Clayton Bell | Online

Son. Husband. Father. Planter.

Archive for category Social Media

A casual users’ review of FourSquare

Apr 30

Posted by Clayton Bell in Social Media | 2 Comments

OK, here’s my official review of FourSquare, now that we’ve been chatting it up on Twitter the last few days.

Even though it’s one of the many “location-based” social media services (Gowalla being the other primary one) my perception of the service is that it’s a business-based service, not a location-based one. I think businesses are really missing the boat by not embracing these services, because it encourages people to come back! Why is this a bad thing!?! Business owners, go register your business, offer incentives, and get people to come back more and more!

Anyone remember those punch cards you used to get at Subway, 6 subs and one free? It should be the same thing with these check-ins. Every five check-ins, free cup of coffee at Starbucks. Three at Chili’s, free chips and salsa. How is this a bad thing for businesses?

I’m also using it because as great as Twitter is, it doesn’t easily help you meet local people, while FourSquare does. I see who else frequents the same places I do, can follow them on Twitter and start following and entering into convos with them. As someone who’s new to a community, it’s a great way to find people who I know have similar social media/nerdy interests. If someone has a better idea, I’m all ears.

With just a few week’s usage, here’s a few of my tips. Feel free to add some of your own.

  • If you’re going to tweet your location, give the same context as if you’re tweeting with no check-in. Who cares where you are- WHY are you there?
  • If there’s no interesting reason for being someplace (you’re getting gas) don’t tweet it out. You can check in without letting everyone else know but still keep up with check-ins and points.
  • Add tips and to-dos for locations. As with all social media, adding value is a key.
  • Go to the website and change your settings to not let everyone else know if you become a mayor or a badge. I changed the badge setting a while ago, but just made the decision on the mayor thing as well.
  • If you’re a church planter this is another key service to register your church with. Anyone who checks in at the YMCA we meet in (or anywhere else within 1000 meters) will see the church there, be able to see the info I’ve posted about it and see our Twitter stream. If you’re rental facility won’t let you keep permanent signage up (most don’t) they can’t tell you to take this down. Plus, tech-savvy folks will know you’re a church which attempts to reach into their demographic.
  • If you own/work at a business where customers frequent (Starbucks, yes..tire sales, not as much) GET ON THIS! Why would you not find inexpensive ways to bring back customers who are more likely to be brand evangelists?!

That’s what I’ve got from a few weeks of check-ins. Yours?

Could this replace FourSquare?

Apr 27

Posted by Clayton Bell in Social Media | 3 Comments

I’ve recently begun using FourSquare, the location-based social media service which awards points, badges and mayorships based on the amount of times you visit, or “check in,” to a venue.

I’ll debate the merits of such a service in another post, but as annoying as some people think FourSquare is, I think we need more. I think we need something which describes our emotional location, not just our physical one. I call it…FiveSquare!

  • @blloyd is checking in from the depths of meeting hell
  • @angelrios is checking in from improper affection for a beverage
  • @churchplanter is checking in from perverted emotional attachment to Sunday attendance
  • @someone’s wife is checking in with no guilt from lying about having a headache
  • @highschooler is checking in with an overinflated sense of self-importance

Think it could catch on?

What other checkins can you think of?

YouVersion is the new AT&T

Jan 14

Posted by Clayton Bell in Church Planting, Leadership, Social Media, Trinity New Life Church | 4 Comments

Well, kinda.

See, both have products people really love. YouVersion has these awesome new reading plans, AT&T has the iPhone. Both are so popular that they are causing their respective networks admitted problems and outages. We’re crucifying AT&T for this…so why aren’t we doing the same for YouVersion? Googling “I Hate AT&T” returns 1.24 million results. “I Hate YouVersion?” 15K results. However, none of them seem to actually complain about YouVersion!

I think the reason is because of the way the two companies are handling the outage. YouVersion.com regularly admits to server troubles on Twitter, talks to people with problems via Twitter, and even posted a “We know we’re having problems, it’s because of our awesome users, thanks so much, we’re working on it!” blog post.

