Posted by Skye Noe on January 29th, 2008
The current wide-scale shift into new media formats presents an exciting opportunity for the Baptist community. The ability to inexpensively create and distribute all forms of communication instantly and globally has empowered many millions of people and promises to similarly affect millions more.
A solid Internet infrastructure for online church activities is viewed as critical component of Baptist.com. The ability to distribute text, audio, and video is further enhanced by the ability to syndicate the distributions. By using RSS (an acronym for Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication), congregation members and others can embed live feeds of church content on their websites; the aim being to make the process as easy as possible for all involved.
I am unaware of existing statistics that may indicate the number of churches currently distributing self-created content or the volume and frequency of those distributions. I would be interested to learn anything that you may share in this regard, and invite you to create a new post if you have media related information that may help improve Baptist.com.
Posted by Skye Noe on January 29th, 2008
In addition to BaptistLocator, which will be an improved version of the church locator currently running on Baptist.com, an entire suite of products and services are being considered.
Currently, product and professional service presentation is envisioned in the form of a BaptistShopper - an online store and service directory for retail vendor offerings. Discussion forums and live chat are also perceived as desirable, although they can be quite problematic unless continually moderated.
Unfortunately, the act of moderating communications creates its own problems. Yet simply limiting these services to registered users may not provide the level of protection desired for the community. This quandary demonstrates the challenges associated with providing a safe and useful community environment.
If you have ideas on how best to implement any of these services, or have different services that you’d like to see publicly available, please take a moment to register and share your thoughts.
Posted by Skye Noe on January 29th, 2008
The ability to network socially is an important aspect of building any community. Traditional chat and and discussion forums are useful services, but it is important for people to interact in more specific and personal ways, too.
The challenge of accommodating members that may be seeking to fulfill employment, social activity, relationship, or other personal needs is great, and addressing that challenge in a meaningful way is my goal. Please share your thoughts and ideas on the issue.
Posted by Skye Noe on January 29th, 2008
A few of the services being considered for our BaptistOffice online application suite are CongregationManager, AsistanceDB, and BaptistTravel. If you’re a staff member at your church, I’d like to hear your suggestions for applications that would make your job easier and/or more efficient and productive.
Posted by Skye Noe on January 29th, 2008
Baptist.com is not is not expected to be involved in original news gathering, although there will be a syndicated feed of selected stories from member church publications.
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