What works best for online ministry? Wikis, blogs, social networking,
content management systems - the Internet world has a seemingly endless
assortment of products and services available. This space is intended to
serve as an online laboratory for Internet alchemy. Join us as we play with
platforms and explore ideas together!
EcuLab is an interactive environment for members of Ecunet that will toy with executions,
installations, and gadget recommendations. Server space contributions will
be welcome, expertise solicited, and the joys of simple successes
celebrated.
content management systems - the Internet world has a seemingly endless
assortment of products and services available. This space is intended to
serve as an online laboratory for Internet alchemy. Join us as we play with
platforms and explore ideas together!
EcuLab is an interactive environment for members of Ecunet that will toy with executions,
installations, and gadget recommendations. Server space contributions will
be welcome, expertise solicited, and the joys of simple successes
celebrated.
As of 5/01/08, the following recommendations have been made by the members of EcuLab:
Blogging:
- Faith based examples at http://blogs.elca.org/webdev and http://tanzaniajourney.blogspot.com/
Social Networking:
- Faith based example at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/29958
- EcuLab test platform playspace at http://eculab.ning.com/
- Faith based example at http://rccgcc.ning.com/
Congregation Web site hosting:
- Faith based example at https://faithonline.ctsmemberconnect.net
YouTube:
- Faith based example at http://www.youtube.com/elcavideo
- Faith based example at http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F0DE050D42B65A59
Wikis:
- Faith based examples of a retreat and a pancake supper
Google stuff:
Google Sites: http://sites.google.com/a/bluedrift.com/eculab/Home is the origin of the EcuLab site
Google Docs: http://www.elca.org/feedback is an example of where you can collect data via a Web or e-mail form and the results go directly into the spreadsheet
Listserves and email enabled web based groups:
Podcasting and webcasting:
Contributions welcome!
Other:
nexo.com as a "mashup" sort of site that looks a bit like the sample pages on Google Sites
Standards:
A little about our participants:
Len Mason - Web Developer for the ELCA Churchwide Office in Chicago.
Brian Lang - Ecunet business administrator, founder of OnePlace.com, author of "Making the Internet Family-friendly"
Timothy D. Bonney - Avid Internet user and Macintosh user, moderator on BaptistLife.com
Mark Elsenheimer - Early Geocities adopter, Google group organizer, maintainer of youth group activities at Blogspot, wikispaces and nexo user
Andy James - Ecunet poster child, Google tools fan
Mike Bailey - Software design engineer and technical trainer. Early developer of web based training programs that eventually morphed into early efforts in knowledge mapping. Mike has worked for Microsoft training their Technical Support engineers and in Texas Instruments Defense Systems Group with expertise on the software development process and software process improvement.
Mike Bailey - Software design engineer and technical trainer. Early developer of web based training programs that eventually morphed into early efforts in knowledge mapping. Mike has worked for Microsoft training their Technical Support engineers and in Texas Instruments Defense Systems Group with expertise on the software development process and software process improvement.
Greg Carlson - Presbyterian pastor, 11 years Air Force chaplaincy (Boston, Germany and Albuquerque), and Eastern Oregon. Began with Presbynet in the late 80's and recently returned to Ecunet.
Mark Schowalter - UCC pastor with unique talents in ministry and computers - because of his blindness all his computers talk
Ray Sipe - Second career seminary student who started with home computers back in the days of Commodores. Started using Compuserve with version 1.0 and ran BBSs in the "old" days. His career in a utility-related industry took him into the world of CPM, DOS (from 1.0 - 6.2.2), UNIX.
Houston Hodges - Been on Presbynet/Ecunet since the first day in 1984. Is a Mac fanatic and is generally not a fan of a lot of trendy Internet efforts.
Joelle Colville-Hanson - A widowed ELCA pastor and Facebook fan.
Joelle Colville-Hanson - A widowed ELCA pastor and Facebook fan.
Rob Moore - User of listservs, electronic newsletters, and ELCA synod editor.
Carol Hosler - Partly retired Episcopal priest. Finishing up in an Episcopal/ELCA congregation and being assigned by the Methodists to a pilot project Methodist/Episcopal/ELCA parish. Had a Radio Shack TRS-80 back in the early 80s and tried to keep up since. Has edited webpages in the past. Doesn't understand where people get the time to blog, much less read other people's blogs. Has a MySpace but is concerned they have a prohibition on gray hairs. Interested in church communications in the 21st century. Still not willing to be left in the dust. <g>
Robert Fritch - Lutheran pastor, using church web site and targeted email to connect people with the church he serves. Finds that most important outreach via web is for marriage ministry. Expects to lurk and learn.
Bill Salyers - 75 years old and is toying with the idea of starting his own webpage to expedite sharing with the family and perhaps prayer/Bible study groups. Also interested in a blog.
Bill McWeeny - A somewhat retired PCUSA minister and a member of Ecunet/Presbynet since 1989. His computer experience started with a Timex 1000. then to an Osborne 1 (2 floppy, suitcase-sized 'portable') to Msdos and Windows, with side trips into Commodore Pet and 64. Ecunet has been a much-used resource for preaching,
worship, conversations on a number of timely subjects, but most of all, establishing and maintaining relationships with Christians (and others?) both within the PCUSA and churches in many places in the world. Bill hopes to retain much of the past while exploring what the technology of the present and future.
worship, conversations on a number of timely subjects, but most of all, establishing and maintaining relationships with Christians (and others?) both within the PCUSA and churches in many places in the world. Bill hopes to retain much of the past while exploring what the technology of the present and future.
Paul Edison-Swift - Involved in Ecunet from it's beginnings and have served as Ecunet president for some time. His day-time calling is with the Communication Services unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Earl Janssen - Been around Ecunet since 1987 or 88. Used to use a mailserv list to distribute sermons, distributes sermons on the web, and blogs. Developed a "blogsite" with Typepad including the ability to password protect sections of the blogsite. Facebook has been good to keep up with the younger generation.
Bill Reynolds - From the ELCA South Dakota Synod. Among the many hats he wears as Communications Director is webmeister, e-mail wrangler, and all-around electronic-publishing advocate.