Teens, TV and Texting

Allen

Thought this was cool

Teens, TV and Texting

It is always interesting to me how each generation of adults talk about the demise of teenagers. I've heard people my age talk about how concerned they are by the amount of time their kids text, watch video games, listen to their MP3 players or spend time online. Others are worried by the amount of violence in their video games or the types of TV shows they watch.

And yet, a new report by Nielsen seems to debunk those theories. In fact, it seems to indicate that today's teens are pretty normal:

• Teens are NOT abandoning TV for new media: In fact, they watch more TV than ever, up 6% over the past five years in the U.S.
• Teens love the Internet…but spend far less time browsing than adults: Teens spend 11 hours and 32 minutes per month online—far below the average of 29 hours and 15 minutes.
• Teens watch less online video than most adults, but the ads are highly engaging to them.
• Teens read newspapers, listen to the radio and even like advertising more than most.
• Teens play video games, but are as excited about play-along music games and car-racing games as they are about violent ones: Just two of their top five most-anticipated games since 2005 are rated "Mature."
• Teens' favorite TV shows, top websites and genre preferences across media are mostly the same as those of their parents. For U.S. teens, American Idol was the top show in 2008, Google the top website and general dramas are a preferred TV genre for teens around the world.

The report goes on to show what a typical day in the life of a teen looks like...

They do indicate that some things are changing. For example, teens are texting more than ever before. In a two-year period from early 2007 to early 2009, the average teen increased their texting from 435 to nearly 2900 per month. During the same period, teens reduced their monthly phone calls by 25%.

I get excited by these types of reports. As a church leader, it gives me handles on how to reach people more effectively. We can sit back and moan, wishing for the good 'ole days, or we can take the information and blaze a trail finding ever new ways to build relationships and engage people in spiritual conversations.

Thanks 

Bob

_____________________

Bob Bunch

bobb@elementchurch.com

If You Are NOT Growing...Beware

If You Are NOT Growing...Beware: "

Yesterday I wrote a post with
warning signs for organizations which are in a season of fast growth.
When the pace is quick, we sometimes are blind to things that could
trip us up.

On the other hand, when your organization has stopped growing or is in decline, there are also some traps that are easy to fall into...

• We forget the mission. We are frustrated by the lack of growth and
  so we allow the mission to be lost in charts, budgets and forecasts.


• We mess with too many variables. We change 8 things all at once.
  Perhaps 2 of them were great ideas and 6 were bad ideas. The end result
  might be neutral and we have no idea what worked and what didn't.


• We pay too much attention to the loudest voices. We never listened
  to the complainers before, but suddenly we wonder if they might be
  right.


• We candy-coat the issues. In an effort to be positive and paint the
  picture of a brighter future, we make things appear rosier than they
  are.


• We focus more on the back door ('Why are they leaving') than the front door ('Why aren't they coming?').


• We become too internally focused. We spend more and more time
  pleasing existing 'customers' and much less time working on winning new
  'customers.'


• We turn down jump the curve ideas because we are too focused on maintenance and have lost our will to risk.


• We spend time trying to pin blame on the lack of growth rather than getting to the source of the problem.


• We look everywhere else for the issue and don't take time to look inside. 'What if it's me?' is too hard to ask.


• We lose faith. We reflect on yesterday as though it could never happen again.

Where am I wrong? Where am I right? What am I missing?

"

ScreenFlow 2 adds new editing tools, transitions

ScreenFlow 2 adds new editing tools, transitions: "Telestream has announced an update to its screen recording software, ScreenFlow. Version 2.0 adds a number of new features and capabilities, including the ability to directly publish screencasts to YouTube. The company also expanded the available editing tools, enabling users to adjust the speed of clips during the recording and editing process....


"

Check out MythBusters: High-Speed Ninjas from Discovery Channel

If you are on an iPhone or iPod Touch with the Discovery Channel App installed, click
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If you are on an iPhone or iPod Touch but do not have the Discovery Channel App installed, click
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Not on an iPhone or iPod Touch? Click
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Thanks 

Bob

_____________________

Bob Bunch

bobb@elementchurch.com

Twitter and Facebook get unofficial mouse pads

Twitter and Facebook get unofficial mouse pads

(Credit: Meninos / CNET)

Real-world versions of Web sites can be pretty nifty, and the Twitter and Facebook mouse pads from the Meninos studio are no exception. Both feature a large, fill-in status box, just like you'd find on each of the sites, although in each case the wording has ...

