Mobile Ministry Magazine

A Few More Blogger -Closing Notes

2010-04-30T06:37:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to add a few more notes about what's happening with the site in the coming weeks:

Updates to MMM will happen via Twitter (@mobileminmag) as the site will be moving to WordPress. This will be the case for a few weeks until that move is completed.
The Archives section will appear on the bottom of the page, until that happens, the search buttons at the top and bottom of the page will work towards finding content. Also the Category link is a good resource to search for items here.
MMM will publish via Twitter some updates about its involvement with Digital Disciples in the coming days.
Will be looking for a suitable netbook or notebook to replace a desktop that I have so that MMM can get back into creating some unique content and following through on some research.
Oh, MMM is a full-time gig; look forward to more speaking and appearing at conferences (as budget and travel allows).

So that's the deal with things as it stands right now. There's much that needs to be done, and at teh same time a call to me, and to MMM, that needs to be followed through with. You are invited to come alongside and help us till this digital ground together, and at the same time, if you have a need towards understanding how to engage this story of our Christian faith through this mobile lens, well, this is what we do and would like to help you see similar possibilties. A new adventure begins, and a new chapter to MMM starsts now.

New Design to Close the Blogger Chapter

2010-04-28T17:00:00.000-04:00

As just stated on twitter, MMM has just been through a redesign. This is the 3 major redesign, and probably the 20min minor one :P done since this site was conceived 5 years ago. The importance of this update was to get one last redesign in before moving to another platform - which should have the same design - and to better focus on the mission of Mobile Ministry Magazine (will update the About page hopefully soon).

The New(ish) Mission Statement: Enabling the story and His-story of the Christian faith through a mobile lens.

Its the opinion of this site that how we define and work out living out this Christian faith has signifiantly changed, in part due to the threads that various forms of technology has given us. With this new design and sharpened focus on the story as it comes from you and your engagements with faith and mobile devices, its the hope that this site will keep that story of our faith out front so that present and future generations can see how His story is continuing to be threaded throughout our lives.

The design is based on lessons learned from the Mag+ Concept Video and Project which had been posted some months ago. Some of the core lessons in this video dealt around not making digital content fit older models of reading, but to develop containers for that content which allow digital technology to take a better advantage of how digital tech is being used - specifically with reading devices. Most of MMM has been in long-form blog postings, themed content, and then interactive elements sprinked throughout. Its the hope that attention to the story instead of the various aspects of "chrome" will come to the front, and then using the tools exposed on the site, you'd be able to see just how much can be done when a story is shared.

I am totally sure that there are issues somewhere and with some posts; but being under a tight deadline and with only access to a mobile device, this step was taken to ensure that a move to a new blog/content management system will follow a similar look, but push that interactive story a good bit further.

As usual, comments are welcome and appreciated - and will be answered with a grateful heart.

Wow, Mobile

2010-04-27T22:18:00.002-04:00

Just a short post, but I did want to recommend the M3: Mobile post which was posted over at the the BibleTech Conference Blog. Not because it points to MMM - though that is humbling - but because of what was realized for a country when something as simple as a mobile was considered as part of the toolkit for a pastor.

Such moments leave me personally without many words. I would hope though, that for any who have stories of their own, that they too would find some consolation in the fact that in its right context, mobile tech is one powerful minstry agent.

5 Years, Just Wow

2010-04-25T00:11:00.002-04:00

I've been sitting on the idea of this post for sometime. To be honest, I've really had many times during the past five years where I felt that MMM neded to be let go.

Then tonight, I was visting with some friends, and it hit me just how important it has been for MMM to be here for the past 5 years. Yes, I can make the suggestion that it was needed for all of you who have come here over the years and gained insight towards life at teh intersection of mobile and faith. But really, it was for me to see just how much God values the gifts that we have, and how those gifts are to be used in the Body.

In the course of 5 years, there has been a number of PDAs, smartphones, laptops, and a few tablets that have passed through here. This site has gone through 5 major redesigns, and countless tweaks. Its been on Blogger the entire time, but took nearly 8 months or so for it to find a stable server to call home.

There have been guest posts by journalists, students, pastors, and evangelists. MMM has been noted at teh BBC and ABC. Its seen life on Jaiku, Twitter, Mippin, and Mobify.Me.

There has been reviews of devices, devotionss, themed series, and the content that started it all - the issues.

