Watch the Simply Youth Ministry Conference LIVE!
1 Comments Published by Terrace Crawford on 3/2/12 at 7:56 AM.
If you can't join us in Louisville this weekend, I encourage you to watch the LIVE stream of the conference, beginning at 4:30PM later today. You can catch all general sessions plus some action going on between 1-6PM on Saturday and Sunday!
If you're at the conference, I'd love to meet you. I'm doing a few workshops also and would love to see your face. Just look for my name on the infamous "yellow sheet" to get the times and locations.
Labels: Conferences, Media, Resources, social media, Youth Pastors, Youth workers
Vote & Give $ To Youth Workers in Need!
1 Comments Published by Terrace Crawford on 12/12/11 at 1:12 PM.
On Saturday I viewed 18 videos from Youth Workers who entered the huge Christmas Giveaway my friend Tim Schmoyer is doing. Tim asked me to serve as one of the judges. I ended up watching all of the videos in the morning (all of them heart-wrenching stories) and spent time praying throughout the day over each story trying to find someway to narrow the field to just 4 people who deserved a shot at receiving the prize package. This was a tall order... as each person (all 18 persons actually) presented a great need that they had this Christmas. 
Now we've turned things over to you to vote on those (4) final stories and pick the youth worker you think should be given the $1,500+. You may vote for up to two youth workers once per day until December 20, 2011 at 11:59PM. The youth worker who receives the most votes will receive all the money just in time for Christmas.
Here's the thing though... the youth worker can receive even MORE money if you either purchase a copy of Tim Schmoyer's latest ebook "Focused Youth Ministry" or buy a watch from IWontWatch.com (as half of the proceeds from these items will go to the fund!). Click on the videos below ... listen to the stories ... and vote with your heart.
Labels: Church, social media, Youth Pastors, Youth workers
Recently ran across this video courtesy of the creative minds at 12StoneChurch. This is not only a great video but reminds me to tell you that we should be connected on Facebook... just don't break my Facebook.
Labels: Creative, Media, Resources, social media, Straight Up Funny, Videos, Youth Pastors
I feel like I've become a part-time student of social media... and I like it. I do a lot of research (particularly these days) on the subject and because of current projects I'm working on I'll suspect that I'll be blogging more and more on social media.
Recently 2 corporations (Arbitron & Edison Research) decided to collaborate and study how Americans are using Social Media. At Blogworld 2011 Tom Webster ( VP of Edison) released some preliminary data in his talk and I wanted to share with you 8 findings on how Americans use social media that you might find interesting:
1. Social Media's Reach: More than 51% of Americans (ages 12 & up) are on one or more social media platforms today. Over 46 million of those Americans use their social media platforms at least once daily.
2. Demographics: The typical social media user is apparently a 35 year old white (caucasian) woman. Only 43% of men use social media. Other numbers: 64% of caucasians use social media, while only 28% of African American & hispanics combined use it and only 8 percent make up other minorities.
3. Mobile users fueling growth: More than half of social media users are using their smartphones to update their accounts. In fact, 64% of those who use social media use their (smart)phones to update their statuses.
4. Twitter vs. Facebook - 8% of those recently surveyed say they use Twitter, while 51% of users said they had a Facebook. Don't count twitter out... that 8% translates to over 20 million Americans too. Are you on twitter?
5. Location-based services & apps: Only about one third of social media users actually know what location-based services are. You know... Foursquare, GoWalla and the like. The number of users is expected to grow exponentially over the next couple years though!
6. Broadband users: 6 out of 7 American homes have broadband internet access, while 9 out of 10 are online. Wonder how many of those connect (or will connect) through social mediums over the next few years? How are you reaching people who aren't connected through social media?
7. Brands on Social Media: Social Media has really put brands on the map. Because of platforms like Facebook and Twitter, companies have made a ton of money! The question is, how will you leverage it? Recent research shows that 1 in 4 users are following a brand on social media.
8. Facebook is influential: There is research to show that marketing via Facebook (whether business, church, organization) is profitable; however, its not enough. Webster mentioned in his talk that even though Facebook is influential its not enough to persuade the consumer to trust your product or offerings. You must use other social platforms and mediums to connect with your audience.
Labels: Issues, Media, social media
5 Tips to Help Make Your Blog Simple & Slick
2 Comments Published by Terrace Crawford on 4/2/11 at 12:01 PM.
I get asked to critique blogs all the time. While I don't consider myself an expert... I certainly enjoy the work I do and know what has worked for me. If that makes me an expert, I'll take the title.
Today I'll offer 5 tips that I think will help you make your blog simple and slick:
1. Pick a theme: What do you think my primary colors are for my blog? Take a look. I've got 3 primary colors running on my blog. This is something that people notice. Your colors and theme should be consistent on your site.
