So, I am pretty sure most of you know this already, but I have found a huge benefit in online networking. Here in New England, the culture is very on-the-go all the time. They have sports events almost every night of the week. They travel a lot in the summers. They work. Some of them live 45 minutes or more from each other. The list goes on and on. I would love to meet more with them, but sometimes it gets tough, especially in the beginning stages of ministry. I have appreciated the connections with the students I can make through Facebook and iChat/AIM. Very often, we have what the high school students affectionately call “Facebook Youth Group” through forums. We chat about plans, events, the Bible, etc. So, my advice for you is to get connected with your students online. Of course, you have to be careful about what you look at, as with everything online (especially with MySpace), but the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. They are on it ALL THE TIME, so a way to get “in their world” is to sign up and log on.
A great (and FREE) e-book I found is “Facebook for Pastors” by Chris Forbes. Click here to download it from ChurchMarketingCoach.com.
A list of popular online social networks that I use:
Do you have any others that work well for you? Feel free to talk about them when you leave a comment below.
Steve Cullum 