Is Google+ the Next Best Thing for Church Communication?
Written by Rachel Motte // August 1, 2011 // Social // 2 Comments
Everyone is asking: will Google+ become the next best social media destination, or merely another noisemaker in the virtual cacophony of tweets and status updates?
No one knows yet, but here are a few Google+ pros and cons to think about:
PROS:
- The most unique aspect of Google+ is the ability to arrange your contacts into “Circles.” Circles help you classify people according to real-life relationships. For example, not all your online connections are actually your friends. Some are acquaintances, some are business contacts, and others may be people you’ve never met but would like to follow. Google+ lets you put people in the most accurate Circles, and gives you complete control over which of these circles sees your status updates. This is perfect for those who want to, say, share family pictures with close friends but not with business associates.
- Google+ tries to combine the best features of Facebook and Twitter in a clean, easy-to-use interface. So far, it seems to have succeeded. Most of us already use other Google applications like Gmail and Google Reader, and their integration into the site makes it easy to switch back and forth between applications.
- Some have complained that the new site doesn’t play well with others (you can’t automatically update Facebook or Twitter from Google+, or vice versa; it’s a self-contained system), but this may turn out to be a feature. It’s supposed to be a social network, after all. If too much content is driven by automatic updates, you’ll have a lot of (noisy!) content and not very many actual people.
- Google+ looks set to become a viable alternative to Facebook. That’s good news for those whose concerns about Facebook’s confusing privacy controls. It’s also good news given that Facebook’s marketing director has said that internet anonymity “has to go away.”
CONS:
- Google comes with its own set of privacy concerns. App integration is convenient, but is it prudent to give one company access to so much information? That’s certainly something to consider.
- Don’t take down your Facebook page yet, because churches can’t join Google+ just yet; only individuals can participate. If your church wants to interact with people on Google+, it’ll have to do so through individuals, and not all church staffers will feel comfortable devoting their personal accounts to ministry work.
- Google+ is still brand new, and there are still some bugs to be worked out. It is in Beta testing, after all, and since membership is by invitation only, your audience is limited.
If you do decide to move your online ministry into Google+, here are a few features you may find helpful:
Why is the Circles feature so important to you as a church leader? Because it streamlines who you communicate with and the way you do it. Instead of choosing between an e-mail, a blog post, or a tweet, you now have one place to communicate and an easy way to get the word out. The following has been observed:
- If you address something to a single person, it’s like you’ve written an e-mail or note;
- If you address something to a Circle, such as church members, it’s like you’ve written an open letter or newsletter;
- If you address something to a group of selected Circles, it’s like you’ve tweeted;
- If you address something to Public, it’s like a blog post everyone can enjoy.
What do you think? Should your church work on creating a Google+ presence, or should you stick to your current social media platforms? Here’s a helpful video from Google:
Other articles on Google + for churches:
Rachel Motte is a freelance writer and former church administrator. Her worked has appeared at CNN.com, the Daily Caller, the New Ledger, evangelicaloutpost.com, and ChurchTechToday.com.