Originally posted at Web Crawler

Thanks 

Bob

_____________________

Bob Bunch

bobb@elementchurch.com

If You Are Growing Like Crazy...Beware

If You Are Growing Like Crazy...Beware

When things are going really well in the organization, we tend to coast...

• We don't pay attention to mission-drift that is happening in individuals or even entire departments.
• We don't heed warning signs that are all-too-obvious later when looking in the rear-view mirror.
• We don't ask enough questions.
• We rush spending and hiring decisions.
• We delay necessary firing decisions.
• We feel invincible--so we reject all criticism, even if we know there is a kernel of truth included.
• We often neglect important relationships. Since velocity and intimacy are enemies--many times a fast-growing organization can result in broken relationships.
• We stop being innovative. Why? Because we don't need to innovate. Growth is happening without it.

In a recent article in Fast Company magazine, Dan Heath and Chip Heath put it this way: "When you're getting rich, it's pretty easy to sooth the ol' gut. If you need a rationalization, your mind will provide one."

For a church, you may not be getting rich, but your numbers might be trending up and to the right. Attendance is going crazy, offerings are increasing weekly, momentum is on your side.

I've been there. For my first 13 years at Granger we averaged 23% growth year after year after year. I didn't see it at the time, but hind sight is a wonderful thing. Now I can see clearly how I sometimes fell into these traps.

Have you seen this happen in a fast-growing organization? I'd love to hear your story...

P.S. Tomorrow I'm going to talk about the traps that abound when we are not growing.

Thanks 

Bob

_____________________

Bob Bunch

bobb@elementchurch.com

A Multi-Site Church Road Trip

A Multi-Site Church Road Trip

by Danette Griffith, Guest Blogger

A Multi-Site Church Road Trip is for leaders in the church who read A Multi-Site Church Revolution and thought, "Wow, this could be us." This follow-up narrative answers the question, "Is this really what we should do?" It delves down into the major issues a multi-site church must consider. It was an easy, yet thought-provoking read, and it was fun to "travel" around to different multi-site churches.

The value of this book is that the three authors visited over 100 multi-site campuses to conduct interviews and organized surveys. What more do you want? The research is done. The authors themselves were not afraid to use the mistakes they had made in their churches as examples. In fact, the hidden treasure in this book in the short chapter, "Multi-Site Roadkill." For some, learning what a multi-site church is not clarifies what it is.

Many pastors already know they want a multi-site church. Once they've come to this point, this book is a great way to confirm their vision. The book is worth the money simply for the description of what makes a great campus pastor. Pastors should read this and ask themselves, "Is this me?" And if so, begin the work.

I was working in a large congregation when the question came up about additional sites. At the time, it was in pure reaction to the growth in the suburbs. I don't remember that we ever asked the question of why we wanted to do it. This book powerfully reminds us that it's not about growth strategy but about how to meet the needs of more communities.

The authors emphasize the need for "high capacity volunteers." While working in a large congregation, I believe this was one of areas we excelled. I remember a banker who began attending the church, realized he wanted to be a more active follower of Jesus and became one of the church's most effective business managers. Through his contacts and expertise, we were a fiscally healthy congregation.

Today's church staffs are not just the pastor, the secretary and the organist. Today we need professionals in communication, marketing, education and business, to name just a few. Surratt, Ligon and Bird recognize this and support it.

"By 2010, 10 percent of Americans will rely exclusively on the Internet for their religious experience." This prediction by the Barna Research Group, took this technology immigrant completely by surprise. But think of all the possibilities! The ideas on what an international campus could look like opened the world to me in rethinking how mission can happen.

After 20 years in nonprofit communications, I am grateful we continue to reshape the method of communicating our faith.

Thanks 

Bob

_____________________

Bob Bunch

bobb@elementchurch.com

Check out Moments of Impact: Big Cat Attack from Discovery Channel

If you are on an iPhone or iPod Touch with the Discovery Channel App installed, click
Moments of Impact: Big Cat Attack.

If you are on an iPhone or iPod Touch but do not have the Discovery Channel App installed, click
Moments of Impact: Big Cat Attack.

Not on an iPhone or iPod Touch? Click
Moments of Impact: Big Cat Attack for the Discovery Channel site.

Thanks 

Bob

_____________________

Bob Bunch

bobb@elementchurch.com