Brandon Donaldson and I recently did an interview for a local friend with several questions. One of the questions was just about mobile technology and what opportunities it presents for the church. (If you go to YouTube you can watch the video in HD)

Brandon Donaldson and I recently did an interview for a local friend with several questions. One of the questions was just about the history of how the LifeChurch.tv Church Online has grown and developed over the past four years. (If you go to YouTube you can watch the video in HD)

Thanks to Daniel Demoss good friend I’m on the Church Online team with – and who has a ton of experience in making things happen online. This video comes out of a quick conversation Daniel and I were having that I wanted to share. It is regarding how easy it is to start to see people online, especially those with influence, as only their blog stats, Twitter followers, and platform. It sounds simplistic but Daniel lays out how relationship always wins online, even though it is more work.

Thanks to John Otjen and Kevin Ely the wizards behind the video production process and workflow for Church Online in making this quick video tour. If you want more details you can check out a working “whitepaper” of our process and equipment on this Google Document.

The word “relevant” still gets thrown around in organizations and boomer leader retreats more than STD medication on The Jersey Shore…

Honestly, to add my two cents on the subject I think relevancy comes more from authenticity and confidence in who you are. Caring, listening and a serving attitude have yet to find a generation that it couldn’t connect with.

BUT, there are also a lot of conversations I’ve had where I can tell an interest in Social Media because of its “trend”, “fad” and “cool” factor. Honestly, it is still very fresh on the scene in the technology and communications world. That said; Social Media has more than hit the bell curve in user adoption, but different niches like small businesses, realtors and churches are just starting to think about jumping in.

Groups who are already struggling to connect to Gen Y, Gen X, Millennials, young couples and the elusive hipsters aren’t going to get help from Social Media. There is the sense that a lot of those generations prefer to connect with people and information in social networks. But it would be information that they are interested in and that they find value in being connected to – if you aren’t those things already – it isn’t going to happen.

Bottom line a relevancy problem isn’t solved by just starting a Facebook Page. After figuring out how your message is missing this audience, then thinking about leveraging social media can be a huge catalyst for that effort.

Question:

• What are the best social media environments you see being “relevant?”
• What first steps would you suggest for a community that wants to connect with a younger generation and seems to be “missing it?”
• Is focusing on tring to be relevant the first step in not being relevant?

(This week I am doing 5 posts on “When Social Media Isn’t Worth It.” Next week will be 5 posts on “How to get consistent Value from Social Media.”)