2. Customize it: Branding yourself is important. One way to do this is by customizing your site in simple, yet slick ways. I started doing this by just customizing my header. Make sure people know WHO they are reading. I visited a blog yesterday and it took me 7 clicks (count 'em - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) clicks to find out WHO was the author\contributer to the blog.
3. Go BIG: If you have 14 different fonts on your blog that's 13 too many. Try to stick with one primary font. Additionally, if you want readers to find your blog easier to read just increase the font size a bit. The font size on my blog use to be so small. Then I learned that people really like larger fonts! Go big or go home. Wait... that doesn't work here. Or does it?
4. Keep it simple: Keep your blog posts short. Don't clutter your site. Use readable fonts. Run with a stripped down layout. These are things that make your blog simple... and simple is best. Recently a well-known leader asked me about my blog. He said of the blogs he reads he likes mine the best. I quickly asked "why?!" (especially after he named off the blogs in his reader). He replied "your blog is simple."
5. Make it slick: My favorite blogs to read are those who mix it up a little. I do this on my blog also. Often you'll read a text post, sometimes you'll view a video, and occasionally you'll see pictures or slick graphics on my blog. Whatever you do... just make sure its organized... and visually appealing. Feel free to mix things up... just remember that slick is the keyword. Make it simple and slick!
Labels: design, social media, Technology
Ran across this site today. It's for anyone who tweets and loves visuals. ;)
Labels: social media, Straight Up Funny, Technology
Coolest Thing I've Seen on Twitter This Week
0 Comments Published by Terrace Crawford on 1/10/11 at 4:51 PM.
Speaking of twitter, this is a clever little online app I ran across that allows you to create a "twitter parade" of all your followers. Go [here]
Labels: social media, Technology, Youth Pastors
If you don't follow me on Twitter, this is the kind of thing you miss...
[LIKE!] my page on Facebook to be a part of the contests this week.
[LIKE!] my page on Facebook to be a part of the contests this week.
Labels: Resources, social media, Youth Pastors
One of the things that led me to accept an editor's role at ChurchLeaders.com was the fact that I knew I would be able to help resource leaders and point them to the best content on the web.
The problem is that I'm not capable of finding everything that is worthy of placement on our site... and that is where YOU come in.
I would like your help in finding great content. If you run across a blog post, video, news article or how-to post that you feel might benefit other youth workers would you please send them my way? If we use what you send us we'll be sure to give you credit.
If you haven't already, be sure to check out the site... and tell other church leaders where they can find the best content on the web.
Go [here] for more info on how you can become a scout and contribute to ChurchLeaders.com.
Labels: Resources, social media, Technology, Youth Pastors, Youth workers
Someone asked me last week if I had ever GOOGLED my name? So I did. Here's what I found...
Labels: Communicating, Personal, Resources, social media
Facebook Will Crush You Like a Little Grape.
2 Comments Published by Terrace Crawford on 5/6/10 at 2:49 PM.
Facebook trumps all other social networking platforms according to a research
study from Business Insider. The platform still crushes Twitter and MySpace, with over 350 million users saying they visit the page at least once a month.
Perhaps the success could be pinned on the Farmville community as we learned this week that the creator is now worth 4 billion dollars? Or maybe its chaulked up to all the ministries that now rely on it for their communication. I recently conducted a poll among youth workers across the US and 90% of them said that Facebook was their primary means of communication with their students.
So what's your preferred platform?
study from Business Insider. The platform still crushes Twitter and MySpace, with over 350 million users saying they visit the page at least once a month.
Perhaps the success could be pinned on the Farmville community as we learned this week that the creator is now worth 4 billion dollars? Or maybe its chaulked up to all the ministries that now rely on it for their communication. I recently conducted a poll among youth workers across the US and 90% of them said that Facebook was their primary means of communication with their students.So what's your preferred platform?
Labels: communication, Culture, Media, social media, Technology, Youth Pastors
Tomorrow I'm going to post my Favorite Things List of 2009... right here @ Terrace Crawford.com. To celebrate the end of the year (and this list...) I thought it would be fun to giveaway some of those items too! How does that sound? Trust me, it's a prize package you'll want to win. I've already done a quick subtotal of many of these items and its valued at over $100.00 already... and I plan to add a few extra things by the time it ships to the winner. It's all to say THANKS for reading TerraceCrawford.com.Let me say, this is the CRAZIEST contest I've cooked up yet too. Here's the deal. This could be the EASIEST contest you've ever won... or it could be the HARDEST. I really don't know how it'll go... but its a real simple formula to score the win. Ready for the details?
