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More than enough: UMR Communicators Conference shows abundance in the connection Robin Russell, Apr 20, 2009
UMR PHOTOS BY ROBIN RUSSELL
Keynote speaker Tony Pederson, Belo Distinguished Chair of Journalism at SMU, gives attendees some historical context to changes in the journalism industry during the 2009 UMR Communicators Conference.
By Robin Russell Managing Editor
IRVING, Texas—United Methodist and other denominational communicators discovered ways to stretch their resources in economically turbulent times during the 2009 UMR Communicators Conference April 2-3.
More than 40 communicators from churches and conferences across the country came to hear the “loaves and fishes” theme of abundance through connecting with colleagues in presenting the church’s story.
Hosted by UMR Communications, the parent company of the United Methodist Reporter, participants had time for networking with colleagues as well as receiving expert training in topics such as design, marketing, writing, photography and social networking.
Media trends
Keynote speaker Tony Pederson, the Belo Distinguished Chair of Journalism at SMU, shared with communicators the latest in media trends—from television to radio to print products.
Many daily newspapers are suffering today, he said, because of decisions made in the 1990s as the Internet—though “viral, unchecked and freewheeling”—nevertheless became a popular source of news.
First, he said, newspapers gave away their content. “This was a train that left the station in a hurry,” he said of the Internet’s instant accessibility. Publishers also failed to recognize that online advertisers such as Craigslist and Monster.com would drain revenue from their own products.
Secondly, journalists thought the Internet was just another medium that they would need to adjust to. Instead, it instigated “a fundamental change in culture regarding how we receive and absorb information.” News providers are no longer able to maintain a “top-down” business model; information has become broadly accessible to anyone with a computer.
But that doesn’t mean newspapers will go away entirely, he said. They just need a sustainable model. And the marketplace will determine it, whether it’s a niche market similar to denominational publications, or an “a la carte” news product, where consumers pay for the customized news they want.
“In my opinion, newspapers have never been more needed by society and democracy,” said Mr. Pederson, a longtime activist for freedom of press issues. He cited Thomas Jefferson’s insistence that democracy is closely connected to a “free and vibrant press.”
“Thoughtful, investigative, explanatory journalism is still needed,” Mr. Pederson said.
Future communicators
SMU convergence journalism majors Mackenzie Warren and Natalie Stephens presented a “show and tell” on the use of new media—video, Web, broadcast and print—in telling a story.
“We thought we’d be broadcast journalists,” said Ms. Warren, a junior with a minor in human rights, “but the future of technology is moving so fast that you can’t just do one thing anymore.”
Ms. Stephens said her generation of communicators expects to be “backpack journalists,” carrying more tools to cover a story, including a video camera.
They urged communicators to make full use of videos and photos in their products. “Make it as colorful as possible,” said Ms. Stephens, adding that college students today would rather “see it than read it.”
The students shared promotional videos and campus newscasts they had produced, including a feature on megachurches and satellite church locations. As part of their degree, they learn every stage of a newscast.
Ms. Warren also showed clips from a video series she did on human-rights abuses in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for which she condensed 20 hours of footage into several four-minute segments that she can easily post on a blog.
As an intern working in the Houston Chronicle’s Washington bureau, Ms. Warren said she taught other journalists to use a video camera when covering press conferences.
But not all technology is helpful, she added. The “magic map” used by CNN on election night, for instance, was technically interesting, but didn’t really add anything to the evening’s coverage. “Are you showing off your technologies or are you telling your viewers more?” Ms. Warren asked. Stretching resources
UMR Communications CEO Sarah Wilke presented a workshop on “Stretching the Communication Dollar,” urging communicators to calculate their communications investment by comparing their cost to the desired return.
“Make sure everything you do ties back to the mission of your organization,” she said.
Ms. Wilke encouraged communicators to plan out a year’s worth of cover stories for their publications to emphasize the value of the “sacred space” in their publications.
“Your paper is prime real estate,” she said, adding that information on church databases is invaluable for a communicator. “You know your audience better than anyone else. Leverage what you know about who you know.”
With postal rates constantly increasing, communicators also need to “leverage each piece you mail to carry as much information as possible,” and perhaps consider the use of variable data to better reach their target audiences, she said.
Social networking
Popular social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook can help denominational communicators enter the “new town square,” said Andy James in a panel discussion, citing a phrase coined by United Methodist blogger Gavin Richardson.
Rather than time-wasters, communicators should consider these sites as “relational tools” that will help them interact with their readers, whether it’s a senior pastor or a youth group member. The benefits of Twitter or Facebook is that it extends the way church groups can communicate and even help reach new audiences, panel members said.
“Pastors like to be the gatekeepers,” said the Rev. James, an elder in the North Texas Conference and a marketing executive with UMR Communications. “We consider it part of our job to protect the church and keep feathers from getting ruffled a bit. But there’s a huge transference of power in this. No longer do clergy have the key to the gate. Folks, we never really had it.”
In a hands-on workshop, Reporter copy editor Ken Lowery and digital community builder Amy Forbus helped Arkansas Conference editor Heather Hahn set up a Twitter account. Mr. Lowery sent “tweets” throughout the process, and other communicators quickly logged on to “follow” Ms. Hahn’s Twitter activity.
Ms. Forbus praised the speed of Twitter messages over other social networking applications. In one instance, she said, she learned about a clergy member’s death via Twitter an hour before she received a conference e-mail about it.
Church communicators shared other ways they use social networking sites, including posting stories.
“When we do an event, we can do pictures and music with it,” said Russell Martin, worship leader at Williams Memorial UMC in Texarkana, Texas. “My goal is that there will be one piece of information getting out in eight different ways—multiplying the message. It creates a big web of interconnectivity.”
Liz Applegate, director of communications for First UMC in Plano, Texas, said she creates subgroups on Facebook to remind churchgoers of events. “It’s a way to take church out throughout the week,” she said.
The Reporter staff maintains a blog, Twitter account and Facebook page, and are “interacting with readers as never before,” Ms. Forbus said.
Sarah Wilke reminded attendees that the use of social networking is a way of extending the church’s mission because “this thing grows exponentially.”
“You get to swim in the pool with everybody,” she said. “Sometimes we get in a bubble. Everyone knows the vertical of the church, but there’s a horizontal element in the church, too.”
Karen Eddy, a communicator in the Montana-North Wyoming Conference of the United Church of Christ, said: “All the multiple occasions to explore and explain online social networking were tremendously helpful. It was so good to get to see the quickly coming ‘new normal.’”
Shari Goodwin, communications director for the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Okla., agreed that the conference was “very helpful.”
“I got some good information and great inspiration. It'll take me a few weeks to implement some changes, but I'm working on it. Stay tuned!”
UMR PHOTOS BY ROBIN RUSSELL
Future communicators 
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“When we do an event, we can do pictures and music with it,” said Russell Martin, worship leader at Williams Memorial UMC in Texarkana, Texas. “My goal is that there will be one piece of information getting out in eight different ways—multiplying the message. It creates a big web of interconnectivity.” 