AT&T? They tried to stop selling the phone in their problem areas. Well…that seems about right? Naw…

Look, when you have a problem, and EVERYONE knows it, why not just admit it, fix it, and be honest? How is that going to lose people? How will that not built trust and gain you a longer leash with your clients/users?

AT&T, you could learn a few things from YouVersion.com…

Death to RSS!!!

Jan 13

Posted by Clayton Bell in Cultural Commentary, Social Media | 6 Comments

I know we were all excited about RSS when it came out year ago, but I think it’s turned into a bad thing for the web.

Ok, maybe not ALL of you. Some are still wondering what RSS even is.

Either way, getting our news and updates from RSS readers and Facebook notes (I’m sure some of you are even reading this in a Note!) erodes the design aspect of the web. There are some visually stunning websites out there, but you never see it because you’re stuck in your RSS reader. Here’s an example:

Neil Patrick Harris from How I Met You Mother, or as you know him, Doogie Howser, mentioned on Twitter one of his favorite websites was Uncrate.com. When I visited, I loved not only the unique products they highlight, but the amazing website. I visited a few days in a row, finally subscribing to their RSS feed. That’s where the fun died. Look at the difference-

OR……

Seriously, which one you rather look at? One is compelling, captivating, visually engaging. The other is informative and truthful, but boring as all get out. No more RSS for Uncrate.com!

Other websites, like this one and this one, are also visually compelling, but are probably not consumed in the way they were designed. So I say “Less RSS, more site visits!” Let’s get back to the good stuff!

Are there other beautifully designed sites you love to visit to, well, just look at?

Get your chronological on in 2010!

Dec 29

Posted by Clayton Bell in Resources, Social Media | 5 Comments

Over the last few weeks YouVersion.com, home of online Bible awesomeness, updated their website and mobile applications to include multiple reading plans. The one that caught my eye was a chronological reading of the Bible in a year. According to the website

The Blue Letter Bible “Chronological” plan is compiled according to recent historical research, taking into account the order in which the recorded events actually occurred. This is a fantastic plan to follow if you wish to add historical context to your reading of the Bible. If the schedule provided is followed, the entire Bible will be read in one calendar year.

Sweetness! I’ve always wanted to take things chronologically, as reading the prophets with the historical books usually put context to what they were saying. Same thing with the epistles and the book of Acts in the New Testament. It seems many other wanna do the same, so here’s what you need to do:

  1. Sign up for a free account at YouVersion.com
  2. Sign up for the Chronological reading plan HERE
  3. Edit your setting for the plan to start on January 1, 2010 HERE
  4. Join our YouVersion reading group HERE
  5. If you’re using a mobile device, make sure you’ve updated to the latest version. Select the Reading Plan icon and then “View all plans.” Your plan should appear on the top, allowing you to keep track on your computer or your iPhone/Blackberry/Android.
  6. Each time you complete the reading, you check off the sections, allowing you (and eventually everyone else) to track your progress and keep you accountable.

You’re all set! In just a few weeks, YouVersion.com will update to allow us to see each other’s progress and “encourage” each other as needed, which should be really fun in the group. I don’t know if there’s a discussion feature in YouVersion, so I’ll post a summary blog each Friday? Monday? Thursday? with a few thoughts, and hopefully we can ask questions and interact in the comments. I’m not suggesting I’m the end-all, be-all theologian of the group, but if you ever have questions or want clarification on something, please don’t hesitate to ask me and I’ll do what I can.

Any other questions?

If “Church” is online…

Dec 22

Posted by Clayton Bell in Church, Church Planting, Social Media, Spiritual Insights | 2 Comments

How do you do communion?

How do you do baptism?

How do you do evangelism? If you see someone won to God, do you tell them to come to your house and sit with you, or do you have them sit at their own house and watch?

How do you make disciples?

How do you execute church discipline?