This has been one heck of a ride. And I know that there are not many websites out there which can say that they have gone for 5 years on no budget. But man, God has shown me and Mobile Ministry Magazine a whole lot of favor.

I owe Sammy at Palm Addict a big thanks for his encouragement to just start this online, and his countless posts letting people know of MMM. Thanks to the host of folks who are represented in the links section - its amazing what your encouragement has meant over the years. And a huge thanks to LJ over at Trailblazin Ministries - dude, I love you in Christ and because of CHrist. THank you immensly for your words of wisdom, encouragement, and straightening up.

Now, there a some people who would say that they saw MMM going this far. There are some who are wondering still how we made it this far. I have no idea except to say that it has been God's grace. A whole lot of grace.

Lord willing, before Blogger's FTP service gets shut down, we'll get another redesign up and then some stuttering of things as the move to another blogging system has been a lot slower than hpoed for. God, I really wish that I could have done a lot of things faster, better, with more clarity of the impacts etc. This site has been one heck of a learning experience, and I hope that for you visiting, reading, or just checking to see if MMM has finally found an editor, that you can understand that we are only moving forward because of the grace afforded to us.

Its been 5 years. And there are over 1700 posts here of stories which talk about life at teh intersection of faith and mobile tech. Wow. Just wow. If God gives this site another decade under my watch, I wonder what the imppacts and stories will look like then.

A new mission statement therefore for MMM: Enabling the story and His-story of the Christian faith through a mobile lens. How this is done has been stated for 5 years, but in this next stage of life for me and this site, we dig into this further. Hope you will come and share your story with us.

Internet Evangelism Day on April 25th

2010-04-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Internet Evangelism Day is an annual focus day for churches. This year, it is scheduled for Sunday April 25. It's an opportunity for any church to explore with its members the exciting opportunities for sharing the good news online. Ready-made free downloads – PowerPoint, video clips, handouts, drama scripts and music can be easily built into a presentation of five minutes or 50.

2010's focus day will be the sixth to be used by churches around the world since the initiative's launch in 2005. Over this period, digital media have developed dramatically, with the advent of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and the growing use of mobile phones to access online services.

IE Day's website is also a one-stop resource covering many subjects including: how to build a church website that is 'outsider friendly', using Twitter in evangelism, and ideas for effective blogging.

Perhaps surprisingly, you do not need to be technical to share your faith online. And you can volunteer to be an email mentor to inquirers with several large online outreach ministries.

Internet Evangelism Day is an initiative of the Internet Evangelism Coalition, based at the Billy Graham Center, Wheaton. It is supported by a wide range of Christian leaders and groups. "I am glad to commend Internet Evangelism Day," says John Stott.

For more information visit the Internet Evangelism Day website.

Post submitted by Internet Evangelism Day

How Has Being (More) Mobile Changed Your Outlook On...

2010-04-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

Much time these days is spent looking at the landscape of internet and mobile and asking about its effects on me personally, spiritually, professionally, etc. Besides the excitement (and financial highs and lows) of seeing mobile evolve, I've also seen my own perceptions and core uses change. How has being more mobile - or even just more aware of what mobile has become around you - changed or challenged your outlook on life personally, professionally, and spiritually?

A Test, A Refreshing Look at "Story"

2010-04-17T23:40:00.005-04:00

It has been a long while since submitting a post to MMM through email to Blogger. but, since its a bit of a cludge to do this via Blogger, and I don't have as neat a blogging widget/WRT app as WordPress has for Symbian, I'm rolling with this method.

The good thing about using email though is that the tone of posts changes a bit. Its not just a blog composition window, its an email window which invites more of an incentive to tell a story.

The idea of "story" is one that has effected the perspective of how the intersection is intrepreted here at MMM since the VSN Conference last September. Mobile has this front row seat in all of our lives because of how close to most of our actions it stands. And at the same time, mobile is this window into the stories of other people: voice, text, images, audio, and video all play their parts. It's through this mobile lens, and really through the method that we use this mobile lens, where this idea of "mobile story" plays out.

MMM hits 5 years old (as a blog) around the 25th of this month. If I can get to a PC, I'll hopefully have the time to make a small effort towards the redesign that will hopefully thrust MMM into the realm of enabling you to better tell, see, touch, and hear the story of our Christian faith with this mobile lens.

No, the site won't change in its mission to be at the intersection - we will just make sure that at the intersection that you use that mobile lens to have something to tell.

Where we go from there probably won't be defined for another half a decade. Then again, if MMM makes it another 5, it really will be a story worth telling, no matter the method its composed.

Side note: posting via email didn't work, had to use the web UI anyways; apologies for formatting issues.

BibleTech Recap #3: Mobile's Christ-Led Encounters

2010-04-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

The third recap article of the BibleTech event centers in on the main presentation by MMM - Mobile's Christ-Led Encounters. First a bit of background:

One of the reasons for speaking on the topic of mobile as a doorway into Christ-led encounters was to deflect some of the attention off of the newness, or the shiny, that mobile has become. Its a truism that mobile has hit some sort of collective consciousness and tons of folks want to know how to use it to better do ministry or be connected with others.

With this in mind, I made a point to reconnect and listen more to what people were asking about mobile - compared to last year at BibleTech where I did more talking. Here are some of the observations:

Using mobile alongside social networks efficiently
Using mobile as an avenue for non-online content
SMS engagement and service strategies
Mobile as a personal broadcasting point
Mobile as a community learning point

There were a few other conversations, but these were some of those pieces of mobile which tended to stick out a good bit.

There were about five presenters total who spoke on mobile directly, with another three or four mentioning mobile as an element to their strategy. By, the time day 2 rolled around, and it was time for MMM's presentation, the ground was set to chat about being Christ-led and mobile enabled.

The presentation can be broken into two parts, the expanse of mobile, and the intention of the believer with mobile. In the first half, I talked about mobile in relation to statistics spoken of last year, along with some global trends. To that end there were 10 characteristics of mobile that were covered:

Communication (voice and text)
Consumption (passive media)
Charging (monetary transactions)
Commercials (targeted and response advertising)
Creation (user generated audio and video content)
Community (social networking)
Cool (fashion and psychology)
Control (telemantics, remote control)
Context (status, location, environment, adaptivity)
Cyber (augmented reality, plants, animals, etc.)

Its within these areas that opportunities for mobile to enable ministry lie. I also made mention to reference the presentation from the previous night as mobile isn't just a technological change, but a cultural one.

And then my phone rang. No. Really. Got a phone call in the middle of the presentation. I had a feeling it would happen. But you know, having your presentation interrupted by an unknown phone number on the projector is kind of funny - and a lot embarrassing. Thanks to the audience for rolling with that one.

Part two of the talk centered more on the believer who takes on mobile as a significant aspect of the great commission. There are a few statements here which are items that will pretty much carry the next (hopefully) 5 years of MMM:

Go. Teach. Disciple.
You disciple with the spirit of God and you maintain the connection with mobile devices. (thanks Vajaah for tweeting this one)

The first point we talked about before. "Go.Teach.Disciple." as a short form of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and as a long form for the impact that we are to have as we engage a culture that is growing increasingly digital and passive.

Therein lies the meat of things with the second point. Yes, there's the big mobile-enabled world out there. And there are a ton of needs. But, without the Spirit of God - aka the Holy Spirit - our deeds are just that, deeds. We effectively bring the living Gospel to others when mobile becomes a handshake to something more than just something shiny.

And that's how the presentation ended. Similar to the VSN Presentation, MMM's encouragement is to use mobile as a handshake towards inviting others to the reality of Christ's passion for them. Whether that's directly in words, or indirectly in creating a cure, this is our mission. And in Christ's leading, mobile becomes one powerful tool on our belt.

As with previous presentations, this one is available for viewing here.

BibleTech Recap #2: Conversations and Networking

2010-04-09T10:00:00.000-04:00

If there's one thing that can be said about BibleTech, its that unique gathering of technical-minded and working believers who have a very vested interest in making sure that anything done with these bits and bytes reflects God's hand in all of our lives. Its only a two day get together, but totally impressive and humbling.

Starting with my running into the Logos team before things got started, until that late night conversation with Logos and Trey Gourley (maker of the in-conference revamped Holy Lamp reading plan site) - conversations were definitely flowing the entire time.

Before highlighting some of the conversations with the presenters, I'd like to point you to Scripture Tunes and PixelPew. The ladies that run these respective sites were just attending so that they could get a better understanding of tech and connect with others in the Body. In my conversations with them, I wasn't just impressed with their hearts for their respective areas of ministry, but in how much that was talked about that they had genuine interest in. These ladies are on the ball even more than us who present.
Side note: am wanting to steal Pixel Pew for her web design services, you should as well.

Then there was an insightful conversation with the folks representing MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship). Let's just say that what they do with planes and ministry isn't just encouraging, but brings back memories of wanting to fly like an eagle. They serve all over the world, and one of them talked about their travels in the South Pacific. I can only say that there's a lot more in terms of information and life sharing that MMM will be doing with them in the future.

Another interesting conversation was had with the person from Interserve. Before BibleTech, I understood how professional services and the persons within them could serve Christ, in that conversation I understood how important that it was that these missionaries, more accurately, these service-supporters of missionary services are very valuable. MMM has a lot more to learn of that area, especially if Inner-Linked is going to become a bit more than just a footnote aspect of MMM's goals.

Getting to those folks who did present. Well, Bob, Drew, Steven, Jonathan, Gabe, Donny (and wife), Aaron (and wife), Neil, Steven, James, Elizabeth, Weston and everyone else whose names I just forgot while typing this - you folks are awesome. I sincerely hope that its not another year before conversing with all of you. Yes, their platforms/presentation were great, but these folks just life a life in Christ that's just one to learn from. It was the interaction with all of you that I personally looked forward to the most and was not disappointed.

Jayson Bradley (from Logos and the guy who set up BibleTech) - you are amazing. I wish we had more time. Thank God for your ears and insights. You did a great job, really great. Make sure that you get a window seat in those new offices now :)

Just as much as the technology is there to bring us together, the theme of the conference seemed to be to not forget the face time as well. And there was a lot of that all around. I even got into a number of conversations with the folks at the Sheraton San Jose where the conference was - great service, solid food, and just a general friendliness that was very nice to have.

So yes, there was a lot of talking going on. And there will be more. We've still got to talk about the main presentation and the other technical snaffu that happened during it. Stay tuned.

YouVersion for the iPad

2010-04-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

Well, if you don't have one (I don't), and haven't paid attention to the news anywhere for the past month or so, then I won't pester you with details. The Apple iPad has been released and folks are in the mist of playing with them. And now, there's a YouVersion application to go along with it. Here are the details from the LifeChurch.tv website:

Apple's revolutionary new device is almost here and we're ready with a brand new YouVersion Bible app designed specifically for the iPad's big, beautiful screen. We've had the chance to play with it in the simulator (since no one has an actual iPad) and we think you're going to love the Bible reading experience.

With the tight deadline and the fact that we've never actually tested the app on a real device, we decided to focus on the Bible reading experience with the first release, but more features and further refinement are already under development and we plan to release new versions quickly over the next few weeks. Some of the features slated for versions 1.1 and 1.2 are syncing with your YouVersion Reading Plans, more social sharing, and YouVersion Live.

No need to wait, check it out at YouVersion and download via iTunes.

ESV iPhone App from Crossway

2010-04-05T10:00:00.001-04:00

Looks like there's a new mobile bible out there for those of you with iPhone and iPod Touch devices. Crossway has released an ESV iPhone App which offers the ability to read, search, note, and highlight verses and passages.

This is a free application and can be downloaded by going to http://mobile.esv.org/ or the iTunes App Store.

The Bible and the iPad

2010-04-04T13:30:00.000-04:00

Matt Miller wrote on his initial experiences using the LifeChurch.tv Bible HD and Logos Bible applications on the Apple iPad (which became available for purchase this weekend. Here's a snippet of what should prove to be an interesting device and perspective towards how mobile has jumped even more into everyday doings:

...My friend Dan Cohen, from Gear Diary, and I were talking a couple of months ago and after that one of my motivations for buying an iPad was to enhance my daily Bible reading and study experience. I have the Bible loaded on my smartphones and the software I use is quite good with the only real issue being the size of the display and now the iPad brings something bigger. I doubt Moses ever dreamed he would see tablets like the iPad, but I believe this new device can offer a compelling Bible reading and study experience so check out a couple applications available now and pack your iPad [electronic tablet] to church this Easter morning...

Check out the rest of the article by Matt, along with his other iPad impressions. And download LifeChurch.tv Bible HD, Logos, and several other iPad applications from iTunes.

BibleTech Recap #1: The First MMM Presentation

2010-04-03T10:00:00.003-04:00

Beginning the recaps of the time at the 2010 BibleTech Conference, I'd like to start with talking some about the first presentation: Mobile in the Next 10yrs (The Churchy Version).

