LifeChange

iPhone & Computer Tools We'll Use From Africa

One of the highlights from our last adoption from Ethiopia was the interaction with everyone back at home.  This time we hope to do even a better job of providing updates and sending pictures/video back to allow others to share in the journey with us (this assumes we have internet connections which we've been told we will in both Rwanda and Ethiopia.)  Thought I'd share some of the tools we'll use to communicate with everyone back home:

TripIt - this is both a website and application for the iPhone that allows you to upload and get real time updates on your itinerary.  We'll use this to monitor flight delays, weather and our flight time line.  You can see our itinerary here. 

Skype - this is a software application (and also app for the iPhone) that allows you to make phone calls over the internet.  Calls to other Skype users are free and to landlines and cell phones are very cheap.  This is the primary way we plan to call back home as using our cell phone costs $4 per minute!

Twitter - this is how we will provide most of our updates.  We can post updates via either our laptop or text messages.  People can either follow @scotthimes on Twitter or monitor the right side of our adoption blog.  All of our twitter posts also automatically post to my Facebook page.

AudioBoo - this is a iPhone app that lets you record audio updates and post them.  It integrates with Twitter and Facebook so it will show up as a link that people can click on to listen to.  Not sure how much we'll really use this but it's something we'll play around with.  We'll need an wifi connection to upload these updates so it's a little limited.

BrightKite - another iPhone app that integrates with Twitter.  You can 'check-in' and it posts your actual location along with a picture that shows up as a link.  Also shows you interesting locations and other users in the area you are at... not sure there will be many other users in Rwanda or Ethiopia, but we'll see.  Same as AudioBoo, not sure how much it'll get used but something to play with.

Typepad Blog - you most likely are reading this post on my blog.  This is where you can view our Twitter updates (right side), see what time it is in Rwanda (top left) and hopefully we'll be able to post some more detailed updates, photos and videos.

Need to make PDFs? CutePDF Writer

Do you need a way to create PDFs from various programs on your computer like Word, Excel and PowerPoint?  Then checkout CutePDF Writer.  It's FREE and doesn't have an annoying trial period, watermarks, or limited functionality. 

Once you install it just use it like a printer.  Select Print, choose Cute PDF as your printer and then click Print.  It'll ask you the filename and location you want to save the PDF it creates.  Great little utility!

@lifechurchindy's Twitter Feed

Several of you may have noticed the Twitter feed on the left side of Life Church's home page.  Anyone can have their Tweet's posted to the home page, all you have to do is include the word "lifechurchindy" (without the quotes) in your Tweet.  We wanted to provide a community area where people can post their own, unfiltered updates about what is happening at Life Church.

Note sure what Twitter is?  Read this introduction I put together:  html version or pdf version

If you're not a part of the Twitter world I encourage you to check it out... especially if you're a fan of social networking sites like Facebook!

Update:  There is a delay before the Twitter posts show up on the home page.  Sometimes it's a few minutes, sometimes it's a few hours.  Not sure what causes it. 

Life Church on Comcast TV in Central Indiana

Comcast approached us a few months ago about adding Life Church's video content to their On-Demand offerings.  We've been working on the process and you can now watch Life Church each week on TV if you're a Comcast subscriber in central Indiana.  Here's how:

1. Go to your "On-Demand" menu
2. Go to "Get Local"
3. Go to "Religion"
4. Select "Life Church" - you'll then see six weeks worth of content.  The most recent Sunday's message is uploaded there by Wednesday/Thursday of each week.

Top 10 Ways People Use Life Church's Website

Next week I am meeting with a pastor who is planting a church in Brownsburg to help him make a website.  In today's culture a quality and useful website is no longer a bonus, it's something every church needs.  My friend Mike recently sent me this Top 10 Website Features on Church Websites.  It's a good article any church that is designing a website should look at.  Going along this line I thought I'd share the top 10 ways people use our website at Life Church Indianapolis.  This is based on our analytics data from users' experiences.

