I've been in a number of meetings with my boss Kem Meyer over the past few weeks and for some reason we keep coming back to this concept:

Do we have each others backs?

I love the word picture created when you think of it in terms of an older brother sticking up for his little sister, or a wingman protecting the lead jet. In both scenarios the one being protected is weak in some way. The little sister just because of her age and size and the lead jet because of blind spots and limited firepower.

Similarly, we all have weaknesses and blind spots. If you question this, your blind spot is most likely pride and arrogance.

This is why "team" is so powerful. At Granger, we often hear the phrase:

The team outperforms the individual every time.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do we "have the backs" of those on our immediate teams? For me that's the Communications and Tech Ops teams.
• Do we "have the backs" of those on the greater team? For me this would include the staff members from every department at the church.
• Do we "have the backs" of those serving along side us? For me this refers to volunteers on our teams and those serving in every other area of the church.

Big questions. But necessary for growth, progress and success.

Mashable recently posted on the Top 10 Web Innovations That Have Improved Our Lives.

I love posts like this - not because there provide HUGE revelations to astound us, but because they are simple reminders just how lucky we are to live in a time and age where communication is global, immediate, collaborative and synergistic.

I figured I would just list them here. You can get the specifics about each of them on the Mashable site.

1. Web Browsers
2. Search Engines
3. VoIP
4. RSS
5. Real-Time Stream
6. Peer-to-Peer
7. AJAX
8. Software as a Service (SaaS)
9. eCommerce
10. Wi-fi

I love the inclusive nature of the list and the power that exists in 10 simple bullet points. It's a great time to be alive (and into technology...).

Are you taking advantage of these 10 things in your life or on the websites you manage?

Social networking on the web is THE big thing right now. Don't believe me? Just look at every corporate site you visit these days. Somewhere you will see the words, "Follow us on Twitter" or "Join us on Facebook."

The truth hurts - static websites are simply NOT going to get it done today. Sure you need static content for those that need it, but it's only a small piece of the puzzle now. People want to interact and contribute to the content that's out there.

Enter Global Web Index - a company that seeks to understand the web and its trends - thereby being able to suggest what a successful web strategy might look like.

Global Web Index recently put out a visual piece that is just downright fun to look at. Ever wonder who does what on the web? If so, look no further: Browse the Map of Social Web to see what social web elements we use compared to those in other countries.

One fun fact: Check out how many people in China blog compared to us in the USA! (12.8% in the USA compared to 46% in China).

The rest you'll have to check out for yourself :)

One of the most frequent questions I receive is about how we address copyright issues at Granger.

Here is my summary: Read answer #4

But for more specific answers you should really check out this Webinar being offered by Church Copyright Solutions. They are able to explain it all in plain English.

Date & Time: December 3, from 2-3 p.m. CST.

And the sweet part of it is that you could WIN ONE FREE YEAR of the WorshipCast License for you, your church or organization!

If you've been meaning to look into copyright stuff - there is no better time than tomorrow.