Growing Bigger Ears

What do you think?

“Being privy to this type of exchange and countless other [Facebook interactions] on a daily basis proved to be a very valuable tool for ministry.  What happened to me is an example of what some social media experts call “growing bigger ears”, or using social media to become better informed about constituents and what they care about.  The concept highlights social media’s unique two-way quality. That is, social tools are not intended to simply broadcast a message out into the world. Instead, what separates social media from all other forms that came before it is its unique capacity to facilitate an ongoing, real-time conversation among the people it connects.  Therefore, the value that social media offers to anyone in ministry resides precisely in its capacity to create a feedback loop.

As a ministry tool, the access social networks provide into the lives of our friends and neighbors means we are compelled to see a full picture of them, whether we want to or not.  The insight I got into the lives of my students was often sobering and, sometimes, it even ran counter to the picture of them I had formed from the minimal tidbits of information I gleaned from our brief church-related encounters. But it always prepared me to be a better campus minister.  It made sure that I treated students as individuals and not walking demographic statistics.

The key to harnessing the power of social media for faith communities is understanding the opportunity it gives us to listen before we speak. It is not simply a new way to promote something to an audience. That’s what traditional media does. New media that is social allows us the ability to “eavesdrop” on conversation that provide deep insight into the lives of those with whom we are connected. Therein lies the promise of social media to transform how faith communities connect its members and invite other to participate.”

via techreligious.

Are you growing ‘bigger ears’?  How valuable is Facebook/Twitter in your ministry with people?

Todd