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“The Web is what you make of it”

For those who can’t watch the video for whatever reason, the video is an advert for Google, which tells the story of a Dad who sets up an email address for his newly born child, the Dad then starts emailing his daughter over the years. He writes standard emails as you might send to anyone, but they are sent to daughter, telling her of the great landmark moments, and the times that him and the Mum are worried for her.

They turn into emails that tell the story of a life, and I love it.

On one level this is a advert about email.

On another level this is about what you can do with email.

The tag line: “the web is what you make of it”, makes me wonder if we imagine enough online. If email could be used for the above, and Twitter can be used for events like The Natwivity, what else can be done to share stories online?

Are there any other web services / web sites that could be used differently?

Could we use Google Plus, Facebook, Google Drive, or even blogs differently?

What can be done to make more of the web?

(This originally appeared on The Big Bible Website)

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3 Quick Things From #cnmac11

ThisIsMyChurch2

As part of the lead up to #cnmac12 (the conference aimed at helping the Church be the Church in a digital world), here are three quick lessons from last years conference.

Just do it.

Do you have an idea for something? Want to tell a story in a particular way? Do it. Get it out there. Put it online. Tell people. Find your community online.

Surrounded by people that think you’re a bit of geek for doing it? Well that’s ok. There may be people online who enjoy what you do.

Try it, and see what happens.

Just bear in mind one thing: check your motives and behaviour before God. On that note, do we pray about our online lives, relationships, and digital creations, as often as we should?

Be Yourself.

“Be yourself as everyone else is taken” – Oscar Wilde

I can’t remember who said this on the day, but I find the above really sums up the need to be authentic online. The thing is: Who are you? If you’re a child of God, do you seek to share that love for other people online? My wife came across the #LoveMonday hashtag at the event, and promptly used it on Monday. She found a great positive way to connect with her friends on Twitter, the added bonus being that she had people asking about #LoveMonday, and what it meant.

On this subject of “Being Yourself”, the various websites and apps available online, give a wide opportunity to “share yourself”. Share the person you are. On one level this could be as simple as checking into Church on Foursquare / Facebook / Google Plus… On that note have you tried the nearby function out on the Google Plus mobile apps? It seems a more natural way of finding and connecting with local peeps around you, then trying to find an app in Twitter to do it.

To quote one of the breakout sessions:

Share your life online. Someone may be better off because of it.

Stand up

Remember. We have an equal platform.

What do we stand up for? Do we stand up for anything? Or do we only stand up for a cause when there is a hype to buy into?

What difference do we really make?

 

A version of this post originally appeared on The Big Bible website.

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Weekly Roundup: The Silly Idea Edition

Here’s some of what we’ve been reading this week:

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Weekly Round Up: The Teddy Bear Edition

Well, over the last few months the weekly round up has moved from Fridays – to Saturdays… Well…

Welcome to the Sunday based weekly roundup: