Tim Postuma
I work for the CRC as 'web guy'. But that doesn't mean I'm a coder (others are way better at that than me). I'm first and foremost a communicator, so what I love to do is look for ways we can better communicate as a denomination using technology. I get to listen for ideas that are out there, come up with a few of my own, and help them become reality. Examples include the Network website and the Digital Library. I also connect with the web/communications people for each of the CRC ministries. So if you have ideas for how we can better communicate using technology you can feel free to route suggestions through me. We WANT those ideas. I grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba - go, Jets - but now live in Grand Rapids, MI (much to my surprise!). My wonderful wife is a CRC chaplain and we have three kids that keep us plenty busy.
Posted in: Confidentiality
Great reminder, Noah. These are open forums and so elders (and others) need to maintain confidentiality here just as in other venues. If you ever see something that's questionable, hit the "flag as inappropriate" button and it will be immediately removed and queued for review.
Posted in: Synod Webcast - Input?
Thought I'd post a quick update...
We did open up live chat for the Synod webcast this year and, by and large, I think it went well. I winced a couple of times when I saw comments that were more about the person speaking than what they were saying. But those were by far the exception and nobody had to be booted.
For the rest, I think real-time chat helped make watching Synod a more social experience. People connected, discussed real issues, debated some, and also had a bit of fun. The viewership numbers were up, overall, although there's no way to tell how much of that is because of the real-time chat vs. the subject matter of each Synod.
Any other reactions to this year's Synod webcast? Things you liked, didn't like? Suggestions for next year?
Posted in: Using Skype to Communicate
It seems like I've been seeing "via Skype" more and more on the major broadcast networks. Especially in crisis situations (e.g. Haiti) but even for regular interviews. We're thinking of using it to enhance some of our CRC news stories as well.
For real-time video conferencing, I like a combo of video chat for the visual and a plain-old-telephone for audio. At least that's what we use with my kids and their grandma and grandpa :-) Audio blips/delays/echoes are terribly irritating. But if you've got good audio, the video is a sweet bonus.
Posted in: Religious Education
I didn't attend, but noticed this news story that gives some more information about it.
Posted in: Future of crcna.org/Network
You wrote:
The category that you label as Native Americans does not compute here.
Actually, the network is called "Native American - First Nations Churches" which was an attempt to acknowledge exactly the point you made :-)
To your broader point, as someone who has spent plenty of time on both sides of the border I agree that there are distinct differences. But there are also distinct differences between churches by region, size of church, urban/rural/suburban, ministry passion, etc.
I'm sure these differences will play out in conversations across all the networks. At times it will be a challenge, no doubt, but it's also an opportunity to learn from each other. I think that's one of the great things about making this a CRCNA-wide conversation instead of separate US and CDN conversations.
Posted in: Thread Feeds?
Done, as described in this post.
Posted in: Thread Feeds?
Great suggestion, Chad. We did some checking on this and it should be very possible. We'll add it to the roadmap. Hopefully we can get it done in the next few weeks, depending on what we run into. Thanks! Keep the feedback coming.
Posted in: What Should Be Added to This Network?
Randy,
Thanks for joining The Network.
Sheri (the Church Admin Guide) has assembled a wide variety of resources like this, including 14 sample job descriptions. You can read her post about the listing and then follow the link she provides.
Hope this helps. If so, please help spread the word about The Network!
Tim
Posted in: Future of crcna.org/Network
Great question. At this point, I can't see rolling the two sites together because the overlap is fairly small. But I do think the Network site provides a new, more social way to discover and access resources that are housed elsewhere on CRCNA.org.
Having said that, there may be certain situations where the Network eliminates the need for a more traditional 'site'. For example, there's a Faith Formation website that was set up a couple of years ago and, now, a discussion network. The two complement each other nicely, but the next time a situation like that arises it could be that a guided network would be a nice all-in-one solution.
Other thoughts about the connection between the Network and other CRCNA sites?
Posted in: What Should Be Added to This Network?
re: Captcha - Good question, Randy, and one that has me wondering if we should revisit that. I've posted an explanation here that asks for input. Thanks for the feedback!
Posted in: Overtures 3 & 4: Laying Out the Debate
A good reminder, Julia. Thank you. I think we always need to watch:
- What We Discuss - This is a good and important topic to discuss, and completely appropriate for the Synod blog. But, as you point out, we should get as excited about discussing other ministry topics on this site and elsewhere.
- How We Discuss - A surprisingly large number of people watch these discussions (this page has had well over 1,000 views in the first 3 days). General comments like this posted yesterday on Twitter always give me pause, depress me a bit, and then re-convict me on the importance of making the conversation itself a positive witness.
I don't say this as a critique of this particular discussion - which, at least from the portions I've read, I think has been pretty good. I say it as encouragement to keep this discussion going, keep it healthy, and then cruise over to other important ministry topics and discuss them too.
Posted in: Overtures 3 & 4: Laying Out the Debate
Note that the Twitter comments weren't about this thread specifically, but a general reference to comments posted on The Banner and The Network. It's easy to find examples that could fit that perception, and hopefully even easier to find ones that could refute it. But that's not the point. To me, it's a reminder that people are reading and forming opinions based on how we talk with each other, and what we talk about. So let's keep doing it as well as we can.