-Statistics You Can Use in Internet Ministry

Here’s a statistical reference I found on Church Forward blog:

• 76% of Americans drive to work alone.  Only 10% carpool, and 5% use public transportation, while 3% percent walk to work. On average, Americans spend 25 minutes commuting each way.

Statistics can actually a gold mine for planning outreach ministries.

For example- if 76% of Americans drive alone for an average of 50 minutes a day (25 minutes each way). Then 76% of the nation will be seeking something to listen to on the way there and back. Radio has always filled that void along with CDs.

Now iPods and MP3s are made to tie into the auto speaker system. This opens up an opportunity for ministry through podcasting. Churches and Internet ministries could fill that commuting void with sermons, Bible studies, podcasting radio programs and etc.

The market is already there to be tapped into.

Interestingly enough I am already in the process of planning a new podcasting program along with a friend of mine. Stats like this actually help in the planning. We are in the process of determining the program length. Now I am inclined to keep it under 30 minutes.          *Top

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• -Harris Poll of Online Use has Implications for Ministry (bloggingministry.com)
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-Any uses for the New Apple iPad for Ministry?

 

John Saddington has an ‘open thread’ going on at his Church Crunch blog calling for ideas on how the new iPad might be used for ministry—check it out:

Open Thread: Apple iPad for Ministry?

-Sec. Clinton: “Three Internet Freedoms”

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared in a speech that unrestricted Internet access was a top priority of the Administration. In the process she took on China and a number of other countries around the world including Egypt for the recent cases of Internet censorship.

In her speech Secretary Clinton built stressed the importance of “Three Internet Freedoms”:

1. The right of all peoples to have access to an uncensored Internet.
2. The right of individuals to exercise free speech on the Internet
3. The right of businesses and other organizations to have access to uncensored information on the Internet in order to compete fairly.

Response: Wow, this is way more understanding and wisdom than I would have ever expected from Washington. Especially since some rumors had the Obama Administration looking for way to take control of the Internet using security as an excuse.            *Top

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• China scolds U.S. over Web censorship issue (news.cnet.com)
• China Says U.S. Internet Accusations Harm Ties (nytimes.com)
• Google and U.S. vs. Chinese Censorship (abcnews.go.com)
• Clinton to Urge Uncensored Internet Amid Google-China Dispute (businessweek.com)
• China Says Clinton Harms Relations With Criticism of Internet Censorship (nytimes.com)
• China to Clinton: Back Off! (thenextweb.com)

-Google vs. China on Internet Censorship

Google email accounts were presumably hacked by the Chinese government in December. Since the victims were primarily Chinese human rights activists this resulted in a strain between Google and the Chinese government.

Now Google is saying that they may quit China over censorship of search results.

For once Google is on our side. China is known to have a wall of censorship in place limiting search results and access to Christian sites around the world.

It is said that nearly 340 million Chinese use the Internet so the implications are huge. The government’s penchant for control is well known and Yahoo along with Google have been criticized in the past for going along with some of the Chinese regulations and requests.            *Top

-Speaking to Your Audience and Avoiding ‘Christianese’

One of the major problems that Christians face on the Internet is actually speaking the language of the target audience while avoiding ‘Christianese’ –words and phrases that are primarily used in the Christian community.

I have written on this subject in the past: “The Problem of Speaking Christianese”

Here’s even a better and more complete article on this problem:  “Speaking your audience’s language: How to avoid ‘Christianese’” by Rusty Wright

Rusty Wright even provides a list of commonly used ‘Christianese jargon’ with suggested ‘regular’ words to be used instead.            *Top

-Computer Humor

Plus your webcam and mic?

-What about Blogging and Taxes?

Along with January comes the reality that the tax man will soon be knocking at your door in April for the year just completed if you live in the good ol’  USA.

If you made any money blogging at all no matter how big or how small it must be reported.

Here’s a link to an article by Blogging Basics 101: “Blogging & Taxes: What You Need to Know”

The article has some great basic tax info along with some good links to more.            *Top

-What I Look Forward To and Not So Much in 2010

Happy New Year!  2010 has finally arrived and just in the nick of time, 2009 had surely worn out its welcome.

What I’m Looking Forward To

1. Revival

2. End of The Recession

What I am Not Looking Forward To

1. A New World Currency and Government

2. A Nuclear Iran

3. The Rise of Turkey –A New Islamic Caliphate

<<Read what I have to say about each on my Answers For The Faith blog>>             *Top