Church 2.0 - the blog

FREE TICKET and GAS!

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:03:00 +0000

Hop over to thesticks.tv and register to win a free ticket!

Also check out how you can win free gas!

the sticks

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:52:00 +0000

For those of you who are pastors in small towns and cities, I wanted to make you aware of a gathering that is designed just for you.

It's called 'the sticks' [www.thesticks.tv]

You won't want to miss it. There are only 400 seats available so register soon to get the discount pricing!

Some Cool Fire Fox Add On's // Part 5

noreply@blogger.com (nic) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 21:19:00 +0000

Open It

Open IT Online allows you to open your documents and images online without the need of any software to be installed.

Open IT Online is easy to setup and allows to choose, among different online services, which one you want to use for each type of file supported.

Every time you will get the "Open with..." dialog within Firefox (i.e., after a click on a link to a document/spreadsheet/presentation), you will see the size of the file you are going to open and you will have the possibility to choose which online service to use.

Some Cool Fire Fox Add On's // Part 4

noreply@blogger.com (nic) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:14:00 +0000

Fast Dial

Fast access to your favorite sites through thumbnails, like Opera Speed Dial.

I really like this one, it's fast and easy and completely customizable to the sites I visit the most.

After you install you simply hit the command, "t" shortcut (for mac). and when you open a new tab, all of your sites you loaded into Fast Dial come up in nice neat little boxes.

Some Cool Fire Fox Add On's // Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (nic) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:11:00 +0000

Video Download helper

The easy way to download Web videos from hundreds of YouTube-like sites. This works also for audio and picture galleries.

You Tube is great but there are some video clips that I want to add to my personal collection. Video Download Helper makes it really easy.

You pick the site, press play on the the video, go up and click on the Video Download Helper icon that rest in the top of the broswer bar.

Some Cool Fire Fox Add On's // Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (nic) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:06:00 +0000

Glubble

Glubble Family Edition is a free parental control suite for Firefox. I just installed this for my kids who are getting old enough to surf the net by themselves.

They start on a homepage with pre arranged sites that they can visit, and then you have the option to add other sites to the "Family Glubble".

The best idea here is that if one of your kids tries to access a site that is not approved, a pop up window comes up, and before they can view the site they have to email you and gain access.

This comes in handy with a 7 year old that knows how to spell!

Some Cool Fire Fox Add On's // Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (nic) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:59:00 +0000

I'm a big fan of Fire Fox, I've been using it since version 1. They are on the cutting edge of what a web browser can do. They had multiple tabs, and folders in your bookmark bar way before any else.

And they are aggressive about improving their product. Just check out some of the add- ons you can download and install to customize your web experience.

One of my recent add-ons is PicLens

PicLens

Full-Screen, 3D -- PicLens transforms your browser into a visually stunning experience for enjoying online photos and videos.

This is a great add on for designers who are constantly using google image search or flickr looking for inspiration. PicLens also supports YouTube, so think floating video wall!

Design And Religion

noreply@blogger.com (nic) — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:31:00 +0000

There is a new book out called Graphic Design and Religion by Daniel Kantor. A much need book in my opinion.

The touchy topic of whether design should be viewed by the church world as a necessity or a marketing gimmick is debated heavily. Daniel supports the idea the graphic design can move beyond just visual communication, it can be a form of scared art.

He has a great quote about when design is seen without any real strategic context, it is often viewed as meaningless. I think this is what has gotten the church criticized. We are infinitively creative coming up with title slides for new sermon series, Sunday morning bulletins, and new fund raiser campaigns, but where is the church creating sacred art?

Something to think about.

Check more about the book by Daniel Kantor

PD Conference Live

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:59:00 +0000

Check out the live feed of the behind the scenes Purpose Driven Conference.
Webcast by Ustream.TV

Prayer 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:59:00 +0000

More and more sites built on Web2.0 technology are popping up that focus on prayer. We have already highlighted MySecret, Kindle, Dear-God, and Other6.

Now check out WeTheChurch.org.

It's a website to post prayer and praise reports.

Simple and to the point. It's very cool! Take a minute and see what people are praising and praying about. Maybe add your prayers and praise to the mix.

Online Design Apps

noreply@blogger.com (nic) — Wed, 14 May 2008 11:34:00 +0000

I just got my beta test for Aviary.

Aviary is a suite of web-based applications (RIAs) for people who create. From image editing to typography to music to 3D to video, 18 apps in all. Right now I have access to the image editor and pattern maker.

Phoenix is the image editor, it has a clean interface and the loading time is fast. The image editor has all your basic functions, from cropping and rotating to the magic wand and lasso tool. And after you have finished image editing, you can export your file back to your desktop in any major file format including .psd files. If you have ever used photoshop or gimp shop you should feel right at home.

Peacock is the pattern generator. The pattern maker is a interesting idea, although I can't say that I have a huge need for a pattern maker and the interface takes some getting use to. It might come in handy to use it to create reusable filters that you can use in phoenix.

I can't help but see a lot of potential for web based design apps. Check out their blog Here to see the power of these apps or you can get your Beta Test Here

Presentation Tips...

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:14:00 +0000

Here's a good video on how to give a presentation. It's a few minutes, but well worth it.

PresenTired: "The Voicemail" from Scott Schwertly on Vimeo.

Link Love

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:23:00 +0000

Here are some sites, posts, and articles that the C2.0 - the blog audience might be interested in.
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Tony Morgan (and soon NewSpring) says, 'Goodbye to Microsoft Outlook' and switches to Google Apps.
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If you like FixMyVideo, you should check out FixMyPhotos. Here is a post from Guy K awasaki on FixMyPhoto.
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Find the cheapest gas in your area [links provided by Mashable]

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Could twitter be a cool tool for your ministry? MMI highlights how they use twitter.
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Spotlight: Litmus

noreply@blogger.com (nic) — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:13:00 +0000

Shows you how your customers will see your designs...

litmus is an online service for your to test what your website and email promotions will look like, before you finalize it. They give you screenshots for 13 different email clients, and 23! different web browsers.

