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Cross-training: Toning up communication through print, digital media Robin Russell, Mar 15, 2010
UMR PHOTOS BY ROBIN RUSSELL
Church and conference communicators participate in a workshop focused on managing the stress of their jobs.
By Robin Russell Managing Editor
IRVING, Texas—If you’re reading this in print, you may have missed the original conversation via Twitter. Then again, you may just want to see it in context, with the legitimacy that comes from being vetted by “mainstream media.”
So said the participants in the 2010 UMR Communicators Conference, who touted the benefits of both digital and print media in communicating with church members as well as reaching new audiences.
With “Cross-Training: Fit for the Challenge” as the theme, the March 3-5 conference drew 45 church and conference communicators to the Dallas area from across the country.
Keynote speaker Ruby Sinreich, director of new media strategy at the innovative HASTAC consortium (hastac.org), shared network-building and social network analysis tips to help reach the Millennial generation.
New media
Most newspapers have not evolved to keep up with a new hunger for interaction among readers, said Ms. Sinreich. Quoting New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen, she said “the people formerly known as the audience” expect to have a voice in the conversation.
“There’s a new media landscape. The Internet has changed the terms,” she said.
Social networking sites are not just for kids, she added. Surveys show that almost 40 percent of adults over 65 are online now. People no longer want to passively receive information; they want to engage in it, she said.
“I think you’ll want to do this more and more, or people will find you irrelevant,” Ms. Sinreich said.
It doesn’t pay to worry about getting in on the “next big thing” in communication technology, she said, because things are changing so fast. Instead, communicators should concentrate on building networks of readers and followers, and then empower them to communicate more effectively among one another.
“People like to do things together, but we don’t like to be told what to do,” she said.
Communicators can use online tools like Twitter to help networks of like-minded people “swarm”—begin to talk in their own language and “move without marching orders.” But the communication network needs to be in place first.
And to be effective, these networks must have strong social ties; a common story with shared values; a dense communication grid; shared resources such as skills, expertise and data; and an awareness of the network.
“There’s a real ethos of openness that says sharing is better,” she said, citing knowledge-sharing Internet sites like Wikipedia and open source software that are free.
During her sessions, conference participants set up a simultaneous conversation via Twitter (using the hash tag #UMR10). “Glad 2 hear perspective from outside church. Ruby rocks!” one communicator wrote.
Multiple platforms
Martha Taylor, director of communications for the Arkansas Conference, and staff members Patrick Shownes and Heather Hahn described how a survey of readers helped them determine how to expand into digital media.
Communicators should not assume that digital products appeal only to younger generations, Ms. Taylor said. In their conference survey, people aged 50-54 were the top users of new media.
“Surprisingly, it’s not the Millennials who want the digital versions, it’s the Boomers,” she said.
Gavin Richardson, a social media expert and youth pastor at First United Methodist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., moderated sessions on building community for new and core demographics.
While bloggers and those who use Twitter or Facebook can push out information quickly, they lack the credibility of traditional journalism, he said. New media users are particularly thrilled, he added, when “mainstream media” reprint their work. “I guarantee you, it’s like scratching the back of a dog,” Mr. Richardson said.
He pointed out that Twitter or Facebook can be effective for “crowdsourcing,” or drawing sources to the publication. He solicited discussion questions from attendees via text messaging or “tweets.”
Digital communication may not yet provide a return on investment, he said, but it does provide a “return on voice” by enabling participants to help shape the discussion.
It’s not dead yet
John Greenberger, chief financial officer for UMR Communications, reminded participants of a two-fold goal for denominational communication: “Create a sense of community and move the church’s objective forward.”
The challenge, he said, lies in the multiple constituencies (and expectations of each) within a conference publication’s readers, along with budget constraints and not enough staff.
Churches, for instance, must communicate with at least five generations: from traditionalists, to Baby Boomers, to Gen X, Millennials and now Generation Z. And internal audiences include the bishop, cabinet and clergy.
United Methodists still communicate through print through bulletins, inserts, flyers and brochures, postcards, newspapers and newsletters. But they also communicate verbally through pulpit and Sunday school announcements, and electronically through e-mail, Web site, texting, Facebook pages, blogs, Twitter and podcasts.
“Print is decreasing, but it will never kick the bucket,” Mr. Greenberger said. “Print has its place that you cannot ignore. Web sites have limited use. I go to my church’s Web site every four or five weeks. What do I rely on? I get my church newsletter.”
He cited studies that show 43 percent still read paper news every day, and 25 percent use print exclusively. So a church or conference that drops print entirely is missing nearly half of its core demographic.
Regardless of communication tools that are used, tracking results is critical, he said. “You can’t manage if you can’t measure.”
Other workshops included:
· Social Media. A panel of experts gave their best training tips: interact regularly to build community on own page and others’; show personality and authenticity; and know your audience.
· Photography. Professional photographer Art Russell offered remedies for common problems, including balancing ambient lighting with a special flash cover and following the “three Ps of podium shots: position, persistence and patience.”
· Increasing Revenue. UMR advertising manager Cherrie Graham outlined ways to increase subscriptions, advertising and donations, and ways to save on current expenses.
· Editing. UMR staff writer Mary Jacobs talked about ways to improve writing, including cutting jargon and avoiding acronyms. “Think about the person who’s only been coming to church for a few weeks. Acronyms are not very welcoming. Our doors are not open when our words are closed.”
· Stress Management. Dallas-based life coach Elaine Morris reminded communicators to take time to recharge. “We don’t give ourselves much space to do that.”
UMR PHOTOS BY ROBIN RUSSELL.jpg)
“People like to do things together, but we don’t like to be told what to do,” she said. 
Gavin Richardson, a social media expert and youth pastor at First United Methodist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., moderated sessions on building community for new and core demographics. 
