Why I Facebook and Twitter

When I tell people I Facebook and Twitter I often get

STRANGE REACTIONS…

Uninformed people often roll their eyes and question me.

They ask how I can justify

wasting so much time in such frivolous pursuits!

Well, this weekend I had that experience once too often!

I set up a table in our church lobby…

with the aim of recruiting bloggers and social-network enthusiasts.

My intention was to start a Blogging and Social-Networking Group.

A group which would gather people

who are interested in the SKILL behind Internet Social Media.

A group focused on learning new ways to reach out and

effectively communicate with more people on the worldwide web.

A group whose goal is, ultimately,

to stay in step with our culture and

to share our Christian values in culturally relevant ways!

But what did I get for all my trouble!

FRUSTRATION!!!

I was horrified as a talked to large numbers of people

who are CLUELESS about the value and importance of social media.

It was not one or two people who questioned me,

about why I view social networking as having redeeming social value.

It was, in fact the majority of people.

Well, a couple of days have passed since then…

and, my frustration has not passed!

So, I have written this post to answer my critics,

I want to scream ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

HAVE YOU BEEN LIVNG ON THE MOON?

I just want to take the time to point out, I am NOT THE CRAZY ONE!

If you think becoming effective at social media is frivolous or valueless;

YOU ARE UNINFORMED.

Our culture is currently in a SOCIAL MEDIA REVOLUTION and whether you know it or not,

there is…

NO TURNING BACK.

Social networking is the BIGGEST thing on the internet.

It is BIGGER than porn!

And BIGGER than on-line shopping!

IT REPRESENTS A MONUMENTAL SHIFT

IN COMMUNICATION STYLE!

IT REPRESENTS PERHAPS THE BIGGEST SHIFT

IN THE STYLE OF COMMUNICATION IN HISTORY!!!

Please educate yourselves and watch the following video!

Please save me the awkward chore of insulting you!

THIS IS WHY I FACEBOOK AND TWITTER!!!

Ten Great Personal Benefits to Blogging

1.         Blogging allows you to meet interesting new people that you would not ordinarily meet and it is a great tool for introducing yourself to others.

2.         Blogging is a great way to get attention to the cause of Christ and share information about your personal mission.  In the last two years that I have had my blog I have averaged about 1,500 visitors a month to my blog and with each one I have had the chance to share insights about my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. My blog has greatly enhanced my personal ability to be a witness and share the testimony of my walk with Jesus Christ.

3. Blogging is a means of self documentation.  A blog helps you document many of the facets of your personal life.  It is a tool to help you express what you are experiencing, believing and feeling at a given point in time.  I value my blog because it is a valuable personal resource and an online record of my life that I can easily go back to and reference later.

4.         Blogging helps you leave a legacy. I write because I love writing and my blog will survive allowing my kid and grandkids to see a different side of me. I wouldn’t mind writing a book someday, but until then my blog is something I am proud of that is a compilation of my beliefs, experiences, thoughts and creativity.

5.         Blogging can be a team sport: you can get a lot of people in a community involved in blogging and when the interaction starts it can be really fun. Blogging is simple to do and doesn’t require a lot of technological genius to get started.  A great side benefit is that it is easily accessible to a wide range of people. When I started blogging I was not very computer savvy, but in no time at all I had learned the ropes and I was reaping the benefits.

6.         Blogging helps you become better at using words. Writing is much more comfortable than speaking for a lot of people.  When writing we can think without the pressure of  having “the immediate right words” to say.  The written word, plus current technology gives us the opportunity to go back and edit statements.  In my life the opportunity to undo and amend my thoughts before communicating them has been a big plus

7. Blogging is a vehicle that can be used to declare your personal dream or vision. What I blog tends to be a declaration of what I believe is the right attitude to have, the right way to behave or the right thing to do.  My posts reflect what I am dreaming of and the way I wish things were.  While writing is much easier than doing, recording things in an organized way is a definite step towards pin pointing and actualizing the dream that is in one’s heart.

8.         Blogging expands your personal horizons. Blogging not only allows you to share stories about your expertise, but it also gives you the opportunity to post photos, videos, and audios fairly easily and the creative options are endless. Blogging has given my readers a multimedia experience with me!

9.         Blogging gives you an audience of supporters and detractors. If your mission, dream or vision has a passionate edge to it, a blog has the ability to join you with supporters, which validates your cause.  And on the other hand a blog also supplies you with access to a pool of detractors giving them a place to voice their concerns and opinions. It is important to be in touch with supporters and detractors because this can only serve to hone your focus and sharpen your reasoning abilities and skills.

10.       Finally, blogging will cause you to have to learn more. It is a richer life when you are constantly on the lookout for more opportunities to learn, more insights to be gathered and more wisdom to be shared.

These are some of the reasons I blog.  How has blogging been beneficial to your life?  Please feel free to comment.

Thou Shalt Not Commit Blog Fraud

In this so-called “post-modern” world one of the big buzz words repeated again and again is authenticity. 

 

Post-moderns want to be authentic and call for those around them to be authentic as well.

 

If you are foggy about the exact definitions of these terms, let me refresh your memory.