One of the reasons for doing this presentation was to set some of the (needed) perspective to what is clearly in the mind and code snippets of many in the software and publishing industries. This year, there was a lot of talk about mobile (and the iPad) and what it has meant as there's clearly a change in what's possible when not just data is available, but it needs to be constructed to fit contextual situations as well.

For MMM's presentation, these were these five speaking points:

Mobile will be the primary avenue for telling the church's story over the next 10yrs
Mobile increases the church's need to have cross-functional knowledge of culture and context
Censorship and copyright will drive mobile sharing of religious texts to innovative solutions
Mobile will be vilified and affirmed by traditionally-minded church and lay leaders
Education + genuine faith + mobile = education and community redefined (Africa, SE Asia, and Global South)

Aside from a technical glitch (red and yellow are different colors, doh), I believe that it set the stage very well towards what will be better understood not just in respect to Bible software and studies, but how the Body responds to the context of people who get, learn, and assume that information is a commodity.

The last two bullets are better understood in the context of the change of generations and economics. Those who are leaders in spirit and business within the Body need to not just understand these changes, but also (in some cases) adapt to the reality that language, innovation, education, and even enterprise will not start with the former leaders, but those who learned from previous generations/leaders.

The hope was that presentation would set the ground also for the second - and main - presentation. As this was demo night, there was only 10 minutes to present what MMM knows best (Proverbs 4:7-8). I only wish that I had not rushed it - demonstrating any kind of knowledge needs to keep room open for conversation - of which there was a lot of at BibleTech. You can bet that I learned a quick lesson that night, and at the same time gained some insight towards what some in the Body are looking towards mobile for. Suffice to say, there's a lot out there, and excitement of all kinds.

Stay tuned for part two of the MMM BibleTech Recap where some of these meetings and conversations will be talked about. And after that, we'll talk about the main presentation, and some of the changes that it will cause for MMM.

View the presentation: The 5 Areas Where Mobile and the Church Intersect/Mobile in the Next 10 Years (The Churchy Version)

There's some additional conversation about these points over at the Visual Story Network's Mobile Ministry forums.

Update: Katana, Maemo/MeeGo Bible Reader in Alpha

2010-04-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to post a quick update on the Maemo/MeeGo open source Bible reader named Katana. At this point, its in an early alpha phase and is getting still some of the core functionality within it.

Right now, Katana supports the ability to use Bible modules from Sword (user needs to already have them installed on their device), uses the volume control buttons to page up/down, and the initiation of the search feature by simply sliding open the keyboard and beginning to type. Navigating to another Bible is done in the same way search is.

The next features include the ability to download texts from the web (Sword-only, I have put in a request to use Logos' Biblia API which was announced at BibleTech).

You can follow updates towards the development of Katana by following this thread at Talk.Maemo. The project is in need of more (Qt) developers, testers, and any other Bible software companies who are utilizing web services to serve their Biblical content.

As a note: one of the features planned for Katana is to allow users the ability to download a module which would enable the use of a publishers/software service's APIs in a manner that keeps licenses and ethics intact. Consider using Katana as a test bed for this method of delivering your content and encourage a strong open source development community in the process. There's a lot of good that can come to publishers and developers who contribute to this effort, its essentially changing the way users get and use Bible software.

Very important note: to download and use Katana, you would need to enable the extras-devel repository. This repository is for very alpha software and may cause unintended effects to other applications or your device as a whole. The use of the repository is for the testing of applications before they enter the testing repository and undergo more formal testing. Use Katana and this repository at your own risks.

Video: VSN Presentation - 4th Screen Reinvents the 1st Chance

2010-03-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

Woah, didn't know that this was posted. Here's the presentation that I did last September at the Visual Story Network's Leadership Conference (The 4th Screen Reinvents the 1st Chance). As of this writing, I've not seen the video, but yea, am digging the person who's giving it.

Check it out via Vimeo and VSN.

BibleTech Week and Other Ramblings

2010-03-22T10:00:00.001-04:00

Ok, so "ramblings" might not be the best of words. But, it is about where things sit with MMM at this point. And for good reason, this week is the BibleTech Conference and another one of those changing moments for MMM.

