Huntertown United Methodist Church Weblog White Paper Presented by Doug Smith Huntertown Church Internship July 23, 2006
Abstract This paper will provide a format for and information about the weblog at Huntertown United Methodist Church. It will identify five areas of the website based on the mission of the organization. In addition, it will explain how the various sections will work, and how the content will be arrayed across the various sections. It will explain how the church will benefit from the weblog. It will also explain how the weblog will further the mission of Huntertown Church in reaching out to the community in general. 1
Table of Contents ABSTRACT...1 TABLE OF CONTENTS...2 INTRODUCTION...3 AUDIENCE...4 WEBLOG...5 Segments... 5 Magnify the Lord... 5 Make Disciples... 5 Mature Disciples... 6 Minister to a Hurting World... 6 Meet together and Fellowship... 6 Relevant Policies... 7 WEBSITE AND WEBLOG HOST...9 Hosting... 9 Retirement and Handoff... 9 ISSUES AND IDEAS...10 CONCLUSION...11 2
Introduction Use of the internet is growing exponentially. A Pew Internet survey found that the number of Americans using the internet grew to 73 percent in 2006 from 66% in 2005 (http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/pip_internet_impact.pdf). That survey found that nine in ten adults use email and up to 25 percent of Americans participate in on-line chats and discussions (http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/pip_online_pursuits_final.pdf). That communication can take place through instant messaging, emailing and blogging, among other formats. A blog is a Web log where an individual writes entries and comments are made by individuals who read the blog. Blogs are clearly relevant to today s teens as a communication tool. A recent Pew Internet survey noted that 39% of internet users approximately 57 million in number read blogs on a regular basis (www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/pip Bloggers Report July 01 2006.pdf). About 20% of that number 8% or about 12 million Americans write their own blogs (www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/pip Bloggers Report July 01 2006.pdf). There are a variety of benefits for blogs. You can also use blogs for business or how you can relate interesting topics and use them for discussions. Also, you can use blogs as an educational tool. By adding pictures, video clips, audio links, or other information about upcoming events, blogs can be used as a promotional tool too as well. The mission and vision of Huntertown United Methodist Church would benefit from the creation of a weblog serving the church as a whole. That blog would include elements serving each of the four Ms that underpin the activities of the church, as well as serving the unofficial fifth M of meeting together and fellowshipping. The blog would give members and nonmembers about upcoming events as well as serving as a marketing vehicle for Huntertown Church. 3
Audience The primary audience for this weblog is individuals in the area of Huntertown United Methodist Church. These people typically live in either Allen, DeKalb or Noble County, Indiana. These individuals may or may not already be involved in the programs offered at Huntertown United Methodist Church. Likewise, they do not need to be members of Huntertown Church or even Methodists, although some will be current members or may attend other Methodist churches. 4
Weblog Internet websites and a blogs in particular are relatively new methods of spreading information about organizations and marketing their events. Blogs in particular are viewed as being personal views of events. In a recent Pew Internet survey, 37% of bloggers used their life and experiences as the basis of their posts. Segments Magnify the Lord According to the church website, one of the key segments of the mission of the church universal is to Magnify God in worship (www.huntertownchurch.org/missionvision.htm). The subheadings on the master website under Magnify God focus on worship resources. A blog would add to this mission by giving people the opportunity to discuss sermons and apply them to their own lives. The music section would give posters the opportunity to share information about worshipping through music, both by talking about songs that they like and by commenting on new music. A prayer blog would provide a place for individuals to post prayer requests as well as prayers offered by bloggers. The blog would also provide the opportunity for individuals to share their own faith stories as they felt called. A sample (from the future Music blog): Special Music from Sunday The special music from this week was AWESOME! The message of the song just brought me to tears. Who recorded it? I d love to get a copy! Posted by Joy @ 10:43 PM 0 Comments Make Disciples This segment of the main page provides information about Huntertown Church for those who are new to the church. It also announces events geared to newcomers as well as events for the church community as a whole. A blog would enhance this area by including information about upcoming events as well as offering posters the opportunity to react to the information posted and to their experiences as newcomers to the community. New to Huntertown Church? Welcome! We re glad to have you! Introduce yourself to Karma in the Lobby and she ll give you a CD recorded by our Praise Band, and she can answer any questions you have about our church. 5
Posted by Newcomers at 3:52 PM 14 Comments Mature Disciples M3 is focused on helping individuals grow in faith through participation in small groups. This area would include blogs dedicated to each of the relevant areas: Sunday School, Music, Small Group Programs, Studies and Teen events. Each of these blogs would include both information about upcoming events and opportunities for posters to talk about their faith lives and to react to topics posted by group leaders. For example, the Mom s Group site could offer information like that below: Mom s Group This week We re continuing to read More Mary, Less Martha and we re up to chapter 3. We ve covered the first two chapters and have summaries of what we ve been talking about if you click on the link here. Join us at church on Thursday morning from 9-11AM. The nursery is staffed and only costs $1 per child! Posted by Holly @ 12:32pm 4 comments Minister to a Hurting World The blogs would also provide an opportunity for posters to discuss potential ways of reaching out to the community as well as providing resources that will help individuals get the assistance they need. Blog postings in this area would include both information about counseling and Parish Nurse activities, as well as information on outreach activities that the church is undertaking. Need Help? If you need help with a difficulty that has cropped up in your life and are in need of a counselor to help you through, please check out our counseling page which has information about a new counseling resource available through our church. Meet together and Fellowship Posted by Parish Nurse @ 10:12 AM 0 Comments This segment underlies the other four areas and forms the basis for the website. The weblog would provide a THIS WEEK blog that would highlight all of the events taking place that week on a day by day basis. For example: WEDNESDAY 6
