Facebook workshop: Making the most of Facebook

Intro

• Firstly: part of this information and more interesting document on this topic you can find in the following Google drive folder: www.bit.ly/theFBnotes
• The world has changed (with pictures of the Pope with and without phones).
• New words: Selfie (picture of yourself) + Nomophobia (the fear of forgetting to bring your phone with you).
• Show growth of Facebook in diagram.
  Students use FB massively. So when we use it, we might as well make the most of it.

Colossians 4:5 “Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders: make the most of every opportunity”. (NIVUK)

• Those words of the apostle Paul in Colossians are awesome, but also quite challenging; “Every opportunity”.
• Question: do you see FB as such an opportunity?
• Question: are you open to use FB by God? Do you allow Him to do so?
  Why yes/no? How do you feel about this?

Image:

• Question: How do you want to be known on Facebook?
• Write down some words that come to mind that describe how you want to be known on FB. (2 minutes)
• Share these words with each other.
• Keep these words in mind when you are active on FB.

Salt and Light

• Jesus calls us to be the salt and light of the world.
• Question: What is the function of salt? What is the function of light?
• Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and pit under a bow. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (NIVUK)
• You can divide Christians on FB into two groups. There are Christians who keep the lid of their saltshakers very tightly shut. By looking on their activities on FB you would never know whether they are Christians or not. The other group of Christians take the lid off and throw out the whole content at once. It’s an overdoses over Christianity.
  Question: Who recognizes/knows either of them?
• A few examples how I tried to be salt and light on FB.
  (see slides for examples from own timeline)

Question: How was your salt and light level on FB the last few months?

Assignment:
Scroll through your own FB timeline for a few minutes. Check your salt and light level in what you shared with your friends.

• What could be improved?

On FB you can create your own identity. This is tempting because we all want to be liked and likable. It’s not bad to desire that people like you. Just as you decide on what clothes to wear and what haircut you have you can decide on what to share on FB.
But be careful: stay close to yourself. Our FB identity needs to be represent who we truly are. It needs to be genuine. If not, others will notice sooner or later and don’t take you serious.

Quote: Your FB should not only show who you are, but especially whom you are!

How can I be more strategic on Facebook?

1. Add friends like Jesus would
   • Question: Whom would Jesus befriend?
   • Jesus would befriend those people who need him. Matthew 9:12-13 “On hearing this, Jesus said: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are will. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
   • Go through your list and discover how many of your friends are non-Christians. You might be surprised how small this group is. This could be a good opportunity to look for more contact with your non-Christian friends.


2. Create friend groups
   • Go to the Google drive folder for instructions on how to create groups.
   • Question: Who has made a ‘special friends’ group before?
   • It is an ideal opportunity to place specific content for a specific group. If could be difficult to send the same information to a mixed group of Christians and non-Christians. (See slide)
   • Tip: create a Salt & Light group and add all your friends who don’t know the Lord yet.
   • It takes some time to select your friends for that group, but it is worth the effort. (See slide)
   • It helps to pray. Scroll through you ‘salt & light’ with your non-Christian friends and learn what they are interested in and what keeps them busy. It gives you some inspiration for prayer! (See slide)


3. Respond to content of your non-Christian friends
   • Do not only present yourselves; it is good to respond to others as well.
   • Do not only request for attention for likes and responses, but do actively pay attention to their posts and content.
   • Make sure you start conversations; however do not get into an argument!
   • Quote: “FB is not the place to win a discussion, but to provoke a thought”.
   • For example: start a chat session on something you have been reading or that you have seen online in order to get their responses.
   • Just as in real world people draw back when you talk too much. So make sure you ask questions. Start a conversation. LISTEN and ASK QUESTIONS.
   • People feel that they have had a good conversation when they have been able to express themselves a lot. So do apply this.


4. Update your profile
   • Every time you update your profile, the changes appear on the wall of your friends. So update your profile regularly.
   • Put your testimony (story with God) on www.mystory.me and share it.
     Put the link on FB.
   • Put interesting content on your interests. Maybe a good link to a website, a book you have been reading, or a film you have been watching, etc.


5. Do not be annoying
   • Question: What do you find annoying content on somebody else’s wall?
   • Remember the golden rule: What you do not want others do to you, don’t do it to others.
   • Find a balance in the articles you are placing.
   • Regularly scroll through your own posts and draw conclusions on how annoying you have been over the last few months 😉


6. Provoke a thought
   • Place content which provokes people to think. Do not mistake provoking with condemning.
   • Don’t be too narrow-minded. Give your friends an opportunity to reflect and/or respond.


7. Share pictures/photo’s – be concise
   • Sharing pictures generate a much higher engagement compared to only text. (See chart in slide)
   • The longer the text in your post, the less comments you can expect. (See chart in slide)


8. Check your privacy settings
   • Who is authorized to see you content? How open is your page?
   • Respond to this quote: “My page and profile is fully open, because as a Christian I have nothing to hide.”
     Do you agree/disagree? Why?
   
   
9. Go offline!
   • Some people live too far to meet in person but it is likely that you meet many of your friends regularly.
   • Continue your online /engagement/conversations/chat sessions offline. Your FB communication is an ideal source for spiritual conversation starters.

Assignment:

• Go on Facebook and place something intentional in order to be “salt and light” to your group of friends. (5 min)

Close in prayer.

Hand out Tom Ehrich’s blog as inspiration.

Using Facebook Wisely

We need to get beyond our tendency of linear thinking as Christians who want to proclaim the message of the Gospel. We are trained to refine the message, analyse the audience, decide which method to use and… proclaim.

The key points of linear thinking are cause and effect. You cause something to happen, it has an effect, you notice the effect. But this doesn’t happen on Facebook. It is unpredictable, chaotic.

Facebook is more like standing in a gentle rain. In time, people get wet. For one person it takes many drops. Think of your non-Christian friend. Every post he receives from a Christian is a drop of rain. He reads some and doesn’t read others. His eye is caught by photos and headlines. In time he begins to recognise people who have something to say and he pauses to look at those posts.

If the post brings some interesting content rather than trying to argue for or sell God, then the reader opens the link and reads it. But then he moves on to read another post without engaging any further with the good content he just read. This can be maddening to the Christian providing the content, but that’s the way people behave on Facebook.

No one ‘raindrop’ carries much impact. The message emerges over time, as themes, images, personal comments, etc. begin to resonate. You can see why Christians who think in a linear way might find Facebook so unhelpful as a way to proclaim the Gospel.

The best strategy is to: 1) be aggressive in adding non-Christian friends. Think of FB as a mission field. 2) be yourself and be consistent in what you post. You are communicating a brand – your brand, not a church or Christian group. 3) Address topics as a Christian but with humility attached. 4) Don’t get impatient about a quick sale. Just communicate and share content and trust God to handle the getting-wet.

Tom Ehrich