Full Day of E-zekiel Web Training Scheduled for Sept. 30
If you missed the full day of E-zekiel Web training held in April for a sold-out crowd, you’ll have another chance on September 30. That’s when E-zekiel trainer and director of customer services, Dacia Gulledge, will conduct a second E-zekiel training workshop at the Alabama Baptist Convention State Board of Missions building in Montgomery, Alabama.
In three 2-hour sessions, Dacia will show you how to utilize the syndication manager for podcasting, blogging, as well as discuss media options for audio and video such as E-zekiel.tv. You'll also look at the tips and tricks of the pages and panels managers, and explore the management of events (calendar) and forms.
You’ll also have a special Q & A/Lab session if you want more information or to work directly with your site.
A power supply and Wireless internet connection will be available for anyone who wishes to bring a laptop. The first three sessions will be presentation style, although those who have a laptop present will be encouraged to follow along on their own sites. The final session may allow for some individual hands-on time but will depend heavily on the total participant count.
The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. with lunch provided. Click here for more information.
Churches Use Web Videos to Tell Their Stories
Churches have always had a need to tell their own stories to potential visitors – what they believe, what their activities are, what’s their style of service and so forth. Now, they’re doing so with even greater impact through the use of Internet-based video and audio technology.
In fact, E-zekiel.tv offers a category called “Meet My Church” to give churches a video vehicle for visitors to catch a glimpse before an actual visit. You could think of this as a preview. Much like a movie trailer gives something of a movie’s “feel,” it’s not the same as seeing the movie itself. Instead, the trailer’s purpose is to give a sense of what’s going to happen and prompt people to attend to see it for themselves.
Churches are growing in their use of online video not coincidentally as members and prospects are turning to online video more and more.
An ABI Research study from 2008 predicted that the number of people viewing video on the Web would reach at least one billion in 2013. More recently, ComScore released data that showed that nearly 173 million U.S. Internet users watched online videos during January 2010. These Internet users watched 32.4 billion videos during the month, and with an average of 187 videos per viewer, that breaks down to a little more than six online videos a day for each person.
The most recent statistics from Internet World Stats show that there are an estimated 227,719,000 Internet users in the U.S. That would suggest 75 percent of Internet users view videos online. Whatever these numbers mean, one thing’s for sure: there’s a whole lot of video viewing going on. And churches and ministries can be included in this wave for very little investment.
Options for Online Videos
What options are there to upload a welcome video to your church’s site? Possibilities vary by price and production level.
1) Hire a production company to create a video. This could be a pricey option, reaching into the thousands. But there are certainly many talented professionals who can create a quality video that’s unique to your ministry.
2) Produce your own. Your financial investment is one of time and technology, with a broad range of either. You can start with a video camera and computer software, add in a bit of creativity, and get your video online.
3) Purchase a ready-made video. If you’d like to purchase a video that’s already done, that’s easy too. Start with a hosting site, preview and select your video, make your purchase and upload.
Whether you purchase or produce your video, these files can be uploaded to E-zekiel.tv for hosting and delivery. Any churches managing their sites using E-zekiel.com along with the Media manager can upload the file once and have it automatically posted on their own Web site in addition to E-zekiel.tv.