I’m not against streaming service online for those unable to make it, or creating an experience online which allows people to check out your church before they come, or if you’re in a remote part of the world with no English-speaking church…

But when we say that “church” is totally online (not just services but being the church), how do we accomplish these, which in my opinion (and others smarter than me) are defining qualities of a church body?

I know we’re just beginning to explore what it means to do “church” online, so I’m honestly asking if there are answers, or if these issues are being considered by those attending and creating the experiences.

Enlighten me…

The Sin of Texting

Dec 7

Posted by Clayton Bell in Cultural Commentary, Leadership, Social Media, Spiritual Insights | 9 Comments

texting while driving

This past week my wife and I drove to Jacksonville and back to attend the Every Nation Winter Conference. Nearly everyone we passed on the road was doing something on their cell phone.

In case you’ve never seen this, it’s truly terrifying to watch someone texting at 60+ MPH. I don’t know why people aren’t wrecking all the time. (BTW, I’ve stopped doing this while driving. I promise)

And then you remember all the times you’ve done it. But when you did it, you thought you were in control, that you’d be able to avoid the consequences.

I think it’s very similar when it comes to sin in our lives.

We see others do it, we see how crazy it looks, how terrible it is. When we do it, we rationalize and trust in ourselves to not let it impact others.

But I wonder what it looks like to God?

I’ve reached the end of the internet

Nov 30

Posted by Clayton Bell in Resources, Social Media | 2 Comments

end-of-the-internet

Or so it feels like.

I’ve got a rotation of roughly 15 website I check daily, and it all seems to run together into mindless drivel. Of course, most of of the internet could be accused of being mindless drivel, but I digress…

It feels like a very small amount of websites don’t include some level of nudity (I’m looking at you, FoxNews.com) or near-nudity, or list about nudity or something of the like. I’d rather not have to hold my hand over half of the screen while reading a list of the top ten worst movie villains of all time.

So help me out! I’m a tech geek, pop culture fan, sports-lover, theologian, father, husband and church planter. Tell me, what am I missing?

What corner of the internet am I missing that you know about?

The first interest meeting for TNLC!

Jul 23

Posted by Clayton Bell in Church, Church Planting, Social Media, Trinity New Life Church | No Comments

Takeoff-blog

The time has come- August 2nd will be the first meeting for those interested in being a part of Trinity New Life Church!

On August 2nd we’ll have our first informational meeting/dinner about TNLC. We’ll spend the first part of the evening eating together and getting to know each other. After the food and fun, we’ll spend some time talking about what it will look like to launch TNLC, and what it will look like to be a part of the launch team.

We’ll provide the main course (hamburgers and hot dogs) and would just like everyone to chip in on a side, drink or dessert. We’ll provide directions and parking instructions once you RSVP. Also, please let us know if you’re bringing kids (who are welcome) who will be eating.

Not in the area? You can still play a part!

God is going to do something incredible, and I hope you’ll join us in being a part of this amazing adventure!

Can you keep it in your pants?

Jun 16

Posted by Clayton Bell in Cultural Commentary, Leadership, Social Media | 3 Comments

text-mania

No, not THAT. Your cell phone! What were you thinking of?

You’ll find few people who are stronger advocates for the use of social media in most settings, including Twitter in church, but I’d like to amend my endorsement of social media to include this note:

Use all forms of social media…in the appropriate settings.

  • Know when to lock in during a meeting and get off the Twitters.
  • I don’t need to know where your bald spots are when we’re having lunch, so look up from your phone so I can see your mug.
  • Know when to drop IM and keep a record of a conversation via email.
  • Know when to stop trying to solve a problem via email and when it’s time to go to the phone call.
  • Know when it’s time to move from a phone to an actually face-to-face meeting. I know, the horror.
  • Don’t tweet during your date night. Don’t even check your phone. Wives hate that. At least, my wife hates it.

I know this may seem a bit of pot calling kettle black, which is true, but I’m working on getting better. Technology should enhance our personal interactions, not detract from them.

Do you know when to keep it in your pants?