Online Social Networking
What does it have to do with your ministry?

Steve Maegdlin | posted 9/09/2009

If asked two years ago if you "tweeted," most of us would have replied, "What do birds have to with anything?" If asked, "What is the probability that 150 million people across the globe will be sharing detailed personal information on the Web and creating networks of hundreds of 'friends'?" many would have said, "Close to zero." If queried on the fastest growing platform for interacting with friends, hardly any of us would have said, "My mobile phone."

The reality is that online social networking has taken hold, and it looks like it's here to stay. We as ministry leaders will become irrelevant should we choose to ignore it. Recent statistics from Compete.com indicate that 68.5 million unique visitors interacted with Facebook last January. Add to that the 58.5 million unique visitors who went to MySpace that month, and you have a staggering number of people relating and communicating in an entirely new way.

We might be tempted to think that this phenomenon is only related to those who grew up typing with their thumbs on a device many of us use for talking. An April 2009 Harris Interactive study indicates this might not be the case, at least in the United States. Consider that while 74 percent of those ages 18-34 have a Facebook account, 47 percent of those ages 35-44 and 41 percent of those ages 45-54 have one. That's nearly half of all adults under the age of 55.

We also might be tempted to ask, "What does a social site for engaging friends have to do with me or my ministry?" The short answer: plenty. Social networking is more than just another website. It is fundamentally changing how people engage with one other, and, in a very real way, conditioning people to think differently about who makes up their community and how they interact with them.

As a result of the widespread and incredibly quick adoption of online communities, we can reach and engage many more people than ever before. We need to deploy online communities as an extension, not a replacement, of traditional forms of community. Blogging, online forums and chats, and the ability to post individual, personalized content are important components of developing an online social presence. We need to become familiar with these tools and develop strategies to leverage them to broaden our reach and deepen our impact.

Statistics show that your current and future constituents are familiar with Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogger, MySpace, and a host of other sites. They want and expect to have similar capabilities when they engage with your organization and those who are part of it. The social-networking phenomenon has taught them to be comfortable engaging with likeminded people, and equally comfortable engaging with those who might have a different opinion. What's critical is that they have a place to engage others in meaningful dialogue around a common topic or interest.

Social networking certainly comes with challenges and risks. One big difference from traditional forms of engagement is that in a social community, we can't control the flow of information. Once released, the community has a way of taking on a life all its own. While most of the posts in a social community are reasonable and balanced, some can be extreme or severe. The good news is that online communities are trained to self-police, and abusers are usually identified and dealt with quickly. As ministries, however, we need to carefully consider the need to moderate online communities to ensure a high degree of integrity.

A second consideration is that social networking is an addition to, rather than a replacement for, traditional forms of engagement. Additional costs need to be evaluated: the cost of developing and maintaining the online community, and potential costs associated with staff who monitor and moderate.

We live in a time of unprecedented technological growth, and the rate of growth is increasing. The younger generation (those under 40) is smart, technologically competent, and hungry to make a difference in the world. We must not shy away from change or justify "the way it has always been done." Rather, we need to understand and embrace a culture that is not just adopting the technology, but in many cases, also fundamentally reshaping itself to adapt to it.

Steve Maegdlin is senior vice president with Focus on the Family. He has held a variety of executive positions in the software, consulting, and high-tech industries. Steve, his wife, and their two daughters live in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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