Here they are (please read the entire post):
First, you must have a valid twitter account. Second, you must be following me (@terracecrawford). Third, you must tweet about the contest and make sure you reply (or include my twitter name - @terracecrawford AND a link to this post in your tweet) to me so that I can follow your tweet. Finally, you must be the LAST person to tweet about the contest (again, with my twitter name -- @terracecrawford -- AND a link to this post) when it ends tomorrow!
You may only have to tweet once about this contest. You may have to tweet 1,000 times. [ha] It could get crazy up in here...but hey, its worth $100 right? The thing is... I'm not going to tell you WHEN the contest ends. I have chosen a random time tomorrow that the contest will officially end. At that determined time I will check my twitter feed to see WHO the LAST person was to TWEET about the contest. If that is YOU... then YOU WIN! Make sense?
One last thing. You will find SEARCH.TWITTER.COM to be your friend during this contest. Just go there and type "@terracecrawford" to see the most up-to-date replies. This will ensure you know if you are the last person to tweet about the contest or not. But again, no one knows when it ends tomorrow. =) Good luck! The winner will be announced tomorrow evening on twitter and later on the blog.
*Please note the guidelines before entering.
Official Guidelines:
*The sponsor of this promotion\contest is TerraceCrawford.com
*The promotion will begin immediately and will end at the randomly determined time on December 15, 2009.
*The prize is items chosen by Terrace Crawford from his Favorite Things List of 2009. The winner is responsible for contacting the sponsor (Terrace Crawford) after promotion ends and the winner is announced within 14 days to claim prize.
*To enter the promotion, the entrant must have a valid twitter account and follow @terracecrawford. The entrant must also tweet about the contest (or promotion) at least once and must also be the last person to tweet about the contest when it concludes on December 15, 2009.
*One winner will be chosen by the sponsor. Sponsor will post the winner's name to this post. If the winner does not respond within fourteen (14) days, he or she will forfeit the prize.
*No purchase is necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Employees of Sponsor and family members of such employees are not eligible to enter. By participating in this promotion, entrants agree to release and hold harmless sponsor(s) from any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the promotion.
We appreciate any tweeting about this contest! Good luck to all who enter.
Recommended tweet: @terracecrawford is giving away some of his favorite things! http://tinyurl.com/tweettowin
Labels: Marketing, Resources, social media, Youth Pastors
A long time ago someone told me about Deadly Viper. It's an online community that was created by Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite for the purpose of candid conversations about radical integrity and grace among church leaders. They've grown their audience online to thousands and have recently launched something new their calling "the Man-Cave Online: Leadership Manswers with Mike and Jud." I love it! You can check out their live experience tonight [online] at 6PM PST.
Labels: Church, Hot Topics, Issues, Resources, social media, Youth Pastors
Recently I created a Fan Page on Facebook. I did this for a number of reasons. A number of people are doing this... especially those reaching 5,000 friends on their Facebook page. While I don't have 5,000 friends on Facebook I find a few more uses of the fan page over a profile or group. Here is a little comparison I worked up between a fan page and a group:
Pages are generally better for a long-term relationships with your fans, readers or customers. This is the number one reason I created my fan page. People may "friend request" you through your profile page at the mere suggestion by a friend but when they "become a fan" they are taking special interest in what you offer or who you are. Through my fan page I'll be doing something I enjoy -- resourcing and sharing with leaders.
Groups, on the other hand, are generally better for hosting a (quick) active discussion and attracting quick attention. If you'd like to become a fan, click [here]
Pages are generally better for a long-term relationships with your fans, readers or customers. This is the number one reason I created my fan page. People may "friend request" you through your profile page at the mere suggestion by a friend but when they "become a fan" they are taking special interest in what you offer or who you are. Through my fan page I'll be doing something I enjoy -- resourcing and sharing with leaders.
Groups, on the other hand, are generally better for hosting a (quick) active discussion and attracting quick attention. If you'd like to become a fan, click [here]
Labels: Personal, social media
I love twitter. I've met some incredible people (actually, scores of them) on twitter. It's a wonderful place to network. I met Michael Rothermel nearly a year ago when I tuned into a Live YM podcast that my good friend Tim Schmoyer hosts. Michael was the featured guest that day. The dude is a photographer, musician and blogger... and he's only 17 years old. This is a photo I snagged from his gallery.
Michael inspires me. This is one of the reasons I follow him on twitter. I appreciate his craft and the way he is using his talents for the Kingdom. I speak to teens all the time about how they can make a difference in this world -- even at a young age. Michael (to me) is a great example of that.
Michael inspires me. This is one of the reasons I follow him on twitter. I appreciate his craft and the way he is using his talents for the Kingdom. I speak to teens all the time about how they can make a difference in this world -- even at a young age. Michael (to me) is a great example of that. Labels: social media, Students Only, Youth Pastors