First BibleTech, as you know, MMM will be present there. I (Antoine) will be giving a presentation titled Mobile's Christ-Led Encounters. I cannot tell you how man times in the past two months that this presentation has/could have been rewritten - and outright thrown away - but I think that what's been given will be a good step in the right direction towards this intersection of life and mobile/web. There's always a story before, during, and after the intersection.

Logistically, MMM was supposed to be on a new content management system (CMS) by this point - or at least in the testing phase towards a new one. Google has given until May 1st to either go to a custom domain or another host. We'll be going to another CMS, just not quite yet. There's some more homework to be done, but I can say this much - simplicity needs to stand out front.

In terms of needs, MMM is in need of the following items:

A (nearly) local team of mobile-enabled, Christ and community-focused persons
Another 2-3 consistent writing voices on this site
A few folks, from a few churches local and not so local, for spiritual oversight
And someone who does marketing and business development quite well

Those are needs, not wants. Its been nearly 5 years of MMM being a primarily one-person show. And that's great, but the faith that we have is manifested best when we are working as one Body.

At the 5 year anniversary (at the end of April), the vision for MMM will be restated. And hopefully that focus and intent for this little place on the web will be clearer to those of you who have been visiting here for sometime.

Personally, I've been going through a ton of pruning and resetting. There's absolutely nothing normal about some of what's happen. I'm questioning everything and being challenged in the very core aspects of my life. Its not fun, its been pretty painful actually, but my life has been served this time... pruning and purging is happening in spades. I believe that much will happen personally, spiritually, and professionally after this week. I've had that feeling for many months now, and well, by faith I'll watch God do what He does best.

Its a bit of rambling I know, but you (the reader) needs to know where we (MMM) are. I covet your prayers for me (Antoine) and MMM. Stay tuned to more of God's doings, there will be more to this story.

As a programming note: there will be no more posts until after I return from Cali. Until then, stay tuned to Twitter for MMM-styled updates. See ya there, or in the mist of the biggest wedding party eternity has ever seen ;)

Mobile and Offerings

2010-03-20T10:00:00.001-04:00

We've talked about the use of SMS to send money to one another and various places before. But, what about using your mobile device in a physical manner?

Given that many churches use the option of electronic payments from their websites, would it be a stretch to take that to a mobile device? So, instead of there just being a bucket in front of the church, there would be someone holding an iPhone/iPod Touch (owned and tracked by the church) and then using the updated PayPal application, collecting tithes/offerings from those who'd like to transfer funds that way

Sure that might make for a slightly longer time in the offering line, but would be a neat way to use mobile in a context that people recognize, and in many ways exercises more stewardship than checks and credit cards (PayPal won't let you transfer money you don't have).

I like the idea and think it has very far-reaching implications if someone/company/church were innovative enough. But for now, I would love to know if anyone is doing it (or now planning to). Your thoughts?

Mobile Benchmarks 2010: SMS w/Non-Profits

2010-03-18T10:00:00.000-04:00

Given the rise in the understanding how how to use SMS for fund raising, many organizations are now looking at what the impact of SMS activities for non-profits looks like. Thankfully, we've got access to the metrics put together in the first-ever Nonprofit Text Messaging Benchmark Study (sponsored by Mobile Commons and mGive). Composed by Michael Amoruso and Jessica Bosanko of M+R Strategic Services and Katrin Verclas of MobileActive.org, the report "provides benchmarks and metrics by which nonprofit organizations can measure their success with text messaging and illustrate the various ways in which organizations are using text messages." For example:

...According to the Mobile Benchmark study, there are currently over 276 million wireless users in the U.S. and during the first half of 2009, users sent about 740 billion text messages. The report breaks down not only how non-profits can use SMS to interact with supporters, but also releases statistics on how specific organizations fared with their SMS campaigns..

Download the Mobile Benchmarks 2010 and learn more at the Mobile Benchmarks website.

Via Mobile Active

Mobile Access to Bible Stories in 8 Languages for N. India

2010-03-14T10:00:00.001-04:00

Came across this at the Visual Story Network site the other day: Mobile Access to Bible Stories in 8 Languages for Northern India. Essentially, this is a publishing of Bible stories by the New India Evangelistic Association in a format made for those who'd like to read in non-English languages and on their mobile devices.

In India, there are over 1 billion people, with more than half of them using a mobile device. For many, the mobile is their only PC/radio/TV/media device, and therefore, many companies and initiatives work over SMS, MMS, WAP, and (lately) mobile web so that these people aren't missed. These stories are sure to accrue a nice sized following.

