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A Pastor Goes to smAlbany…

July 28, 2010 in Albany with 3 Comments

No, it is not the start to a lame joke, but I served as a panelist at smAlbany. smAlbany is a yearly small business gathering put on by Liberteks.com. This year was the 5th Annual smAlbany Small Business Expo. smAlbany focuses on the technology aspect of networking, business, and career development. I quickly discovered that smAlbany is a pejorative term for Albany, NY – “small-bany” The urban dictionary even has an entry for it.

So how did a pastor end up on a panel for a business expo? Good question. In addition to my blog here, I also blog for the Times Union Newspaper as their protestant religion blogger. Michael Huber, the online content manger, thought it would be a great idea to have me as a panelist on the subject of, “Local Social Media and Your Customers.” In addition to myself, the panel consisted of

Vic Christopher, Assistant General Manager, Tri-City ValleyCats
Merci Miglino, Speaker, trainer, and author
Sonja Stark, Videographer and owner of PilotGirl Productions
Lissa DAquanni, Adjunct Professor and small business owner

As you can see, it is a very eclectic mix of people and professions. I would say the seminar was well attended and provided people loads of information on social media. Alright, enough with the background. You are probably thinking, “What did they talk about?”

Facebook or Facetime?

February 12, 2010 in Transfiguration with 1 Comment

I started using Facebook.com shortly after I entered graduate school in 2003. Facebook is a social networking internet webpage that connects people, organizations, families, and business. Some of my college friends began to use Facebook and I saw it as a way to stay in touch with people. Facebook was confusing. Why I could see everyone’s business: who they talked to, what they posted, what they said, etc… Now, Facebook is ubiquitous. My parents, who are retired, even have a Facebook page!

Facebook is a great way to connect, but have we replaced Facebook with true “facetime?” Have we replaced what we would do with our friends and family with what we should do in person? Have we lost a sense of personal touch with the use of Facebook? A social networking website cannot replace what we experience in real life.

In our scriptures for Sunday, so much is made about “facetime” with God. In the Old Testament lesson, Moses is face to face with God. After the experience, Moses’ face changes. Moses puts a veil over his face to hide it from the Israelites. In our Gospel text, Jesus’ face and complexion change during the Transfiguration.

Why all this attention to the Transfiguration? The Transfiguration is important and Darrell Jodock in the Christian Century explains why:

The Pitfalls of Facebook "Live Feed"

November 17, 2009 in Culture with 57 Comments

I started using Facebook shortly after I entered graduate school in 2003. I was a Myspace user, but often lamented Myspace’s messiness. It was limited. Some of my college friends began to use Facebook and I saw it as a way to stay in touch with people. Facebook looked clean, but it was confusing why I could see everyone’s business: who they talked to, what they posted, what they said, etc… We have seen Facebook evolve from a “college only” website to a global network of all ages. Facebook is ubiquitous. My parents, who are retired, even have a Facebook page! Some bloggers have even commented how “uncool” Facebook has become since so many people are using it. (You are still cool Mom and Dad.)

Facebook has played with the concept of the “news feed” and the “live feed” for sometime. Currently, through the news feed you get the basic updates from people on pictures, posted links, and comments on your profile. The live feed does much more. It documents almost everything you and your friends are doing right now. You can always change what information you share in the Facebook security settings, but things get ridiculous. It can get annoying to see tiny details about your friend’s habits, especially if you have a large friend list.

In getting past the annoying nature of reading every minuet detail of your friends, we fall into the trap of Facebook live feed:

Obama's Presidental Donkey: Watching Our Tongues

September 17, 2009 in Obama with 8 Comments

The saga continues for the Kanye West story, but his time President Obama has unwisely gotten himself involved. (Remember Henry Louis Gates Jr and the Harvard Police?) The President called Kanye West a “jackass” for interrupting the MTV Music awards during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech. You can find the audio of the President’s incident here.

If you want to pass up on the audio, here is the transcript of the event:

“I thought that was really inappropriate. It’s like, she’s getting an award, why are you butting in?” Obama says in the audio clip. “I hear you. I agree with you. The young lady seems like a perfectly nice person. She’s getting her award. What’s he doing up there?”

Someone asks, “Why would he do that?”

Obama groans, comically: “He’s a jackass!”

There’s a nervous explosion of laughter from the others in the room, which Obama immediately reacts to: “Now, now, all this stuff… I’m assuming all this stuff — come on guys, cut the president some slack. I’ve got a lot of other stuff on my plate.”

How did this come about? How could we catch such an unusual Presidential event? Why would a President or any politician say something like that on the off chance of it being recorded? How did someone get a recording of this?

Here’s how:

Facebook's Religious Conundrum

August 31, 2009 in Facebook with 7 Comments

Facebook is a wonderful social networking tool that creates online communities for millions of people. Most begin filling out Facebook’s identity questions: name, sex, hometown, birthday, relationship status, and… religion? With 56% of Americans changing their religion at least once (most before age 24), it presents a difficult challenge for “Facebookers”.

The Washington Post wrote an article about Facebook’s religion conundrum:

Creating a Facebook profile for the first time, Eric Heim hadn’t expected something so serious. Hunched over his laptop, he had whipped through the social network Web site’s questionnaire about his interests, favorite movies and relationship status, typing witty replies wherever possible. But when he reached the little blank box asking for his core beliefs, it stopped him short.

“It’s Facebook. The whole point is to keep it light and playful, you know?” said Heim, 27, a college student…. “But a question like that kind of makes you think.”

The Post reports that 150 million out of 250 million users put something in the religion section on a person’s Facebook page. Some users are hard pressed to find themselves in one religious category: