Well, my holidays are officially over.  I spent the first week in what I would consider to be a tech blackout.  The internet that was available was painfully slow and cell phone coverage was sporadic and unreliable.  But, I survived.

It was nice to have a couple of weeks to kick back and relax.  Of course, holidays never last long enough.  Now, it’s back to work.

To kick off this week, I wanted to share a really interesting infographic that I cam across while I was on holidays.  Buzzplant conducted a survey of churches across the US.  Here are their findings.

Churches are generally slow to adapt to technology.  The statistics here show that 31% of churches are slow to adapt.  I would say that’s higher in my context.

41% of churches said it was their preferred method of outreach.  I think it needs to be high on our list seeing the sheer number of people using social media.  We can’t ignore it.

What does your church think of using technology/social media?  Do you sense resistance when it comes to the use of social media in churches?

Today I thought I would write a practical post to celebrate my being reconnected after my week of tech blackout.  I have been talking a lot about using Twitter and Facebook in your ministries.  So I thought I would walk through, step-by-step, creating a Facebook page.

If you follow this simple tutorial, you will be up and running with a new Facebook page in no time!

First, click this link to create your page (the link should pop up in a new window so you can keep referring back to this tutorial as you go.  If not, make sure to open the link in a new window so you can keep referring back).

You should then see this page.

For a church page, click on Company, Organization or Institution.

After clicking this tab, in the Choose a Category drop down box choose Non-Proft Organization.  Enter your church name and read and agree to the Facebook Page terms.

Then click Get Started.

You will then be taken to this page.

You can upload a Profile Picture now or skip it and do it later.  If you want to skip this now, just click the Skip button in the bottom right corner.

For the sake of this tutorial, I will upload the picture now (I’ll be using the logo for my church.  We already have a page, but I will use it as a demonstration).

I am going to click on Upload From Computer.  You should then see a window pop up which will allow you to locate the image you want to use.  It will look something like this.  Please note that Profile Pictures should be 180px by 180px.  

I then select the photo I want and click choose.  You should then see a page something like this.

Click Next.

You will then come to this page.

Here you can enter some information about your church.  If you want to do it later, you can click skip.  I have entered some dummy information.  You can enter any sites that may be connected to your church like a website, twitter account and so on.  Just click Add Another Site to add more.

When you’re done, click Save Info.

You will then be taken to your new page and see the Admin Panel at the top of the page.  Facebook will automatically give you a mini tour of the options you have.  You can click Skip or Next for each of these.  You can also fill in information if you choose to.  you can always change or add the information later.

Here is what my screen looks like.

The Admin Panel will give you information regarding your page as you grow your page.  You can now go and invite friends to Like your page.

You can also choose to add a Cover to your page.

Click Add a Cover.  Keep in mind that a Cover Photo must be 851px wide by 315px high.

Note: When you click Add a Cover for the first time, you may see something like this.

I suggest clicking Learn More to find out what these rules are.  Just so you know what you are able to do.

Then click Upload Photo. Find the photo you want and click Choose.

You will then be able to reposition the photo and adjust it.  When you are happy, just click Save Changes.

Now you are done!  Your new page is up and ready to go.  Start inviting friends and promoting your new page!

If you have any questions, comments or additions, please feel free to comment below.

Recently I read an article by Michael Hyatt about how he disconnected for a period of time while he was on holidays.  It was a very inspiring article that made me think about what it would be like to do the same.

Then, this happened.

I went to visit my parents who live in a rural part of our province.  I am now left with one bar of cell phone service in some parts of the house and satellite internet that isn’t all that much better than dial-up (ok for email and twitter).  So, I thought, what is the difference between a planned offline mode as opposed to a forced one?

One word.  Frustration.

As many of you know, I am a Youth and Music Pastor, so for me, web design, blogging and all other tech related things I do is not like work for me.  It’s my hobby.

Outside of hanging out with my son and my family, my plan was to catch up on some projects I have been working on on the side as well as to hopefully get ahead of things on this blog.

But instead, I’m in a forced tech blackout!

But it’s not all bad.  I have had a great couple of days just relaxing.  I forgot what that felt like.  I have watched some of the olympics, a few movies, started reading a new book and hung out with my son and family. It’s been great.

I have also learned that while technology is great and I’m not trying to start a debate as to how technology has caused us to become disconnected with reality.  It’s not absolutely always necessary to connect.  I am coming to the conclusion that disconnecting from time to time is healthy.

I am looking forward to getting back to a routine at some point that includes being connected through technology, but for now, I am content to be disconnected.

Have you ever been forced into a disconnect from technology?  How did it make you feel?  Do you plan disconnects?

Sorry for the late addition to my blog today.  I opened up the Mac App Store today and gave into the temptation to update my computer with the latest Mac OSX operating system, Mountain Lion.  At just $19.99, why wouldn’t I?

So, I clicked the button and began the download…

Here are a few things I have noticed in my very limited time using Mountain Lion.  I’m sure we will hear more and more about issues or great new features as people use and get used to the OS a little more.