 

authentic: adjective — not false or copied; genuine; real.

authenticity: noun — the quality of being authentic; to have totally undisputed credibility. 

 

The problem that I see with the overuse of these buzz words is a blatant temptation to be hypocritical.  We have a generation that is calling for authenticity in a world that is beset with opportunity for all-out fakery.  

 

In this 21st century social milieu—in a world increasingly defined by the internet and the possibility of faceless, voiceless communication; authenticity is vanishing.  Social networking sites such as: Facebook, My Space and Twitter and information brokering systems like blogs deliver the temptation to be anything but authentic. Occasions to be fake, fraudulent and a counterfeit are offered in a plethora of ways everywhere online.

 

The young country music artist Brad Paisley expertly summed up the reality of blog deception in a song he entitled “Online”.  In the tune he tells the story of a “mama’s boy” turned “poser” online. 

 

I work down at the Pizza Pit
And I drive an old Hyundai
I still live with my mom and dad
I’m 5 foot 3 and overweight
I’m a scifi fanatic
A mild asthmatic
And I’ve never been to second base
But there’s whole ‘nother me
That you need to see
Go checkout MySpace

 

‘Cause online I’m out in Hollywood
I’m 6 foot 5 and I look damn good
I drive a Maserati
I’m a black-belt in karate
And I love a good glass of wine
It turns girls on that I’m mysterious
I tell them I don’t want nothing serious
‘Cause even on a slow day
I could have a three way
Chat with two women at one time

I’m so much cooler online
So much cooler online

 

We may think such unashamed hypocrisy is rare but the news in the blog world reveals the opposite– in actuality–blog fraud is rampant.  Online “posing” is on the rise and it is not always as harmless as it seems. Recently, the U.S. chapter of the IT Service Management Forum filed a defamation lawsuit against its former executive director, alleging that he tried to discredit the group via blog comments posted under a fictitious female name.  It is the first such case to get to court but if the man accused loses he will pay “big” money in damages.

 

In another example of blog fraud, the online community had been wondering for a long time about the “real” identity of the anonymous blog author of “OffAgain-OnAgain Boy”.  The web-log which featured a graphic exposé of the life of an IT support manager was attracting a hefty readership and many questions.  As a result a newspaper investigation was launched to solve the mystery surrounding the anonymous blogger’s identity and they hit pay dirt.  The paper soon revealed that that the writer did not actually work in the IT industry at all but was in fact a £3,000 per night prostitute.  Online reports revealed that “the stories of late night sessions spent identifying the cause of widespread spreadsheet corruption, and the details of three hour meetings debating the merits of Windows upgrades were pure fantasy.”

 

Recently in an example closer to home, on a blog authored by a Christian skeptic named Daniel Florien another case of blog fraud was exposed.  Florien revealed in a post called “Pastor caught lying for Jesus” that a Christian minister was in fact on his blog fraudulently posing as an atheist.  The lying pastor falsified comments in which he attempted to make a supposed atheist contributor look like a total immoral idiot. 

 

He wrote, “What’s wrong with killing babies? I see no problem with it. I have enough mouths to feed. I don’t get the argument and I am an atheist. Since I don’t believe in God, I don’t believe in anything characterized as good, bad / right, wrong. So, what’s the big deal?”

 

At first Florien reported that he was shocked that anyone could say things like that and then he realized that he was dealing with a “fundie” in disguise, a sheep in wolves clothing. He had done some digging and realized that the deceiver was using a variety of names on his blog. 

 

Florien states, “In a few hours, he (the poser) went from apologizing for our past dealings with slimy lying Christians, to suggesting it’s okay to abuse women, kill neighbors, and slaughter children under the guise of atheism. So I banned him. I found what he did to be disgusting. It would be like me pretending to me multiple Christians on a Christian blog, asserting there’s nothing wrong with raping women and killing children because God commands it in the Bible.”

 

I probably would not agree with Florien on many subjects but on this one we are in accord—I cannot tolerate liars.  It is disgusting when people practice this kind of lack of character and authenticity.  Such posers are guilty of fraud and it is particularly repulsive when this kind of activity comes from a Christian minister.

 

In my opinion it is one thing to use a moniker or hide behind an avatar but it is another to falsify comments, pose as someone you are not, or dream up blog content. I like blogging and interacting anonymously on line as much as the next person but at times there is obviously a fine line between “blog fun and games” and lying. We must remind ourselves as we are tempted by blog fraud –the ninth commandment still unequivocally states–“thou shalt not lie.” 

 

In conclusion, I believe if we in this post modern world are going to preach about the necessity of being “authentic” we better practice “authenticity.”  And for those of us who are Christians if we are true adherents to our faith we should obviously practice what we preach as well. 

We, who so vehemently stand for advancing the Truth, should (duh) tell the truth. We need to be as aware of lying on line as we would be if we were doing it face to face. As we conduct our online relationships and become citizens of the worldwide internet community let’s strive to raise the moral bar rather than trampling all over it. Let’s hold one another accountable to a standard of truthfulness and spread the word –“thou shalt not commit blog fraud.” 

Announcing Our New “Open Forum” Page

Any….

