Social Networking Help for Ministries
“Back in the 90’s if you didn’t have a web site, you were irrelevant. The same was true of having an e-commerce site in 2001. That is where social networks are right now.” ~ The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 19, 2008

 
If you are ready to begin your ministry's outreach through social networks, or if you've started but don't know what to do next, you have come to the right place!

Friends of Ministry's new eBook, Social Networking for Ministry, will help you get started and get connected in just a few minutes.

As you probably know, Social Networks offer unprecedented opportunities to reach people who are looking for your ministry -- at no cost or very, very low cost.

More than 400 million people already are using social networks every minute of every hour of every day... and among them are people who go to your church or are otherwise connected to your ministry. 

If you've done nothing yet, it's not too late to get started. If you've set up a Facebook profile or a twitter account but don't know what to do next, you, too, will find useful guidance in our eBook created specifically for Unity churches and alternative ministries.

Get this eBook now to learn:
  • What social networks to use
  • Which big social network isn't worth your time
  • How to get started on Facebook and other recommended networks
  • Which Facebook features to use
  • How to stay safe on social networks
  • How to use social networks to find dozens or hundreds of people in your community looking for what you offer
  • How to use twitter to inspire and inform
  • Why you shouldn't start your own social network for your church
  • Where to connect with colleagues already using social networks
  • How to handle inappropriate content posted by your "friends"
  • Why it's worth it to pay (only) one social network -- and what you get for your money
  • Why you need to get started now
     

Please note: After you complete your purchase, you will be returned to a page on this website with a link to your eBook. Be sure to download and save the eBook to your computer's hard drive.

 
Additional Resources

The short video below is less than 2 minutes and offers a good little explanation of why social networks are such powerful tools for any person or organization seeking to connect with a wider audience. (We'd love to get rid of the Google ads attached to this video but can't; we suggest you just ignore them.)





LINKS TO SOCIAL NETWORKS
APPROPRIATE FOR MINISTRY OUTREACH

www.facebook.com
www.LinkedIn.com
www.meetup.com
http://twitter.com
www.unitysocial.com
www.ning.com


ARTICLES ON THE WEB ABOUT SOCIAL NETWORKS


Ning: The future of online social networking?
(CNN.com)

Facebook Identity Theft Protection Guide: 6 tips to protect your identity on Facebook
Next Advisor

How Facebook Ruins Friendships 
The Wall Street Journal

The 12 most annoying types of Facebookers
CNN.com

A CHURCH IS NOT A BUSINESS, BUT...

Churches can and do use business tools. Watch the short video below to gain an understanding of how and why businesses are using social media, and then consider the hows and whys of using social media to increase the territory of your ministry.

3 COMMENTS POSTED    
May 27, 2009 
15:10 CST
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CHERYL HARRISON said:
Staff member at one church is concerned about the amount of time needed to manage church's use of social networks for outreach.

Suggestion: Start slowly! Set up profiles at the rate of one every 2 weeks and see what response is so you are not overwhelmed.

You also can manage response partly by being conservative about what you post. At first, do not post every event and meeting at meetup.com. Post only meetings or events most likely to attract newcomers (A Course in Miracles, Reiki training, etc.)



[Reply] [Alert]

June 10, 2009 
12:50 CST
Gravatar Image
CHERYL said:
Instructions for setting up a "page" for your ministry on Facebook:

Log into your Facebook account.
Scroll to the bottom of the page, click on Advertising, then on Pages, then on Create a Page. Follow instructions...

To set up a "group" for your ministry on Facebook:
Log into your Facebook account.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Facebook Applications (lower left at bottom of screen), then on Groups, then on Create a New Group (top near right side of screen).

[Reply] [Alert]

June 19, 2009 
12:31 CST
Gravatar Image
CHERYL said:
Question during the June 18 webinar: Do people get irritated if they receive too many announcements about things going on?

I think yes, so be judicious in your use of the email features in Facebook and meetup. For example, if you post the same event (such as a workshop by a guest speaker) on both, send an email out only through Facebook or only through meetup.

Alternate the use of these features so you can see which is working best for your ministry.
[Reply] [Alert]

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FAST FACTS

Worldwide internet usage has tripled since 2000... 3 of 4 people in North America use the internet... Internet usage has more than doubled in North America since 2000... 7 of 10 people look for a new church home on the internet before deciding whether to attend a service...

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