First of all, the dock has a bit of a different flavor to it. While subtle, it gives a new feel to your desktop.  I like the change.

Safari has some nice improvements.

For example, you can now view your open tabs on other iCloud devices.

The reader button is now at the end of the combined search/address bar.

I really like the show all tabs button that gives you a visual of all your open tabs.

Outside of Safari, the addition of notifications are very nice.

Overall, everything seems to be working well.  All my apps are working fine.  I really like how it’s so well integrated with iCloud and iOS.  The feel across my devices is so much more cohesive.  For me, I appreciate this.

As I have more time (two weeks holidays coming up!) to play around with Mountain Lion, I will keep updating this post.

In the meantime, if you are thinking about upgrading, make sure to check out these posts.

1. 80 OS X Mountain Lion Tips and Tricks via maclife.com
2. OS X Mountain Lion: The TUAW review via tuaw.com
3. OS X Mountain Lion now available in the Mac App Store, and what it means for iOS users via imore.com
4. OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) via macworld.com

Have you made the jump yet?  What are your thoughts?  What’s missing?

We all know that teens are extremely connected today and have many ways to communicate. Social Media, smartphones, and the internet each allow us access to vast amounts of information and allow us to connect very easily.

The following infographic by AWeber Communications gives us a break down of how teens communicate. It gives American based statistics, but I believe they are as true for Canadian teens as well.

After reading through this infographic, here are some things that surprised or stood out to me.

First of all, I am a little surprised by the high percentage of email usage.  93% of teens still use email.  We read about how email is losing popularity and moving towards social media and so on, but it seems to be still a popular and valuable way to communicate with teens.  According to the statistics published below, Facebook and Email are neck-and-neck in terms of usage among teens.

Many teens still like face to face communication.  96% of teens choose face to face communication during lunch time while in school.

A very interesting statistic was if a teens favorite social channel disappeared, 43% say they would replace it with another. But the crazy one is 18% say they would stop communicating altogether!  Yikes!

Take a look at this infographic.  What do you think of these stats?  Do you think they can apply to adults as well?

Data and infographic by AWeber Email Marketing

Recently, 8Bit released Standard Theme 3.  I became a Standard user this past September after researching and looking into what I wanted in a WordPress Theme.  Standard met everything I had wanted, and then some.

With Standard 3, it has just cemented why I went and purchased the theme in the first place.  After using ST3 on my blog for a few weeks now, I thought I would take some time to give my take on why I believe it is the best theme out there.

Responsive, Responsive, RESPONSIVE!

Did I mention this theme is responsive?  You get a great theme that is responsive, right out of the box.  No more worrying about mobile themes.  Just install and you’re done.

Search Engine Optimization

This is really important if you are a serious blogger.  Standard 2 was awesome in this area, but Standard 3 kicks butt after the team put a lot of work into trying to make this feature better.  Check out their blog to find out what they did.

One feature I love is the ability to add your own meta description.  Just another option to better your chances of people finding your blog in a search.

Activity Tabs

This simple, yet powerful widget allows people to see your most recent posts, most popular posts, most recent comments and most popular tags.

I choose to only use the first three as I don’t use tags currently.  Users are now able to quickly find this information.  Another way to increase your views.  We all love it when these things are easy.

Ease of Adding Ads

I love the improvements made on this.  You just click the upload image icon, drag your image into indicated location, add your link for the ad, click upload ad, and you’re done.

Social Influence Widget

I liked the old social widget, but the improvements have made it great!  With the ability now to include your Facebook fan page “like” count to the widget, it gives a more complete picture of your social “influence.”

It’s also really easy to set up.  Just drag the widget into your sidebar, add the accounts you want to show up (just usernames) and tell it what you want to display, click save, and you’re done.

Classy!

Social Media Integration

The improvements here are great!  You can use the icons included, or you can upload your own.  Just upload your icon like you would any other image, drag it to the active icons section, add the link to your profile in the text field and click save changes.  Done!

Personal Photo Widget

They have also improved the personal photo widget by now allowing you to add some text to the bottom.  This is great for a welcome message and maybe even a plug to get people to view your about page.

Other Things I Love About ST3

Some other things I really like is the implementation of Google search.  You can follow their easy to use documentation to get this set up.

They have also included templates for creating a privacy policy and comment policy.  These are very important and the guys at 8Bit have made it easier than ever to include these on your blog.

For me, as someone who loves to develop and design my own websites, the new ease of use when it comes to creating child themes based on Standard Theme 3 is awesome.

You can now create your own rendition of Standard 3 and you don’t have to worry about changes being overwritten during an update.

Finally, what can I say about the support and community.  Customer retention is of great importance and these guys get that.  Friendly, consistent and prompt is the only way to describe it.

Conclusion

I have only given a brief overview of what I love about this theme and how I have used the features so far.  If you want to know more, make sure to check out the Standard Theme website.

As parents, we need to be making sure that we teach our kids how to stay safe and keep their information private.  This video outlines some ways we can do that.  You should be aware of the privacy issues that there are and then help your kids understand them.

What do you think?  Are your children safe in how they use the internet?  Are you talking to them about internet safety?