SCATHINGLY BRILLIANT IDEAS!

THINGS YOU JUST HAVE TO SHARE!

Let us all know about it!

Feel free to use our new “Open Forum Page” to record your ideas, latest brainstorms, passionate opinions,  hot tips, greatest hits, best reads, newest recipes, etc…etc…

Become part of the fun at Women at Crossroads!

Open blogging can be good for your health. 

Don’t keep it all to your self, share those brilliant insights you are having with us.  Just go to the top of the blog, click on the “Open Forum” tab, put your cursor in the comment box and begin typing. 

We want to know what is exciting in your world!

Two Reasons Why Blogging is not a Time-waster!

Reason #1 ― Blogging can be good for you; it is beneficial for people to share the contents of their heart in healthy ways.

Science research says:  “Scientists (and writers) have long known about the therapeutic benefits of writing about personal experiences, thoughts and feelings. But besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces many physiological benefits. Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity, and even speeds healing after surgery.”  (from Scientific American Magazine, May 2008).

The Bible says:  The Bible advocates sharing your true thoughts and feelings with God and with each other.  Jesus told his disciples that he considered them his friends because He felt it a privilege to reveal all the intimate details that He knew about His Father with them.  David held nothing back from God in His communiqués with Him in the psalms and we can expect he was just as candid in his personal relationships.  And Paul’s emotions as well as thought and experiences are written out with expressiveness and clarity in his epistles.  In Scripture we are also commanded to comfort each other with the comfort we have received from God (2 Cor 1:3-4) and to share freely with one another (Heb. 13:16).  Blogging is just another vehicle for “one another” ministry and an online community that shares God’s love through the written word is in my opinion a justified and much needed extension of the Body of Christ.

…but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.  John 15:15 (NKJV)

 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.   2 Cor 1:3-4 (NIV)

 

But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Heb 13:16 (NKJV)

 

Reason #2 ― Blogging gets you connected!

Scientific research says:  “Blogging can help you feel less isolated, more connected to a community and more satisfied with your friendships, both online and face-to-face, new Australian research from University of Technology in Melbourne, has found after two months of regular blogging, people felt they had better social support and friendship networks than those who did not blog.” (from ABC Science Online Mar 3, 2008)

The Bible says:  The Bible stresses the need for connectivity in the Body of Christ.  It is important that Christians feel a part of a dynamic community for fellowship and support. Humans were not designed for isolation but for relationship.  We all know that men and women were not meant to live alone (Gen 2:18) and it is not good when human beings find themselves separated from the regular companionship of others.  With this in mind utilizing the internet is a great way for people to reach out and connect.  Blogging is an especially useful vehicle for single individuals who live in solo conditions because it is a way to be in contact with others from the restful recesses of your own home.  If you have not yet tried blogging—try it you’ll like it!  It gives you a chance to know others and be known—and that is always a very great thing.

We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.  Romans 15:2 (NLT)

 

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another. Heb 10:25 (NLT)

 

What are the things you find interesting about the phenomenon we call blogging? Feel free to share how interacting with the cyberspace community has changed your life for the good or for the bad.  Also discuss how “blogging” in particular has benefited you. 

Please Feel Free to Comment! Blogging Basics for Beginners

Our blog Women at Crossroads has been up and running for a while now and many of you are checking us out, however few are participating.  It occurred to me that some of you may be clueless about what blogging is or not know how to comment on a blog.  So, in the name of interaction and fellowship, I have written out some basics to help you get started.  Please take a risk and contribute to this blog because it is the only way we will get this online community up and started!

What is a Blog?

A Blog (a contraction of the term “Web log“) is a web site, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.― (from Blogs, at Wikepedia.com).

You can leave a reply or comment to a particular post on a blog by clicking on the title and then going to the reply/comment box at the end of the thread (a thread refers to a post and the replies following the post) and entering your own comment.  You will be required to leave an e-mail address (it will not be made public and will only be viewed by the blog author) and a name.  The name can be your real name, a nickname or pseudonym.

The Women at Crossroads Blog Interaction and Comment Policy

I will enjoy interacting with you and gladly welcome your comments. To ensure that comments enhance and do not detract from this blog, and because so many of us are beginning bloggers I’ve created the following comment policy.

A Word About Blog Comment Moderation

In order to maintain the integrity of the blog and its content all comments on Women at Crossroads will be moderated. “Comment moderation” means all comments will be read and reviewed before they appear on the blog.  I will work hard to review and approve comments as quickly as possible, but please realize that it may take some time to review all comments and do not resubmit your comment if it does not appear right away.

The Language, Length, and Format of Blog Comments

This blog has a unique audience with morally conservative sensibilities and opinions. That said, please avoid harsh language and any use of profanity and keep in mind that threatening language is not allowed nor will it be tolerated.

Ideally, your comment should be under 200 well chosen words with paragraphs as necessary; remember as you are writing your comments that whitespace makes the content easier to read on a computer screen.

If you have any questions about blogging or protocol for participating here at Women at Crossroads, please include your questions through utilizing the reply or comment box at the end of this thread. Remember click on the title of this post to gain access to the reply box.