Now it's not free, but it's reasonable. And it's worth the cost compared to the price you paid to have those websites and emails designed in the first place.

They do more then just previews too, like tracking, publishing, and version management.

Check it out Litmus

Spotlight: Other6

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:41:00 +0000

We often feel God's presence at Church, but where do you find him the other 6 days of the week?

Other6 is a website where you can view and/or add where you find God in the other 6.

This could be a great place to start brainstorming what an externally focused church or ministry might look like in your community.

Spotlight: Streamzy

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Sun, 04 May 2008 11:18:00 +0000

Streamzy is a free search engine, play-list creator, and prayer to stream full length audio clips from all of your favorite artist. Out of curiosity I did a search for songs by Hillsong/Hillsong United and found nearly every song I could ever want to listen to from them.

Practically: You or you Worship Leader could use Streamzy to create and share a play-list for your worship team. And the best part - it's legal!

Spotlight: Dear-God

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Sat, 03 May 2008 11:55:00 +0000

Those of you who had interest in Kindle, might have interest in Dear-God.net

A site to post prayers, confessions, dreams, etc.

It's very similar to Post Secret Project, but is specifically for prayers.

Muddy River Media Missionaries

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:59:00 +0000

Missionaries who provide FREE MEDIA!

Muddy River is a great sit that offers you Media content for free. Yes free! Go check it out at www.muddyrivermedia.org

Online Storage: ADrive

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:01:00 +0000

Over a year ago I talked about online storage and offered some free suggestions.
[click here to read the article]

However, I wanted to make you aware of some other online storage/backup options.

First, ADrive. They offer you 50GB for free!
That's crazy, but they do it.

Another option is Mozy. They offer 2GB for free. But wait... what sets them apart is they have a software add-on that automatically backs up your documents. They also offer an option to pay $4.95/mo for unltimated space. This is great for the church who doesn't have any kind of backup system in place.

Personal, I still use Box.net and like it, but they only offer 2GB for free and do not have automatic backups. It might be time for a change.

Spotlight: FixMyMovie

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:38:00 +0000

Tired of videos recorded from your mobile phone looking pixel-ly when you upload them to YouTube? Check out FixMyMovie . It's a web-service where you can send videos from your mobile phone, it will automatically correct pixel-ation and it then allows you to push the video to your YouTube, Blogger, and MySpace account. You can also download your videos to a Quicktime, WMA, or Flash file.

Below I embedded a video of my daughter, Selah Joy, drinking coffee.
Click compare in the menu to see the video before and after pixel correction.

You can also upload digital files from your computer.

Facebook for Pastors

noreply@blogger.com (nic) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:40:00 +0000

Ran across this e-book today, "Facebook for Pastors" by Chris Forbes. It's essentially about using the power of web 2.0 to reach people, he even uses the reference of "church 2.0". I found that very fitting.

We could debate whether or not Jesus would have a Facebook account, but what's not in question is that Facebook is where people are at. With 70 million active users, and the 6th most trafficked site on the net. Facebook has made huge leaps to catch myspace in the last year, and is predicted to pass myspace in international traffic sometime in mid April 2008.

So go check it out, it's only 31 pages so it won't consume your whole life, and it's FREE!

Churchy Media and MuxTapes

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:23:00 +0000

The guys at ChurchyMedia are knocking the ball out of the park when it comes to their video podcast called Short Takes.

Below I embedded a Short Take on how worship teams can use MuxTape

Keep up the good work!

Tired of Buying Ring-tones

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:18:00 +0000

I know this isn't directly 'ministry' related. However, for those Youth Ministers who spend half of their paycheck on the newest ring-tones, this could be a life-saver.

Mashable has made a list of 10 tools to create your own ring-tones.

For those of you who make your own ring-tones...
What programs do you use and do you distribute them to others?

Spotlight: Threads Media

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:16:00 +0000

Threads Media is putting out some great small group materials for young adults and couples. Having been in contact via the blogosphere with writers such as Mark Batterson [Chase the Lion] and Derek Leman [the Feast], I highly recommend both of their series that they offer. To purchase Threads' material click here.

Here is a video of Derek promoting The Feast.

Different Kind of Blogs

noreply@blogger.com (-=Kez=-) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:29:00 +0000

Aaron over at Digital Leadership Network wrote a great post on the different kinds of blogs and then gives some suggestions on why and how your church should blog. I'm summarize his comments below.

What Kinds Blogs Are on the Web?

1) Expert/Personality - an expert or big name giving you advice
2) Personal - someone sharing what they did that day [pictures, journaling, etc.]
3) News/Information - group of people who share information [ex- Church2.0]
4) Humor - just for fun

Suggestions for the Blogging Church:

The biggest keys to blogging is consistent updates. My suggestion would be to take the team blog approach, with different people taking on different roles. You can easily offer up separate RSS feeds or pages to break down the blogging into the three areas above:

The Expert Blog: The pastor, of course. If the community is interested in engaging in thinking about the message series throughout the week, the pastor could/should post ideas and thoughts that continue (or set up) Sunday's message.

The Personal Blog: Other leaders in your church? Perhaps small group leaders can use a public church blog to toss information and thoughts around to their attendees. A small group can open up to any curious visitor to your church's website using blogs.

The Information Blog: If a church's blog was consistently updated with upcoming events, prayer needs, updates on church member issues (ex- announcements) it would be a great chance for church members to feel loved and want to interact with the site.