terrific article entitled Social Media Do’s and Don’ts for College Students. The facts and ideas presented in this column are important to review with your children of any age who may be using Social Media. Around our house, my kids are constantly reminded that their Facebook pages are their “online resumes” — future college choices, employers, and even their own parents will be closely watching their online activities and judging their characters as a result.
