- The Conversation Prism
An extraordinary thing is happening on the internet: real conversations are taking place where people are listening to other people’s ideas, learning about different perspectives, and sharing their unique knowledge. It seems to me that those of us in the Church could benefit greatly from being a part of this online conversation. But for many of us, especially those of us in our 40s and beyond, feel intimidated and stressed by all this new media stuff. It’s feels as if “cyberspace” has become the proverbial “outer space.” Where users adopt wacky personas and speak in otherwordly language. Recently I came across this beautiful graphic by Brian Solis and loved the way it helped me begin to make sense of the social media tools de jour and the ways in which they are enabling these important conversations to take place.
- Social Bookmarks: You know how you used to receive tons of newspaper and magazine clippings from your mother of interesting tidbits she stumbled across in her print media readings? You know how you get tons of “You gotta see this” type emails with stupid animal antics or sappy memories of the golden days? Well, these tools do something similar. Only much faster, more cheaply and reaching a much wider audience. Also, they are “permissive” connections, meaning you only read them if you choose to go see what online info Aunt Matilda has recently marked as an interesting tidbit. These aspects of fast, cheap, large, and permissive are true among all these categories.
- Crowdsourced Content: You know how much of what people send you as “You Gotta See This” is stupid or offensive or not worth spending your time clicking and uploading? You know how you sometimes feel like you’ve got “information overload”? Well, people use these tools and filter through the junk, by voting on whether or not the content is worthy and you can choose to only look at those things that a LOT of people, and that people that like the things you like, deem valuable.
- Blogs/Conversations: You know how you see something cool on the internet and you wonder what other people think about it? You know how you think about leaving a comment but you know you’ll never go back to see if anyone else left a comment or if anyone responded to your comment? These tools will let you know when someone has joined your online conversation. You don’t have to keep going back to the site and checking it yourself.
- Google Alerts
- Blogpulse
- Radian6 (paid)
- BuzzLogic (paid)
- Ask.com
- Google Blog Search
- Technorati
- Blog Communities: You know how you can get caught up on all the scoop just waiting in the carpool line? You know how you can find out what people are talking about just by dropping by the Sunday morning coffee hour? You know the water cooler? These tools enable you to stay in touch with the latest happenings.
- Micromedia: You know how sometimes you want to say to your more long-winded friends, “Just give me the short version”? Well, that’s what these tools do.
- Specific to Twitter: You know how everybody’s talking about Twitter this and Twitter that and you just can’t see the point of all the twittertwatter (pronounce this to rhyme with chitterchatter, please, thank you!)? These tools help you make sense of all the noise.
- Social Networks: You know how hard it is to keep up with all your friends from high school, college, your home town, your previous jobs? These tools keep you in the social loop!
- Niche Networks: You know how some people think everyone else is just as interested as they are in the TV series “Lost”? Well, tell them to take all their trivial nonsense over to another niche of the world, a group devoted to the secret connections of Lost, or the legal profession, or the birthers.
- Location: You know when you’re out-of-town and you want to know where the locals hang out or what is the best route around town? Yep.
- Live Video and Audio: You know how you’d love to watch T.V. or listen to a radio program with comments from the ‘Peanut Gallery’? Apparently, there really is a Peanut Gallery, and they use these tools.
- Customer Service Networks: You know how sometimes you don’t trust the “official” reviews or recommendations because you think there might be some hidden agenda? And how you just want somebody real and normal like you (well, anyway) to give you the skinny? Meet fellow consumers through these tools, then.
- Video: You know how you’ve always wanted to be on T.V. or the radio? No? Well, if you did, you could, for free!
- Video Aggregation: You know how you’re working on a report and you get totally stumped on one bullet point? Well, that’s where I am with this one.
- Pictures: You know how you know you could find just one decent picture of you from the reunion weekend if only you could look through the photographs of every picture taken at the event? Or you know how you always forget to bring your camera? Someone could always have your back with these tools.
- Documents: You know how you think everyone should read your dissertation or how you need a copy, immediately, of the white paper you wrote for the conference but forgot to bring with you? There’s a heavenly library up there in the clouds just waiting to be resourced!
Stay tuned, right here, for examples of how some faith communities (or other types) are using these tools to great benefit both within their communities and reaching out to others. And if you think you might forget to come back and check my updates, try using the RSS feed. And if you “dig” this article, DiggIT!
Sarah Bennett is an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Texas. She is an avid evangelist of social media and honest, authentic conversations of the spiritual journey. Gregg and I have been married 24 yrs with "narry a ripple in the sea of matrimony." We have a daughter, Megan (22) and a son, Gregg (20). I am an Episcopal priest exploring the theological and ecclesiological implications of social networks. Read more from this author
Very interesting. I never thought of the parallels to how some of the same things were done when we walked up hill to school both ways, in the snow, barefoot, without a jacket…