I like to pass these articles along when I find them, for I remain convinced that social media is absolutely essential as part of the Church’s total effort to use all available means to spread the Gospel and to extend the Church’s ministry to her members. Here’s another one of those articles:

Baby Boomers are jumping on the social media bandwagon at a rapid rate.

Previously viewed as laggards, those over 50 are now one of the fastest growing segments in social media adoption. In the last year, social networking among 50-plus Internet users nearly doubled — from 25 percent to 47 percent, according to a Pew study. That’s compared with an increase of 10 percentage points among Internet users 18-29 years old, whose membership level is now at 86 percent.

And this is no small market segment:

These new “Social Media Mavens” are heavily connected, exploring and expanding their networks, reports CPH Research.

They have more frequent contact with individuals across all types of groups within their social network, not just family or neighbors, but issue-oriented groups and co-workers as well:

• 73% responded ‘People often come to me for advice’
• Not merely amassing ‘friends’ or ‘connections’ they are communicating regularly.
• They also have more face-to-face contact and use smart phones more than other Boomers or Generation Jones respondents (78% responded ‘New technology plays an important role in my life’)
• They are equally likely to be male as female, which defies the stereotypical female profile of the voracious social media consumer
• Of this Social Media Maven group the majority are still working, more likely than the other segments to own their own business, most likely to engage in volunteer activity and to have the highest household income
• Social Media Mavens are more likely to try new products, technologies and seek new experiences. They are recommenders who embrace the role of technology in their connected lives

If you’re reaching out to people over 50 social media should definitely be part of your PR plan.

Just a fad? Watch this and then tell me what you think.

Just read a very important and very honest assessment of why Twitter generally stinks, but what keeps a lot of us using it. You may enjoy reading it too. I can only but give a hearty “Yes and amen” to this post. I really enjoy Twitter for the sake of the quick news/information I can get it from it, sent directly to my cell phone as text message, most importantly, my morning weather forcast. Yes, that’s the best thing about Twitter: quick and easy weather updates. The rest? Not so much. But do ahead and read the article, see what you think. Here’s an excerpt:

Twitter, while based on the same premise, sends us back to our teenage blogging years. Many personal Twitter accounts have deteriorated into conversations between friends that would be better left to texting or calling, rants about life, and, very occasionally, a 140-character versions of “deep”-ish thought. What, exactly, is this contributing to the online social world? Does it really have any value? It probably doesn’t. Tweeting, as a friend recently tweeted (there’s some irony for you), has become a socially acceptable way to talk to ourselves. Keeping these inane, silly thoughts to ourselves simply isn’t as fulfilling as throwing it out to others, who may or may not be listening and who may or may not respond. We like to think what we have to say, no matter how trivial, is interesting. And just because people follow us, We get the sense that it really is interesting – even when it  really isn’t.

Research by MySpace reveals interesting things about how 14-21 year olds regard social networking and their online friends:

“The MySpace study asked social networking users between the ages of 14 and 21 (aka “Generation Y”) questions about their interactions both on social networks and in their real life, too. Some 36% of the respondents said they found it easier to talk about themselves online than in the real world, leading them to share more about themselves using technology. This group also felt that their online friends knew more about them, and so, in a sense, were closer than offline friends because they all knew what was going on in each other’s lives. Outside of the social networking sites, the survey respondents overwhelmingly felt ill-at-ease in social groups. A whopping 72% said they felt “left out” and didn’t think they fit into any particular group. More than four-fifths (82%) said they moved between four or more different groups of friends in an effort to find acceptance.

In many ways, easy access to technology can be seen as both a blessing a curse for this young group of digital natives. These days, you’ll often encounter teens having text message conversations or posting status updates while ignoring the very friends they’re presently with in the real world. Behavior like this could certainly send a message to the others that they are second priority to whomever else has engaged their friend’s attention. That could easily lead to feelings of being “left out” as reported in this study.”

Read more about it here.

This appeared in Publisher’s Weekly online edition, and was aimed most directly at authors of religious publications, or editors, etc. but….you might find something in here that rings a bell, or strikes a chord, or resonates….pick your musical metaphor! I read it and wondered, “Would people really want me to post to my blog four or five times…every day?” And, “I do not follow everyone who follows me on Twitter, is that bad?” Give it a read and share your thoughts here, if you like. Or not. Either way, an interesting piece. Here is the link to it: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6672464.html

Don’t think there is anything good about Twitter, twittering, following tweets, etc.? I understand, I used to think so myself. But….then I realized that, for me, the best part of Twitter was the micro-blogging aspect of it. It is a quick way to get fast updates on sports, weather, news…and there are also some good substantial content delivery via Twitter. Case in point? The Lutheran Study Bible’s Twitter feed. Each morning, at 7:00 a.m. Central Daylight Time, a “tweet” is sent out, a very short message, a quote from The Lutheran Study Bible’s notes. Sometimes it’s a a word of encouragement, or inspiration, or information, or a prayer. Just a daily little message. A nice way to start the day. If you want to follow, come on over to Twitter.com/LutheranBible and sign up for Twitter and follow, you are all set. And yes, I know, some of you will send a comment declaring how stupid and a big waste of time Twitter is. I understand. I used to do that too.

The title page from the first edition of the Book of Concord. Dresden, 1580. Image courtesy of Concordia Seminary Library, Saint Louis.

Yes, the good, old Book of Concord has joined the Twitterati and is pumping out daily tweets, with a link to a daily reading from the Book of Concord. Sign up for them here. And, while you are at, be sure to visit the Book of Concord’s home on the Internet, where you can choose from a variety of different options to receive daily readings from the Lutheran Confessions.

Some months ago I declared Twitter to be a total, complete waste of bandwidth. I was wrong. Twitter can be a bane, or a blessing, depending on how you use it. The trick to it, as I’ve discovered, is managing and using it efficiently. Here are my two favorite tools: TweetDeck and Pingfm.com. You will find this beginner’s guide to Twitter helpful. This is from Michael Hyatt, the CEO of Thomas Nelson, a leader in the general Christian community when it comes to Tweeting, Twittering, etc.

With TweetDeck I’m able to sort, slice and dice all my incoming Tweets, and organize whom I following into logical groupings. If you do not do this you will go insane trying to read Tweets, and since some people like to tell you what they are doing every fifteen minutes, if you pick up even a few dozen twitter feeds, yes, you will go nuts. Ping.fm is a wonderful way to update as many social network sites as you want, all at once. So, enjoy.

Pastors: we have to be where the folks are. And, they are on Twitter, and Facebook, and the Internet, and blogging, and so forth, and so on. A mantra I picked up from a co-worker recently is true: Communication is key and the Internet is free. Need I say more?

Oh, yes, you can Tweet this blog post, or send it on to Ping.fm. Just click the links below.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeLZCy-_m3s