I’m taking the month of August off to think about the future of On The Bema. I’ll still post over at the Times Union Blog. With my upcoming book on associate pastor ministry coming out next year with Judson Press, I have to make some decisions about managing my social media presence and related websites.
-Alan
Kristi Gustafson, social media strategist/staff writer for the Albany Times Union, recently asked me about a growing trend: giving up Facebook, Twitter, and other social media for Lent. I was glad to hear that Kristi was very familiar with the practice of Lenten fasting in the 21st century. Check out her article and my comments:
Chocolate, swearing, eating out. These are things Christians have given up for Lent for decades.
Now there’s something new to sacrifice.
Facebook.
The average Facebook user spends 4 hours and 35 minutes a month posting updates on their relationships, checking friends’ vacation photos and playing games like Farmville on the social networking site, according to a January report from Experian Hitwise, a New York City-based global research firm.
That’s more time than most of us spend doing anything other than sleeping, exercising or being at work.
In an age in which Facebook sees more monthly traffic than Google, some Lenten observers are leaving their “friends” behind as part of their commitment to the 40-day fasting.
“Giving up the same things year after year gets boring and you have to freshen it up,” says the Rev. Alan Rudnick with the First Baptist Church in Ballston Spa. “With the popularity of social media, people will say, ‘I like Facebook or Twitter just as much as I like chocolate.’ “
Jon Stewart and his Daily Show crew are on to something. Just as Glenn Beck had his “Restoring Honor” rally in Washington D.C., Steward is holding a “Rally To Restore Sanity.” http://www.rallytorestoresanity.com/ on October 30, 2010. Just days before the mid-term elections. Stephen Colbert is holding a counter rally, “March to Keep The Fear Alive” http://www.keepfearalive.com/ on the same day. This is all very funny and will no doubt draw cheer and jeers from conservatives and liberals.
Clearly a farce on Glenn Beck, Stewart and Colbert are masterminds at political and social comedy, however they are missing one essential element in this rally. The clergy. Glenn Beck had his “Black Robe Regiment” with his rally and Jon Stewart needs clergy. Actually, he needs me. I propose that Steward build a Black Robe Brigade. I wrote about Beck’s Christian aspirations and open theism in my Times Union blog post and Stewart needs some clergy support.
So, what can I do for you Jon Stewart?
No, it is not the start to a lame joke, but I served as a panelist at smAlbany. smAlbany is a yearly small business gathering put on by Liberteks.com. This year was the 5th Annual smAlbany Small Business Expo. smAlbany focuses on the technology aspect of networking, business, and career development. I quickly discovered that smAlbany is a pejorative term for Albany, NY – “small-bany” The urban dictionary even has an entry for it.
So how did a pastor end up on a panel for a business expo? Good question. In addition to my blog here, I also blog for the Times Union Newspaper as their protestant religion blogger. Michael Huber, the online content manger, thought it would be a great idea to have me as a panelist on the subject of, “Local Social Media and Your Customers.” In addition to myself, the panel consisted of
As you can see, it is a very eclectic mix of people and professions. I would say the seminar was well attended and provided people loads of information on social media. Alright, enough with the background. You are probably thinking, “What did they talk about?”