Prime Time Returns!! Dinner at 5:30PM in the Fellowship Hall $3/person or $10/family Dinner is Homemade Mac and Cheese and Salads! Small groups meet at 6:30PM Small Group Topics: Walking your way through the bible Faith in Film Men s Small Group Jewelry Making Faith Bracelets Posted by ministries @ 3:47 PM 6 comments Relevant Policies Posts need to be consistent with the mission and vision of Huntertown United Methodist Church. This weblog is connected to Huntertown United Methodist Church. First, it should reflect what Huntertown Church is all about. That also means that our spiritual DNA should be reflected in the posts. Remember, that spiritual DNA means that we are respectful of other churches and other religions, that we welcome a variety of opinions. You are responsible for what you post. The moderators will try to screen out offensive content (which you shouldn t be posting in the first place). They will also try to ensure that the privacy of the posters and members of the community is protected. That means no last names for individuals under 18. So when you pick a name for the website, don t pick one with your last name in it. And when you post or reply to a post, don t use someone s last name. Breaking someone s privacy is not allowed, and could wind up being dangerous. It is illegal to violate copyright laws. That means that if you want to post music to the website, you ve got to have proper permission. It s acceptable to link to a band s website, for example, if they have free samples on the website. It s not acceptable to upload a song from this CD that you just bought so everyone can hear it. If you like it that much, feel free to post how great it is, but don t upload the song and break copyright restrictions. Respect everyone s privacy. As noted above, no last names for anyone under 18. No initials or addresses either. We don t want anyone to be put at risk for any predators. Good communication is critical in building communities like this one and we have to be able to trust everyone who is part of this community. As a result, in order to post you ll have to type in the word that appears in the security box. That precaution will go a long way to keep out autopostings and other things that can destroy community. Our spiritual DNA element of grace says we build communities so keep that in mind when you re writing your posts. It s also part of our spiritual DNA to be respectful of 7
other religions. The same goes for other individuals. Be respectful of people s opinions, even if you disagree no name calling, offensive speech or anything like that. It makes it hard to build a community if some people are on the inside and others are ridiculed and left out. If you disagree with what someone else says, the acceptable way to do so is with facts and information. This goes along with the last guideline be respectful. The best way of showing others that you re right and someone else is wrong is by presenting the facts and letting them make up their own minds. If you are proven wrong, accept it gracefully. Post responsibly. People will (hopefully) read what you write, including people you don t yet know. If you re not willing to stand by anything that you write publicly, then don t write it into the blog. After all, this is a public forum. So only post things that you stand behind, and that aren t nasty or hurtful. 8
Website and Weblog Host Hosting The weblog would be hosted on the Huntertown United Methodist Church website, which is hosted by the church. Initially, the blog will be linked to the blogger.com website, where the initial postings will be located. Doug Smith will be the current weblog manager, and will maintain the weblog until the new HuntertownChurch.org website is launched in the fall of 2006. Retirement and Handoff Upon retirement of the weblog host, the blog will revert to the church. Different individuals will be recruited to follow various sections. The overall website coordinator will be responsible for the continuance of links to the blogs for the relevant areas. For example, the Parish Nurse would be responsible for posting Parish Nurse information, and the individual responsible for weekly announcement slides could also be responsible for posting items to the weekly planner. After retirement, the weblog host will remain available to assist and train individuals who are unfamiliar with blogging. This training will include the preparation of a cheat sheet that will assist new bloggers in posting to the webspace. The blog will be hosted on the church website. 9
Issues and Ideas The goal of the Huntertown Church website is to give information about the church in a manner that is both accessible and welcoming. The blogs attached to the website will provide opportunities for creating a cyber-community that serves a variety of different interests within the greater community. The blogs will also provide new opportunities for individuals to ask questions in a more anonymous forum and would extend the outreach of the church to those who do not currently receive copies of the church bulletin or newsletter. The blog would also increase communication among members of the community. For example, the staff or interested group leaders could also use the blog to float ideas for new series or activities to see if others are also interested, and posters could also request particular events or services. This would increase the likelihood that activities offered by the church would succeed as well as showing posters that their opinions are valued by the church. 10
Conclusion Methodists traditionally invoked the latest technological advances to bring God s word to the community at large. The use of a blog by Huntertown United Methodist Church would be consistent with this history, and would let Huntertown Church use cutting edge of technology to communicate with the community at large. Blogs would enhance the communication ability of Huntertown Church. By tailoring the blogs to focus on specific topics, further information would be available on upcoming events, and interested individuals would have a non-threatening means of asking questions or finding out more information about a variety of events. 11
Further Information and Relevant Links For more information about Huntertown United Methodist Church: www.huntertownchurch.org 12