1. Time & Directions - when and where do we have our Sunday services?
2. What To Expect - gives people an idea of what they'll see on a Sunday morning, includes pictures and a sample of our worship music
3. FAQs - addresses some of the common questions people often have about a church
4. This Week's Message - people watch this most recent Sunday's message from our website
5. Media Library - people either want to listen to a specific message, or get an idea of the topics we talk about on Sundays
6. About Us/Who Are We - addresses our mission and values; talks specifically about us being an outwardly focused church
7. Life Groups - people want to know how they can get plugged in to our community
8. Contact Us - gives people different ways they can contact us and our location
9. Leadership Team - talks about our staff and who leads the church
10. Resources for Churches - we make several of our past message series available for other churches to download for free

One item that is up and coming are the links to our social networking activities:  Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and our weekly updates Google Group RSS feed.  Most of these were added to our website within the last month so we're not sure yet where they will fall in the above list.

Intro to Twitter & Funny Twideo

What better way to end this tweek (Twitter joke) of Twitter posts then with a funny video that makes fun of Twitter, has some good lessons for those that use Twitter, and is really funny.  Before I do that, here is a recap and link of the three Intro to Twitter posts:

• Twitter 101 - What is Twitter and how do I sign-up?
• Twitter 201 - Twitter message types, Twitter 'speak' and etiquette
• Twitter 301 - Some tools to make Twitter more useful and practical

Enjoy this twideo (thanks to @michaelcdean for sending me this):

Twitter 301

This is the third and final post in the Introduction to Twitter series.  Refer to Twitter 101 and Twitter 201 if you're not sure what Twitter really is. 

Today I'm going to point to a few resources that help make Twitter even more useful and easy to use. 

Twitter Search - How do you find people that are talking about topics that interest you?  Twitter Search is the place to do this and more.  The Advanced Search option is really powerful and lets you find people in your area, search by dates, specific people, etc.  http://search.twitter.com/

Twitter Widgets - Do you want to show your Twitter feed on another web site?  Twitter has created some widgets that can be put on MySpace, Facebook, Blogger, Typepad or any other site where you can embed HTML.  http://twitter.com/widgets

Facebook Updates - this is a MUST do for any Twitter user that also uses Facebook.  Download the Twitter app in Facebook to allow Twitter to automatically update your Facebook status.  Once you make a post to Twitter it will also update your Facebook status... if you don't do this you must update both independently which would be a huge hassle!  In Facebook search for the Twitter app.  It's quick and easy to setup.

iPhone Application - If you have a smart phone then getting an application to Tweet with is a must.  I only have an iPhone so I can't speak to other phone platforms.  There are several applications available for the iPhone but I wanted one that was FREE and easy to use.  Twitterrific seems to meet both those requirements and is what I use.  http://iconfactory.com/software/twitterrific

Desktop Application - Using the Twitter webpage isn't very user friendly and gets frustrating after awhile as you can't customize it.  TweetDeck is a quick, simple answer to this problem.  It's a standalone application that runs on your desktop.  It's very easy to use, can work with services other then Twitter (Facebook is being included in their next release), and includes useful tools to help sort tweets, replies and direct messages.  The two features I use most are the ability to shorten a url in TweetDeck and the feature to shorten a tweet you're making if it's too long.  http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta/

Twitter 201

Yesterday we covered some of the basics of Twitter and how to get started.  Today we're going to talk about different message types in Twitter, the Twitter 'language' and some basic Twitter etiquette.

Message Types
There are three types of messages you can send in Twitter:

• Regular Message - this is just a general, public update that goes out to everyone that is following you.  Just type something in the twitter box and press send.
• Reply Message - this is a message that replies to someone specific on your Twitter feed.  The reply is also public so everyone can see your reply.  For example, someone asks a question that you know the answer to so you decide to reply to them.  You designate a reply message by starting it with the person's Twitter screen name  (ex.  @scotthimes is my name)  Here's an example of how someone would reply to me:
           "@scotthimes I know the answer to your question!  It is...."
• Direct Message - this is a private message that goes to a specific person.  You designate a direct message by putting a 'D' at the beginning of your message, followed by a space and the person's screen name.  Here's an example of a direct message:
           "D scotthimes I didn't want anyone else to know this but the answer is..."

