I have spoken to a lot of people over the last year about Social Media. I will admit I dragged my feet, whining and complaining when I started doing the SM thing. I hated the thought of self-promotion and seemingly wasted time on the internet. I had dug my heels in for a long time. "I'm too old to start this", I would say. "I'll just write what is on my heart and see what happens."
Many that I share my new point of view on this issue disagree with my present position on SM, but I've had a change of heart. Why? Because I have words that God gave me to share. This is just my opinion, but here goes...
What if Jesus had just sat on the hill and not said a word. What if his attitude had been, “If people want to know that I’m the Son of God and want to know what I have to say, they can just come find me and ask me.” And what if we as Christians never put on our figurative sandals and walked the earth sharing the gospel?
Not only did Jesus say “come, follow me”, He sent out his disciples to spread the word. He wanted to share the good news of the Father. He knew his time was limited and wanted to tell as many as He could. He used the only thing there was at the time – word of mouth.
The days of people flocking to the library or bookstore to browse the bookshelves to find a great book are dwindling. How shall we then spread the news that we have words that will bless them? Shall we rent billboards to announce our book’s release? How many billboards would it take to reach the masses? The fact is, we have access to a free billboard that reaches the entire world – the internet.
Some may think that if God wants their book to be read that He will somehow make it so. What does God use to do that? A magic wand? I believe He uses other people – people who use the internet and social media. This is how humans connect these days whether we like it or not.
Here is just a bit of information – a small drop in the bucket of statistics about how people communicate now:
Nielsen’s SVP of Media & Advertising Insights and Analytics Radha Subramanyam:
“Nine of the 10 most popular social networks were dominated by women.” “Americans spend almost a quarter of their time online on social networking sites.”
“What is most surprising to us is the rapid adoption, the measurable reach of social media. Four out of five Internet users. One of five minutes spent online. When you have those numbers and see their scale, it’s staggering.”
“The most popular social network as measured by Nielsen online meters is Facebook, followed by Blogger, Tumblr, Twitter and LinkedIn.”
I'm not saying we have to be involved with all these networks, and I might be tarred and feathered for saying this, but it’s possible that if Jesus came today, He just might use social media to reach people for eternal salvation. He would use it to expand His forever family. Maybe we should think of our platform as just expanding our circle of friends and forever family.
Regardless, I have words and the message of hope and mercy burning in my heart. I will do what I must do to reach that one or two or million who need to hear it. Social media? I get weary of it too. But if that’s the way we do it these days, so be it. I guess I’d complain more if I had to walk the earth and talk to people one on one.
Interesting point! As much as I balk at using social media, it does have its perks and uses. I read a good post today on Nathan Bransford's blog about networking for those who don't want to. He made some good points. Good post, thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, Yes I read his post and it was good. A very interesting way to look at SM.
ReplyDeletethanks for the comments!
Oh this is such a sticky one. I really don't like following trends and balked on the whole SM things for quite some time but then I remembered how I did the same thing with getting a cell phone and then texting. It just didn't feel personal and I didn't like how rude it can be. But...I finally got texting in order to talk to my sister who was so busy she could never answer her phone. Our relationship grew and was strengthened by my willingness to go outside my comfort zone. We NEVER talk on the phone but we "talk" all day long now. God has used texting so far be it from me to say he can't use SM.
ReplyDeleteI love to hate it.
Good example Jessie. Thanks for sharing that. It is hard to try new disciplines. Who knows, maybe someday the Internet will blow up and we can all go back to shaking hands and talking face to face. But until then.....
ReplyDeleteThe hardest part about social media and blogging is not knowing who you're reaching. The comment section should be an indication of who's reading, but what happens when no one comments and the analytics say people are visiting. I desire connection, not just a platform, but knocking my head against the wall is not going to get the results I want. So maybe it's not what God wants. It's really not for me to worry about, is it? If I just do what I'm supposed to do, God will do the rest!
ReplyDeleteOh, I so agree about the misleading stats on people visiting your site. I sometimes with that were a better representation of who we are really reaching. And yes, we just do what we are supposed to do and we each have to decide what that is for us. I just want to make sure Im not dropping the ball and expect God to keep it bouncing. I know from experience that when I feel Im banging my head against a wall, I need to go to Him and ask him to reveal the cause of that feeling. Am I doing more than I should or just begrudging the job He has called me to do. It's a fine line I guess. Thanks for some good comments, Gina. I'll tell you too, that I visit your site a lot without commenting :). It's a great site!
ReplyDeleteHi Jan -
ReplyDeleteYou make some excellent points. Social Media takes a lot of time, but where else can you reach such a large audience?
It's good to be back and visiting all my friends. My computer woes are 99% resolved. Yay!
Blessings,
Susan :)
Hi Susan, good to hear from you! Glad to know you are back in business. The thing is we can still get a lot of benefit from SM even from just 15 minutes a day. Internet presence is the wave of the future for sure.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
A good way to look at SM. You are right, we can reach a larger group of people with the good news than ever before and many of them young people. I think I'll stop worrying about getting it perfect and just get started. Though there's much to learn, there's help on every side. I'll keep asking questions and be on the learning curve maybe the rest of my life, Hopefully, we can all encourage each other and share what we know to be true and Who we know that is true. Let's send His love around the world anyway possible.
ReplyDeleteGena Bradford
Excellent post and reasoning. I use SM all the time and know we need to--it's how I met you! I also know that I need to be careful with it too, that it doesn't consume me to the point where I don't write what I should be:) Love your header.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your thoughts on this Jan. I have struggled with this too and finally was convicted to embrace technology as a tool for ministry. Some may use it as a toy but what joy there is to use this tool for His work. God bless you! Hester,
ReplyDelete