16 September 2010

Taking the Truth to the 8th Continent

Keynote is all about using innovative resources and creative communication to spark life change. This past year, the door has been blown open for Keynote to pursue ways to take the Gospel to the 8th Continent.

Don't worry. No one has added another physical continent to our current 7 like Pluto has been nixed as a planet. :) The "8th Continent" refers to the Internet and social networking. It is a very real place for those of the "Generation Z". This generation of people were born between the early 1990s and the late 2000s. Their nickname is the "Net Generation" - and they are all about the Internet, social networking, texting, etc... Many parents of these kids are finding it typical to see their child connecting with a friend on Facebook chat, while texting to someone else on their cell phone, all while carrying on a conversation with their parents or someone in the house.

Some research is showing that many of this generation simply aren't leaving Facebook's website. They are finding the answers to questions that they have within the Facebook site.

Interesting.

If the poor and homeless downtown in our city need the Gospel - then we, as the Bride of Christ, need to go to the downtown of our city to connect with them.

If the students on the nearby college campus need the Gospel - then we, as the Bride of Christ, need to go to the nearby college campus to connect with them.

So...........if these teens are connecting with people and looking for their answers on Facebook.com - then we, as the Bride of Christ, need to go to Facebook.com!

And, that's where Keynote comes in! Keynote has created a screencast tutorial that will help you to have life-changing ministry resources like everystudent.com and startingwithgod.com on your Facebook profile page. This video outlines the process necessary to put a Facebook app tab on your Facebook profile page and to help bring some of the answers that Gen Z are searching for to where they are looking: Facebook.

Click here to watch the tutorial.

We'd love for you to leave a comment after you've watched the video to let us know what you think!

15 September 2010

How's Your Digital Footprint?

Our friend, Nick, is on staff with Campus Crusade. He works with Global Media Outreach. His ministry is doing some awesome work in using the Internet to spread the Gospel. Nick recently wrote a great article on digital footprints and why it is important to reflect on our own digital footprints. Click here for a link to the original article or read below:

How's Your Digital Footprint?
by Nick

If you aren’t familiar with the term digital footprint , let me fill you in. Two things make up your digital footprint: the evidence, or traces of your presence that you leave behind while you browse the web, and the number of people connected to you through online social networking communities like Facebook, Twitter, etc.

I’ve been considering my own digital footprint recently. What information is out on the web about me and my family? What should be out there? What needs to be removed…if that’s even possible?

I thought that I’d post a few tips that I’ve come across for you to keep in mind while you’re posting photos of your kids and messaging people with your home address for that upcoming birthday party.

  1. Security is a myth
    -Chris is our Technology security expert here at Global Media Outreach, and he’s a genius. His last job was working for a firm that paid him to hack into some of the largest banks in the world to test their security systems. 100% of the time he was able to break through to the point of being able to access money. In the field of online security, Chris is what we call an expert. According to Chris, being hacked is not a question of “if”, but “when”. So, how do you keep the odds in your favor?
  2. Use Strong Passwords
    -Make passwords strong by using a combination of letters, numbers and characters. Don’t use the same password for all of your accounts. I have a rotation of 3-4 strong passwords that I combine in different combinations, but even that isn’t enough. Password management software will allow you to use ridiculously complicated passwords without having to remember them.
  3. If you don’t want your Mom to see or read it, don’t post it.
    -Everything is available to everyone someday once it is online. Don’t believe me? Refer to #1. So, be careful what you put out there for the world to see.
  4. Know Your Settings
    -Adam Savage, the host of Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel, recently took a photo of his car in front of his house and posted it online. What he didn’t realize is that the photo was geo-tagged, and he had just posted his home address for the world to see. Know the privacy settings on your phone, computer, and social media accounts. It is also good to know how long a company will keep your data in their systems. When they dump it, how is it deleted? This brings me to my next tip:
  5. Take it Slow
    -A lot of the mistakes are made by moving too fast. (Ever send an email that you wish you hadn’t?) Take the time to think through a post or hastily written email. Don’t write things when you’re angry. Also, take the time to browse through your security settings. A lot of talk has been circulating recently about Facebook privacy settings. It only takes a few minutes to keep yourself safe from amateur hackers and prying eyes.
  6. Think About the Children!
    -My kids are cute. The kids in your family are cute too, but think twice before posting those naked baby photos. When your kid runs for President one day, you don’t want his/her chances at becoming the ruler of the free world to be derailed by an embarrassing pic in your Facebook archives. Ours is the first digital generation, and the digital footprints of our kids is beginning to be formed by what we’re doing today. It begins with us posting responsibly, and also teaching our kids digital responsibility. It sounds funny or overbearing to consider when they’re young, but this stuff doesn’t go away. Everything lives forever online.

Some good news!: According to Internet World Stats, the 2 Billionth Internet user will log on in the next few weeks. That means that unless you’re some famous person, from the 2 Billion people online, you probably won’t make it onto most hacker’s radars. But, it is still a good idea to be careful.

What other tips do you think are helpful to share?