Twitter Language
There are a bunch of new terms and words that have popped up around Twitter.  Here are some and a brief explanation so you're not clueless like I was the first week:

• Tweets - these are the individual messages people send out.  Ex. "Thanks for all the tweets today you sent to encourage me."
• Tweeps - some people use this term to refer to those that follow them Ex. "Hello to all my tweeps out there."
• Re-Tweet - Refers to forwarding on or sending out the tweet of someone else while giving them credit.  Designated by "RT"  Ex. "RT @scotthimes McDonalds has BOGO today for their drinks." 
• @ - anytime you see a word started with the "@" sign you know they are referring to a Twitter username Ex. "Check out the new pics at the website of @scotthimes"
• # - A world preceded by the "#" symbol is called a hashtag.  A lot of times people will tweet about an event or topic that others have interest in.  To make it easy to search for and find all the tweets about that event people will put single or multiple hashtags in their tweet  Ex. "Having a great time at the U2 concert #U2 #indianapolis"

Twitter Etiquette
Here are some tips on how to best use Twitter while being courteous to those that you interact with:

• What to Talk About - How you use Twitter is completely up to you.  From personal experience, people that put frequent updates about every little thing they are doing (giving a play by play of their day) are not as interesting to follow as those that give occasional updates and share thoughts/questions/ideas they're thinking about.
• Referring to someone - when you're mentioning someone else that uses Twitter it's good etiquette to use their screen name  Ex. "Thanks @scotthimes for the website recommendation."  This helps others that may want to follow the person you're talking about.
• Re-tweeting - don't just copy someone else's tweet and send it out as your own, that is plagiarism.  Give them credit by re-tweeting.  Ex  "RT @scotthimes  Check out this newspaper article on the fire in Indianapolis today."
• Website Links In Your Tweets - Since you are limited to 140 characters in a tweet you need to use short URL names.  Long ones are also difficult to read and follow.  Websites such as TinyURL will take the URL of a website and shorten it down.  Use something like this instead of including the full URL.

Twitter 101

About six weeks ago I decided to take the plunge and join the Twitter world.  Twitter is the fastest growing social network.  I was totally clueless at first and as I've become a Twitter fan I've realized that most people have no idea what Twitter is.  Over the next few posts I hope to give you a brief introduction and enough of the basics so you can navigate the Twitter world.

What Is Twitter?
Twitter is a way to share brief thoughts and updates on what you're doing.  Each entry must be 140 characters or less.  If you're familiar with Facebook then they're very similiar to Status Updates.  Here is a screen shot from my Twitter feed and some recent updates I made: (click to see a large version of the image)

Why should I use it?
If you like social networking like Facebook or MySpace then you will like Twitter.  Twitter is a way to keep up with those people that you have interest in (family, friends, those in your field of study or work, celebrities, etc.).  I would say that Twitter is a great networking tool, not just social networking!  Not only do you get updates on what people are doing, but people use Twitter to share the following:

• Links to websites/blogs/people that interest them
• Brand or market your business, organization, website, services, etc.
• Answers to questions you may have (for example, the other day I asked a programming question to my followers and received several replies in a matter of minutes)
• News on events in your follower's lives and around the world (in the recent plane crash in the Hudson River, some of the very first communication and updates came through Twitter - way before the regular media was on board)
• Good deals (several times have had people link to sales like a book or CD on Amazon)
• Updates on organizations that interest you (Life Church has started using Twitter to provide real time updates on events and what's going on in our community)

Twitter also has the ability for you to send messages back and forth to a particular individual.  These can either be public so others can read them or private so no one else can see them (we'll talk more about these tomorrow.)

How Do I Sign Up?
It's quick and easy.  Go to www.twitter.com and select a username and password.  Next you will want to click on the "Settings" menu along the top of your webpage and edit your personal information.  I highly recommend you upload a picture of yourself as well.

Next you will click on the "Find People" menu along the top and it gives you several ways to find others on Twitter.  For example you could type my twitter username @scotthimes in and start following me.  The best way to find most of your friends and family is to select "Find on other networks" and enter your email username and password in.  Twitter will then search your email account for email addresses of people also on Twitter, show them to you and give you the option to start following them.

Once you start following people you will quickly get people following you called Followers.  (you can see a few of the people I am following on the right side of the above screen shot)  You can also see who the people you Follow are following and add them to your Twitter network.  Very quickly you can be following a large group of people.

Tomorrow we'll talk more about how to user Twitter and some Twitter etiquette.

LifeChange - a new look

LifeChange is getting a new look after 18 months of existence.  It was way past time for an upgraded look.  I just had been waiting for TypePad to come out with some new themes that I liked.  This is probably the best theme I've seen of theirs.  It goes head-to-head with Wordpress which I have always felt had a better choice of themes. 

I'd love to hear your feedback about the new look.