To check out these stories, point your browser to http://www.niea.mobi.

The Network Effects of Bible Software

2010-03-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

Wish that MMM could take credit for this line of thought, but really, this is where mobile and web are going. The idea is that the effects of mature networks and platforms are going to turn traditional models of software ownership on its head. Those companies who lead or adapt quickly to this trend will find the business side of the connected economy easier to deal with. Those who wish to lock people into the former model will have a harder time growing marketshare, and might find their content - while the same as a network/platform - diminished in value because it cannot be extended by the user or user communities to draw even more relevance and value from it.

Get your networks/platforms/apps ready, things are changing.

Excerpt from SMS Uprising: Mobile Activism in Africa

2010-03-10T10:00:00.001-05:00

Another great look at mobile use in Africa, this time from the side of mobile enabling social change. Here's a snippet:

Technology in itself does not lead to social change. For change to take place technology needs to be appropriate and rooted in local knowledge. People decide why and how a particular technology will be used and, depending on the political and socio-economic environment in which they live, adapt it accordingly. As we shall see from the case studies in this book, there are considerable local innovations and non-instrumental uses of the phone – using phones in ways not intended, that step outside their technological aspects and which attempt to bypass traditional power structures. Firoze Manji describes this process as ordinary people taking control of their destiny rather than technology driving the change: 'Social change is actually driven not by technologies but by ordinary people being able to exert an authority over their own experience and, through common actions, developing the courage to determine their own destiny.'

Read the rest of the excerpted chapter of SMS Uprising: Mobile Activism in Africa and order the entire book from Pambazuka Press.

Technology, Rising Middle Class, and the Future of Evangelism in Africa

2010-03-08T10:00:00.001-05:00

This is worth the time it would take to read. Not just because of the perspective - and how much it will snap reality into the Western-side of the Body, but in the explanation of Technology, Rising Middle Class, and the Future of Evangelism in Africa in Africa, we can see even more why the mobile lens is so important to understand for its abilities and it implications. Here's a snippet:

...Utilize Africa’s New PC to Preach the Gospel...Rather African Christians had better utilize their "New Mobile Phone PCs" to effectively evangelize and mobilize for the Gospel. I recall a New Testament Teaching Seminar I helped organize in Uganda, Africa about three years ago; much of the mobilization was through Text Messages to the many Phone numbers given to us. Interestingly, we did not need to put up radio advertisements and posters, rather we wrote a few letters inviting Pastors and relied on SMS Text messages to the many individuals who then passed over that information to others...

Read the rest of Technology, Rising Middle Class, and the Future of Evangelism in Africa at Yesu Mulungi.

Histories of One Mobilist

2010-03-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

Given the energy around the recent post about moving MMM to Google Wave, I thought it good to link to a post at my personal site which gives a bit of the history behind me (Antoine) and the technology that's penned a good deal of my life. Key thing to keep in mind, this is just my story, the Body has to enable folks to see this and tell their story and the story of the Gospel within whatever lens is appropriate. How MMM does this is something to be further opened as we get closer to BibleTech.

Discussing the Implications (Part 2)

2010-03-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

Continuing the discussion on the implications of mobile/web technology. Here are some more questions to spark the discussion. Remember, you can answer here or over at Twitter.

How does the globalization of mobile/web effect the perception of community?
Does it matter on a local level where the affluence of mobile/web isn't as felt?
What are the negatives of mobile/web? How do we adjust?
What legislation has helped or hindered the Body's ability to respond to these negative issues, and what are the future challenges?

Ok, that's all that I'll throw out there for now. Let's open the box and come to terms with what is the now of this intersection of faith and mobile tech. And start talking about how we'll address these items.

Discussing the Implications (Part 1)

2010-03-02T10:00:00.002-05:00

After the last post about moving to Google Wave, I thought that it would be good to open the box a bit more as ask the open question about the implications of mobile/web in the Body. I'll throw out a few questions now, and a few more in the next post. Its an open sounding board, so fee free to respond here or via Twitter.

What are some of the implications from the perspective of simply being connected?
What are the good and bad points?
What are the implications on family and social structures? How does the Bible assist in addressing this?
Or, is this something where we'd need to become more knowledgeable in cross-disciplines such as psychology, sociology, etc. so that Bible application is done in light of Biblical truth, not just guesswork?