Daily Booth

Last week a former student directed me to Daily Booth. I generally have enough social media projects going on to keep me busy but I decided to check it out.  Here is my review and suggestion for ministry.

Daily Booth is a mix between photo sharing, blogging and microblogging mixed into one.  As it integrates together it forms a social networking type vibe. It allows you to snap a photo from your webcam or upload a recently taken photo from your camera.  In addition to that, Daily Booth offers mobile/email upload features.  Once your photo is in the pipe, you can add your post to it (no length restrictions).  Your profile allows you to follow and be followed by other Daily Boothers where comments and conversation can ensue.  Their live feed scrolls all the user uploads in real time allowing users to watch and interact.

Comparing Daily Booth to other social media sites makes it look insignificant in the grand scheme of things.  While it does integrate with Twitter, there is no RSS feed or badge features to integrate with another blog or Facebook notes.  I’m sure this deters many from using it.

BUT, in my few moments of establishing an account and watching the live feed I saw a post that said “I cant keep doing this…God please help me..”  I was amazed.  People kept revealing some heavy things going on in their lives and their pictures showed a lot of pain.  What surprised me the most was that they were predominantly teenagers.

While Daily Booth isn’t the most high tech social media service I feel like it has potential as a useful ministry tool in 3 ways.

1. Understanding the hurts and lives of today’s youth.
2. Direct ministry to the youth on Daily Booth
3. I tool to suggest to your teenagers as a way to express themselves and begin a conversation for teaching and mentoring.

What do you think about Daily Booth?

Another Doorway with LinkedIn

Today via email I received notification of a new functionality within LinkedIn that will increase potential to spread the message of Jesus.

LinkedIn has partnered with Twitter.  LinkedIn users can now set up their account to have their Tweets update their LinkedIn Status and have a link to their Twitter account show up in their LinkedIn Profile.

This offers another subtle way for Christians to promote their faith based blog and share faith focused tweets with their colleagues and connections.

To set up LinkedIn with Twitter

–       Go to the account settings of LinkedIn

–       Select Twitter Settings

–       Enter your Twitter Account information

–       Customize your Settings

Do you see any other evangelism possibilities related to LinkedIn or Twitter?

Read about the parntership – LinkedIn, Twitter announce partnership, San Francisco Chronicle Wednesday, November 11, 2009

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social networking site for the business community.  It boasts more than 45 million users worldwide.  If you are a business professional, you have probably had some experience with LinkedIn already.  If not, it would be beneficial for you to learn more about it. I liken it to Monster.com meets social media.  It is encouraging to note that the Christian community is growing on LinkedIn and ministers are slowly beginning to use it as a tool to connect and share ministry opportunities with one another.

However, I would like to mention a very subtle but powerful way to share your faith on LinkedIn.  There is a tool that allows the user to import and display their blog on their LinkedIn profile.  For a Christian producing a faith-based blog, this is a great opportunity to deliver thought provoking spiritual material to colleagues.

Steps:

1. Sign in to LinkedIn

2. Click “Edit Profile”

3. Choose “Add Application”

4. Click “Blog Link”

5. Follow Blog Link Directions

For more information about LinkedIn, read this and watch this YouTube video.

Twitter

Twitter is one of the most effective communication tools available in the social media realm today. Also known as “microblogging” Twitter requires that your posts be within a 140 character limit. It is not only accessible by computer or smartphone, but can be updated by and delivered to a cell phone that is text enabled. Twitter integrates beautifully with blogs and Facebook with your most recent “tweet” updating your FB status and showing up on your blog. Basically, it is the social media that helps you tie everything together.

For ministry and evangelism it accomplishes three things very well.

Twitter:
1. Connects you to your current audience and potentially a wider audience
2. Provides an assessment tool to gain insight into the spiritual needs of others
3. Gives a medium to connect on the go via mobile phone

How to use Twitter with CBT

• Start an account and find friends
• Integrate your account with Facebook
• Put a Twitter widget on your blog
• Start a Twitterfeed account
• Get desktop and/or mobile phone apps
• Update Twitter regularly

USEFUL LINKS

Integrate Twitter with other Social Media
–    Automatically update your Facebook status with Twitter http://help.twitter.com/forums/10711/entries/31113
–    Add your twitter updates to your blog (use HTML widget with WordPress.com) http://twitter.com/badges
–    Twitter Feed automatically tweets your most recent blog post – http://twitterfeed.com/

Desktop Applications for Twitter
–    Twhirl for Mac – http://www.twhirl.org/
–    Tweet Deck for PC – http://tweetdeck.com/beta/

Use Twitter with your mobile phone for FREE
–    Twiteriffic for iPhone – http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284540316&mt=8
–    Twitterberry for Blackberry – http://www.orangatame.com/products/twitterberry/

Videos to Watch
Twitter in Plain English

How to use Twitter by Howcast

Suggested Reading
–   The Reason Your Church Must Twitter
–    The Social Media Bible – Chapters 15 & 29
–    Twitter Power