Glo Bible Partners with Roma Downey and Mark Burnett

Standard | Posted on 4 January, 2012 by Angel

Word from the entertainment world is that superstar-producer Mark Burnett and his wife, Touched by an Angel star Roma Downey, are teaming up with digital Bible maker Glo Bible; and Christian publisher Zondervan (an imprint of HarperCollins) to launch Bible360, “a new app that brings the text of Scripture to life through video, interactive technology and social media.” According to the press release:

Bible360 will build upon Glo Bible’s award-winning digital platform — which incorporates 360-degree virtual tours and animated maps — by adding social features and reading plans. Bible360 will also feature The New International Version (NIV) of the Bible, preloaded by Zondervan. In the future, video from Roma Downey and husband Mark Burnett’s forthcoming HISTORY(R) series about the Bible will be integrated into the app to further enhance the reader’s experience.

Social features include the ability to share Bible verses, photos and snapshots via social networking channels such as Twitter and YouVersion, through the popular Jesus Daily page on Facebook, or through the reader’s own personal social networking platforms. Bible360 is free with a premium upgrade available.

This announcement follows the announcement made in August 2011 that Burnett and Downey are producing a ten-hour series on the Bible for the History Channel. The series will be a docu-drama that will recount several of the Bible’s most important stories using a combination of live action and computer-generated imagery (CGI). The series will be in production this year and will air in 2013.

Thanks to a friend recently giving me an iPad for Christmas, I was able to download Bible 360 last week. I have to wholeheartedly say that I am in love with the application. It provides me with easy access to the Bible wherever I go and not many other Bible apps or software can beat the videos that the Immersion Digital folks have put together. I can easily travel to biblical locations without ever putting my iPad down and having to pack up and head for the airport. I can’t wait to see how the Burnet/Downey partnership with Glo Bible will further enhance an already terrific application. My only suggestion is the addition of a version of the NRSV with apocrypha or the New American Bible. I realize that not all Christian denominations embrace the apocrypha, but as a Catholic and an educator I would love to have easy access to the apocrypha and the Catholic translation so that I can use this application in the classroom. Just a thought. In the meantime, this app is fantastic even without some of the things I miss. Here’s the demo video;

I am also glad to see Roma Downey back in the headlines a few years after her inspiring run as Touched By An Angel‘s Monica. For nine great years she inspired many viewers, including this one. The Bible 360 announcement follows Downey’s press tour for her new DVD series Little Angels–an educational series for preschoolers featuring angels! I hope to have a review of Little Angels here in the near future.

Book Review: The Church and New Media by Brandon Vogt

Standard | Posted on 30 September, 2011 by Angel

The Church and New Media by Brandon Vogt (Our Sunday Visitor, 208 pages, August 3, 2011)

In my line of work it is not uncommon for clients and organizations to want an immediate presence on Facebook and Twitter. Throw in a YouTube or Vimeo channel and anyone can be on the new media bandwagon. The problem is not about getting onto new media sites; the problem is about knowing how to leverage those sites to meet your overall goals. The corporate world easily latched on to the “power” of new media. Name any popular brand and there is no doubt they are on at least one of the more popular sites—making themselves even more accessible to us, the consumers, and allowing us a platform to declare our love or disappointment with their projects. How many times have you heard of a company doing right by a customer because of a Facebook comment? Surprisingly, often enough to know that the world and how we communicate has changed dramatically in the past several years. But, you don’t need me or a book to tell you that.

What has been needed is a primer on social media for those of us working in ministry. I’m not talking about a Dummies or Idiot’s guide. I’m talking about a book that talks about the principles of social media use in an engaging way, while providing a true resource for the Church. For the past few years I’ve searched for relevant resources that I could refer my clients to. I didn’t want Mashable to be one of the only sites to which I referred my clients and colleagues. That’s precisely why Brandon Vogt’s book is a blessing for those of us working in new media, Catholic organizations looking to launch new media campaigns, and to the entire Church. Why? Because Vogt’s book is, in many ways, a primer on new media and the Church and a compilation of a who’s-who of Catholic new media pioneers that are using the technology well and paving the way for the rest of us.

The Catholic Church, nor any institution for that matter, is not immune to the constant shifts in technological advancements and innovation. Modern technology, since its birth, has ushered in new trends and new methods of communication. For the Catholic Church as a whole, advances in social communication have allowed the spread of the Gospel in ways that the apostles could have never imagined as they traveled from community to community teaching and preaching.

Catholics are realizing the benefits of using this new medium of communication and are tapping it to not only express their views but to share their faith in unique ways. Social media is becoming one more way in which the Church is spreading the Gospel of Christ—answering the Gospel call to “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole of creation” (Mk 16:15).

In recent years, the Vatican itself has embraced new media technologies to increase its online presence and reach out to youth. It has also encouraged priests and religious to embrace and utilize the technologies to spread the Gospel.

Vogt’s lineup of writers and resources are Catholic new media experts that are expressing their faith and evangelizing online. These aren’t your average bloggers or new media users. These are tried and tested Catholic new media experts that have faced the challenges of this new age of communication and have emerged as models and mentors for those just getting started. From creating blogs in the early days to embarking on a full-blown pro-life new media campaign, each story shows new media newbies how to get started and how to proceed effectively. What better way to learn than from the mouths of those who have made it work and are continuing to pave the way for other organizations and individuals?

