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A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to attend the 2010 BlogWorld New Media EXPO in Las Vegas, NV. This three-day convention offered more than 150 conference sessions on new media technology (such as blogging, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). About 3,000 attendees from all around North America came to learn how people can utilize these social platforms to:
- Build an online community
- Better connect with customers, clients, family, and friends
- Grow and expand their organization
- Market their products and services in a more efficient, cost-effective manner
The time has come for all of us to learn more about the importance of these emerging technologies.
Why?
Because social media is here to stay...and whether we realize it or not, interactive technologies such as Facebook and Twitter (among others) are already revolutionizing the way people work, interact, communicate, and minister to one another.
Churches and ministries such as cfaith utilize these technologies more and more to communicate with our members, supporters, and website guests. Not only is it a way for us to connect with you, but a way for you to connect with each other.
What Exactly is Social Media?
According to Wikipedia, social media is "media for social interaction." It's where people utilize web-based technologies and scalable publishing techniques in an effort to turn simple communication into interactive dialogues.
Basically, it's the new way to communicate with others—across the room or across the world.
In fact, you have utilized social media if you have done any of the following:
- sent or received a text from your cell phone
- left a comment on someone's blog
- updated your Facebook status
- posted a comment on Twitter
- participated in an online webinar
- encouraged a friend or family member through CaringBridge
- made an online donation to cfaith or any other organization
Don't worry if you don't understand or haven't heard about social media. Here are some additional links to learn more about these interactive resources:
What About Privacy?
Social Media is about sharing and connecting with others, but if you are concerned about privacy issues, it's important to understand that you can control what and how much you share on blogs and sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
All of these sites provide privacy settings which give you the power to control not only who sees your information, but what they see as well.
To learn more about privacy and how to protect your family, a helpful Online Privacy Tutorial (.pdf) has been published by Symantec and TRUSTe. You can also learn more by visiting Wikipedia's Internet Privacy page.
What Are You Waiting For?
I encourage YOU to begin using these online platforms today. If you are still hesitant, start out by connecting with people you know and trust. Interact, share, and become familiar with how the process works.
Remember, most social media sites are free, user-friendly, and easy to learn. Plus, once you begin to use them to communicate with others, you will see the value of connecting with others in a way that was never possible before.
You can start by "liking" the cfaith Facebook page or becoming a cfaith "follower" on Twitter.
Visit cfaith's Visit cfaith's
Facebook Page Twitter Page
 --------_-------- Thank You
Cfaith has 3,000 friends on Facebook, and almost 1,500 people "follow" cfaith on Twitter. That means we have the potential to minister to 4,500 individuals every day...and that's in addition to the thousands of people who visit the cfaith content website on a daily basis!
I would like to express my appreciation if you have already started following and supporting cfaith through these emerging media outlets. Say "hi" to us on Twitter and Facebook and we look forward to meeting you.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go update my Facebook and Twitter status to let people know that I just finished writing the cfaith Partner Letter for November! Until next time, be blessed.
Using all of God's resources to advance the Gospel,
Jeffrey Litfin
operations manager
cfaith
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