Lisa Schmidt over at The Practicing Catholic has posted an in depth interview we did about the Church, new media, evangelism, and raising saints in the digital age.
Question #4: So what advice do you have for parish staff and volunteers excited and eager to implement social media for their parish but face resistance?
First, study. Understand what the resistance is and what dangers truly lurk within the digital world. But also learn how many of these dangers have already been mitigated. For instance, one of the most common concerns I hear is, “What if someone posts vulgar comments on our Facebook page?” The simple answer is that Facebook, along with every other new media tool, allows you to moderate comments before they go ‘live’. So by assigning a trusted person in your parish to be a moderator, you can essentially eliminate that concern.
Second, provide example. It’s tough to resist anything when you see success stories. The Church and New Media book is full of them. Point to the many people converted to Catholicism through blogs and websites or the parishioners who are more closely connected to their parish through interacting on social media sites.
Also, consider asking your parish to do a trial run — maybe for a month or two — and see how things pan out. Sometimes the best way to overcome technological resistance is for someone to see the tool in action.
Read the rest of the interview here.
Next week I’m flying up to Lisa’s own turf, Des Moines, IA, to give several talks on these subjects. The only one open to the public, however is on Wednesday, September 28 at 7:00pm in the Dowling Catholic High School auditorium.
I’ll be speaking on, “Your Family and Cyberspace: Raising Saints in the Digital Age” and the talk will be followed by some Q&A. Find out more information here.