Kirsten Wright, of Wright Creativity, designed this blog for me and has been a great asset in helping me with a number of projects. (More on her and how she or someone like her can help you in a future post!)
For this week’s Friday Figures, I wanted to point you to some numbers she compiled this week that may help make the case for your organization’s leaders about why your group needs to spend some time online:
133,000,000 – number of blogs indexed by Technorati since 2002
346,000,000 – number of people globally who read blogs
900,000 – average number of blog posts in a 24 hour period
1,750,000 – number of RSS subscribers to TechCrunch, the most popular Technology blog (January 2009)
77% – percentage of active Internet users who read blogs
81 – number of languages represented in the blogosphere
59% – percentage of bloggers who have been blogging for at least 2 years
Need more convincing? Let’s look at the State of the Blogosphere and who these bloggers really are:
Two-thirds are male
60% are 18-44
The majority are more affluent and educated than the general population
75% have college degrees
40% have graduate degrees
One in three has an annual household income of $75K+
One in four has an annual household income of $100K+
More than half are married
More than half are parents
Now, Kirsten uses these stats to say that “the world is dominated by bloggers.” I’m not necessarily trying to argue the same thing. But it’s important to know the impact that your group’s blog could have and the company you might keep. A superior in your organization might dismiss the idea of a blog, saying that bloggers are self-serving and whiny. Let’s be honest: sometimes they are! But you can acknowledge that point, and use these types of numbers to show that while some blogs are silly, many are influential and yours could be, too.
A blog isn’t right for everyone or every group–another topic that we’ll address in a future post. But if that’s a road you’d like to go down, arm yourself with some figures to help argue your case to the nay-sayers. Check back at Through Many Witnesses every Friday for more figures and research like this that can make planning that conversation a bit easier.
Fridays, Through Many Witnesses will feature facts and figures that you might not know, stats that may be helpful in convincing you to use social media and the Internet in general in a new way–or that may be helpful to share with other members or leaders in your parish or organization to back up your case to them about activating an online community.
To start things out, I present the video “Did You Know 4.0″ that came out in September 2009. If there are people in your organization or diocese reluctant to get on board with more online efforts, you might want to refer to this video.
What kind of information do you think it would take to convince the most reluctant critic to put some energy into an online presence?
Sometimes prayer should be very private, but so many of us have also known the healing power of prayer when a community — big or small — comes together to unite around one intention.
When your group or parish is undertaking a project, consider “announcing” it in the form of a prayer. “Today we’re planning our major community efforts for the next 6 months. God, please help us to do Your will.” A parish office could post a prayer for the sick or recently deceased in the parish on a weekly basis. Recruit even more prayers for them and their families by asking for support online.
Consider sharing your group’s intentions and inviting your members to do the same. On either Facebook or Twitter, you could write: “Today, we’re praying for our director Fr. Bill and asking God to help him heal. What are your intentions today? We’d love to provide you with some prayerful support.”It’s simple. It’s thoughtful. And in a virtual world so cluttered with noise, it’d be refreshing to see more prayerfulness and kindness shine through.
In short, if you pray for it at Mass or print an announcement in a bulletin, it’s already public. Why not share that information online? You never know whose eye you may catch — or who might come home to the Catholic faith because your virtual prayer network touched their lives.
(Note: Creating a prayer network doesn’t have to mean creating anything. To step in slowly, try “listening” online. Someone may be posting their own prayer or prayer request and could use the encouragement of you or your organization. Let them know you are praying for them.)
What other kinds of prayers or prayer requests could your group post?
Like it or not, ministry can be limited by available resources–namely time, manpower and money. Faithfulness must be at the crux of any of our endeavors, but the reality is, we need money to pay the bills and expand the good work we as Catholics can do.
If you’re in a position of leadership with the Church in some capacity, you already know this. You’ve already helped fundraise in one form or another. But take that online…
Say you’ve just created a Facebook group or a Twitter account for your parish, but you’re not sure what to do with it. You understand that you can post short, 140-character thoughts on Twitter, but think you have nothing to say.
Using social media to help your parish or your group isn’t about reinventing the wheel. It’s just a tool to help you do what you already do. Look right under your eyes.
Open the bulletin.
Think about it. Space is limited in the bulletin and requires a different kind of content than a letter from the pastor or development director. It’s designed to provide brief updates to your community on an ongoing basis. In that sense, Twitter or Facebook could become your virtual bulletin. Continue reading »
Yesterday marked the beginning of the 44th World Social Communication Day, or World Communications Day, for the Catholic Church–and thus, the beginning of this new project, Through Many Witnesses.
The day, which is observed annually on the feast day of St. Francis de Sales — Doctor of the Church and patron saint of writers and journalists, “was created by the Second Vatican Council to provide an annual message for the church to its people and the rest of the world. Pope John Paul II vigorously promoted responsibility and positive goals in Social Communication not only in person but through messages given on this religious festival and through supporting the Pontifical Council for Social Communication,” according to Wikipedia.
Inspired by this year’s theme, “The priest and pastoral ministry in a digital world: New media at the service of the Word,” this project is for Catholic leaders within the Church and in nonprofit organizations — as well as all Catholics — who want to learn about new media and using the Internet to advance the Catholic message.
Who is the target audience?
All Catholics, I hope, can take away something from this blog. Through Many Witnesses will serve best if those who serve the Church — be that via an ordained vocation, professional employment or a volunteer capacity — can come to this site for tips on how to better incorporate the Internet into the good work they already do. Catholic men and women who may not have a leadership role in an organization or work for an archdiocese or nonprofit can also use Through Many Witnesses as a tool for understanding how they can support the work of the Church and help to bear witness in a digital world.
While my examination of digital opportunities will always center on Catholicism, the stories and recommendations shared here can benefit many Christian efforts, and I welcome the participation of non-Catholic nonprofits, organizations, groups, and individuals that find the content useful.
What types of content can you expect?
What I think might be useful may not be what you think is useful, however, so the most important component of this project for me is flexibility. I’d like to help you find the answers to your questions, be it assisting with an abstract understanding of the influence of social media or step-by-step directions on how to create a good Facebook page for your parish. Continue reading »
