Darren Rowse of ProBlogger recently interviewed Glenn Fleishman, an authority on entrepreneurial blogging. While the interview was primarily about blogging for profit, one portion caught my eye because I think it has application to online ministry.
People want to read and hear a real voice. This is why marketing is doomed to failure. No one believes it except the marketers. Real voices trump canned voices. That’s part of the Cluetrain Manifesto (paraphrased) and it’s why blogs have taken off in all realms.
This is something I think churches and ministries should heed. If we are perceived as trying to manipulate people through slick marketing approaches, our efforts are doomed to failure. Instead, unbelievers want to “read and hear a real voice.” They are looking for authenticity in our online presentations.
What’s the best way to present a “real voice”? Simple, let your people share their stories.
I believe that the internet provides today's church with a historic opportunity .... to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love in ways which could only have been imagined in times past. The objective of this website is to explore the various ways in which today's technology can be used to spread the gospel around the world.
