I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to figure out which social media tools are necessary for me to both learn and network. Here’s my breakdown of the tools that are out there and how they work for me:
Facebook – I gave up Facebook for Lent and now, I spend very little time on the site. I’ve found that from a children’s ministry perspective, most of the people I am networking with are on Twitter.
CMConnect – I just got started on cmconnect and for a newbie, it is a pretty vast resource. I’ve never been that much into discussion boards and again, I find that most of the people who are commenting a lot or blogging a lot are already on Twitter.
Blogs – I’m a blogaholic. Thankfully, NetNewsWire feeds (yes, that pun was intended) my addiction. While blogs are most often a one-way communication, I’ve enjoyed reading the comments on several children’s ministry blogs and from time to time I chime in. I think for the person out there just started to get into connecting with the broader field of children’s ministry, blogs are a great way to get your feet wet. I’ve also found that most anti-blog people have blogs and while they quote Wired Magazine’s quip that “blogs are dead,” I’m pretty sure that Wired Magazine has 12 blogs and they post 25+ stories a day.
Alltop – I think Alltop is an amazing tool to get content fast. AllTop advertises itself as an “online magazine rack of popular topics.” You pick the topic, news category, or name and Alltop delivers it to you all day long. The stories are updated every hour. You can check out my Alltop page here. You can also find several children’s ministry blogs on Alltop’s Church Page.
Twitter – I jumped on the Twitter bandwagon a few months ago and I think it is the best tool to connect to people in children’s and family ministry. It’s a great way to find superb content, brainstorm, learn about new leadership strategies or ministry initiatives, and get the pulse of children’s ministry across the nation. Here’s a great link to getting started with Twitter written by Henry Zonio. If you are on twitter, you should follow me. And if you want the latest content from the Cory Center, follow us today! I think of the four resources I mentioned, Twitter will win the day.
I’m interested in finding out more about the tools you are using to connect with other people in children’s and family ministry. Feel free to comment here on the KidTech Blog or you can Direct Message me on Twitter.
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