I’m sure you’re aware of the growing collaborative nature of the internet (see this Wikipedia explanation of Web 2.0). Many ministry sites are leaving behind passive web sites and moving ahead to involve others in ministry using the internet. If you want to change the world using volunteers and/or disciples who are freely contributing to a project, whether or not you plan to use technology to do it, then I recommend you watch this excellent thirteen-minute Ted talk by Clay Shirky, an expert on the social and economic effects of technology.
Some highlights from the talk are:
- People are generous with their time, wanting to share and create,
- The internet allows them to freely contribute content, not just consume,
- People are motivated to add communal and/or civic value to a project,
- The number of people who are able to contribute to projects will grow as more people use technology, and
- We can change the world by supporting and rewarding these people as they work together with us.
Clay Shirky concludes: “Organizations designed around a culture of generosity can achieve incredible effects without an enormous amount of contractual overhead.”
Some examples where this is happening are:
- articles on Wikipedia
- reviews on Amazon.com
- 25+ hours of videos uploaded to YouTube every minute
Thanks for sharing this great talk.
Hi, Russ,
I thought that was a great talk, too, and not just for those interested in eMinistry.
I’m glad I could pass it along to you. Please share the link to the post with others. Thanks!
Sus