Via Common Sense Media

Technology in many churches is still a topic of should we or shouldn’t we.  I grew up and am pastoring in a culture that is very traditional.  While there are some good points to that, it also brings challenges.

Many still think technology in the church is a waste of time.  Some think it’s very important.

I came across an infographic that was created by Tyndale University College & Seminary that really peaked my interest.  Here is the idea behind it as stated on the Tyndale Website.

“Tyndale University College & Seminary conducted a survey in the summer of 2011 to see how Ontario churches are interacting with technology, and how they see it changing the church. Three hundred and sixty-eight churches replied to the survey ranging from rural to urban, from 20 member congregations to 5,000+, and from multiple denominations and ethnicities. Some of the information is collected in the info-graphic that follows.”

There are a few things that stand out to me on this infographic.

First of all, the top four reasons for using technology in church.

1. To enrich relationships/stay connected with members.
2. To reach the online community.
3. To evolve with the congregation.
4. To bring in new members.

Recently, our church hosted a Vacation Bible School program.  Because we had a website, we were able to direct people to our church website to use an online registration system.  We saw our traffic increase in leaps and bounds.  While we did use traditional media in the form of touch cards, we implemented new technology to drive home what we wanted to do.  Our registration for the event increased due to this.

It seems like budget and a lack of volunteers are the some of the biggest reasons that churches haven’t been using technology.  This is definitely true in most of the cases I have been involved in.  One of the downfalls of technology is the cost of getting started and then the cost of keeping up.

If you have read my blog, I think you see my view on the use of technology.  I would love to hear yours.  Check out the infographic and please comment and discuss.

In any field you work in, task management is super important.  We all have busy lives and if we don’t learn how to keep our tasks organized and prioritized, we will find it incredibly hard to stay on top of things.

Luckily, there are many great apps out there that help us stay organized.

I have already mentioned one called Things.  This is a clean, well thought out app that is available on Mac, iPhone and iPad.  However, the cost of using this suite of apps can be a little pricy for many, including me.  $9.99 for the iPhone app, $19.99 for the iPad app, and $49.99 for the Mac version.  It can add up fairly quickly!

There are other options out there, like todo, which is also available for the same devices at a little cheaper price point.

But a while back I came across a little gem in task management called Wunderlist.  Wunderlist is a free task management app that is available across a wide variety of devices.  Free was enough to entice me to check it out.  But when I started looking at it, it has a load of awesome features that some paid apps can’t touch.

My favourite features include:

• It’s FREE!
• There is a web based app that is available on any computer.
• I can download the app on my Mac, iPhone and iPad.
• I can enter tasks on any device and they will sync across all my devices automatically.
• I can create lists for all my areas of work to keep everything organized.
• I can share tasks with other Wunderlist users I know.
• I can print my tasks list if I need to.
• The UI is clean and beautiful, and has some options for customization.

There are a few things I would like to see added to this app such as projects, the ability to schedule tasks and make them repeating, and maybe the ability to add a time and not just the date to a task.

But if you are looking for a cheap, cross-device task management solution, this is it. It is currently available on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone devices, as well as your web-browser.  This is pretty cool!  It’s great if you have team members who are using different devices and need to share tasks.

What do you use for task management?  Have you tried Wunderlist?  What did you like?  What didn’t you like?

Determining when to post your tweets to get the maximum exposure is something that needs to be done.  But how do we determine those times?

A while ago I posted about the best times to schedule your social media posts to go live at the best times to generate the most interaction possible.

Recently I came across an app called Buffer.  I also wrote a post about it.

Buffer allows you to set a schedule of when you want your posts to go live.  Then you fill the buffer with posts and just let it do it’s job.

The Buffer website also promotes apps and extras that integrate with Buffer.  One of those apps is Tweriod.  A description on their website says,

“Tweriod gives you the best times to tweet. We analyse both your tweets and your followers’ tweets. So you can start tweeting when it makes most sense to reach others.”

Basically, you sign in using your twitter username and then ask Tweriod to do an analysis.  For free, you get one analysis per week.  Tweriod will then give you a breakdown of the best times you should Tweet.  You can then send the results to Buffer and use it to automatically set your schedule for times to post.

If you buy credits, (one credit will allow you to check five thousand followers, two credits for ten thousand followers and three credits for fifteen thousand followers), you will get the following (as stated on the tweriod website):

• Premium Users Can Analyze Their Entire Follower Base.
• Get Detailed Analytics - General Stats, Hourly Stats, @replies StatsFor ALL Days Of The Week.
• Get An Overall Summary Of Weekdays and Weekends In A Summary Graphs.
• PDF Report - Print Out For You or Your Client.
• Add Branding to your report for You or Your Client.
• Most apps only analyze your tweets. Tweriod Analyses Your Past Tweets And Ones From Your Followers.
• Auto Sync Your Buffer Account With Tweriod Optimal Timings.

The breakdown of the analysis will be more in depth with a purchase of credits, but even on the free account Tweriod is still very useful.

Have you ever used a tool like this?  What are some tools you use?