This is one of the best books I have read all year and I am happy to say that, at least online, I have interacted with some of the great folks that are a part of Vogt’s fantastic work. Interested in learning how to build online communities? Lisa Hendey has something to tell you about how she’s brought Catholic moms together. Matthew Warner can tell you about how TweetCatholic has become a directory of Catholic tweeters and flockNote is making it easier for churches to reach out to their parishioners. Interested in utilizing new media for evangelizing to Catholic, non-Catholics, and youth? Take a look at how Fr. Robert Barron’s Word on Fire ministries interacts with and brings knowledge of the Gospel and the Catholic faith to different audiences. Read about Fr. Dwight Longenecker engages in online conversations and discusses apologetics with Catholic and non-Catholics alike. Read about Jennifer Fulwiler, OneBillionStories.com and others that are sharing their faith experiences and conversion stories.

Vogt’s book reminds us that the Church is alive and well online and that hundreds of people are utilizing new media technologies to engage Catholics in a new type of conversation. It is an excellent book for any parish looking to establish an online presence, Catholic groups or organizations looking to boost outreach, or anyone looking to learn how the Church can leverage new media to spread the Gospel. It is definitely a book that I will give as a gift to my fellow new media/social media strategists working in the Church today. Did I mention that Brandon Vogt is donating 100% of royalties to establish school computer labs in the Archdiocese of Mombasa, Kenya? That’s one more reason I recommend this book.

For great resources, visit the book’s website: http://www.churchandnewmedia.com/

Check out Brandon Vogt’s Blog, The Thin Veil: http://www.thinveil.net/

This review appears as part of Patheos.com’s Book Club Roundtable

Pope Benedict XVI Tweets!

Standard | Posted on 28 June, 2011 by Angel

Back in early 2007 as I delved more deeply into the world of social media, I also started a Master’s program in Theology at the University of San Francisco. The second course of the program was a seminar focused on diversity and social justice in the Church. Our final paper assignment was to take a topic of interest and write a research paper that we would then present to the class. I remember reading a few articles, for the class, focused on the new evangelization. Specifically, the articles discussed the growth of the Filipino Catholic community in San Francisco. In fact, all the school I’ve ever attended were mentioned in one of the articles—the same article that got me thinking about methods that, at the time, weren’t considered vital to evangelization. It struck me, at the time, that I had noticed a heavy Catholic (and other Christian and non-Christian religious) presence on sites such as Myspace, YouTube, and Facebook. Lay and religious both were creating pages focused on prayer, saints, or plain networking with others holding the same views and beliefs.

My experience as a digital media consultant and my interest in Catholicism led me to write a 30-page final paper on Catholics and New Media. Writing that paper was risky. My professors weren’t quite sure how much research I could find, I wasn’t quite sure how much research I could find, and my classmates wondered what that had to do with anything we had encountered in class. It had EVERYTHING to do with what we discussed in class and much more. Evangelization cannot be boxed into one medium of communication. In class we discussed that methods of evangelization had changed with the migration of peoples from one country to another. The face of the Catholic Church (and churches of other denominations) is a diverse tapestry of peoples and traditions. Because of that the way we spread the good news has changed as well. There is no one size fits all approach to how we reach the hearts of humanity.

In my paper I discussed the various approaches that the Church has taken towards new methods of communication. It was my belief then that the Vatican would soon incorporate social media into its communication efforts with Catholics worldwide. I had already seen a movement of people online—proud of their faith and ready to share it and defend it. Two years later, in 2009, the Vatican started to utilize social media to reach internet users more effectively.

Today, Pope Benedict XVI tweeted from an iPad and the Vatican launched a new social news site. The Church has come a long way in its social media efforts. Priests, nuns, lay people, and now even the Pope is tweeting and making use of the latest in technological advancement. Christ said to his disciples, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole of creation” (Mk 16:15). With today’s tweet, the continued growth of Catholic presence in new media, and the Church’s embrace of new modes of communication, we’re responding to that call in a new sort of way.

A Social Network Christmas

Standard | Posted on 21 December, 2010 by Angel

Yesterday I posted a very nice take on the Nativity in the digital age. Here’s another great take on the Nativity 2.0. This one is brought to you by the folks over at Igniter Media:

The Digital Story of the Nativity

Standard | Posted on 20 December, 2010 by Angel

Seriously, you need to watch the YouTube video below. What would a 21st century Nativity story look like? Well, everyone would certainly be a little more connected…

How social media, web and mobile tell the story of the Nativity:

Who knew a star (not the Hollywood kind) could have a Twitter account?!

A Jesuit Olive?

Standard | Posted on 2 September, 2010 by Angel

Did the post title catch your interest? If it did, I should probably tell you up front that there is no such thing as a Jesuit olive. There is, however, an olive that knows plenty about Jesuit history, particularly that of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Check it out!

This creative, fun, engaging, and educational video was written, produced, and narrated by Jason Kapell of the Fairfield University Media Center. I think it is fantastic!