I was listening to the Bob & Tom show on the way to work this morning (don't judge me - it's a family show since they got in trouble for being so vulgar).

Anyway...

They were talking about OCD for some reason today (that's Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder for those who don't know). But that isn't the funny part. Later in the show they read an email or letter from a listener who had this to say about OCD:

I refer to it as CDO. It makes more sense to me this way because at least all the letters are in order...

I worked in the mental health field for years as a therapist (LCSW) so if anyone gets to laugh at that joke it's me.

Application
We laugh because it's funny. But that does NOT mean we actually change it from OCD to CDO. First, that's not the way acronyms work. And second, if you started using CDO to refer to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder no one would understand you!

When it comes to our web strategy we need to recognize this. There's a fine line between doing something because it's funny or cool and doing something because it works and people will understand it.

Case In Point: The Hyperlink
There are a million ways to mess with the look and feel of a hyperlink. We can change the colors, make strange hover states, change the look if visited, use images instead of text, underline or not and even force the look of the cursor.

Depending on the variation we can do all sorts of things. We can make them the most prominent thing on the page, we can make them funny or hide them so people really have no idea what's a link and what isn't. But just because we can do this doesn't mean we should.

Our sites can look like works of art, but if people have to search for the links are we really designing good sites?

The fact is, people have a comfort level with web navigation. The eye searches for hyperlinks in a certain way and we expect certain things to happen when we hover over a link.

If we stray too far from this we'll alienate the very people we want coming to our sites...

Today I spent some time thinking about the way we brainstorm and develop ideas for future web projects. And it occurred to me that we're far from mainstream. But that's NOT a bad thing, in fact it's one of the reasons I love where I'm at.

First, I get to work with incredibly talented and creative people. But more important is the way all of these people function under the bigger influence of the 'culture' that exists at Granger. This is typically referred to as the 'culture of excellence' but I'm not totally convinced this is adequate. The word 'excellence' is only 50% of the story.

The other 50% I would suggest be called the 'culture of innovation.' Which is what I was pondering all day. I mean it's one thing to try and 'innovate' but quite another to be 'innovative' simply because it's part of the culture.

This isn't to say that everything we do at Granger is innovative. We still fall into the trap of thinking inside the box. But more often than not the box gets thrown out the window.

Here are the opposing mindsets in a nutshell (In the Box vs. Innovative):

In the Box Projects created to fix existing problems Do it all Have it all Do it all yourself Make everyone experience you the same way Assume people will figure out how to use your site Assume if it's on your site people will find it Do what everyone else is doing

Innovative Projects created to enhance user experience Do only what is helpful for your audience Strip it down to the bare essentials Partner with really smart people Allow each to experience your site in their own way Assume people will get confused. Make it simple and explain it well Make all information 2-3 clicks away if at all possible Do what everyone else will want to do

This isn't a complete list of course. Just a sampling of the differences I've seen in meetings and brainstorming sessions. Again, we don't have it down to a science, but I love trying to get there. Like I said:

5% Process - 95% Culture...

Big things coming this fall. Hopefully the majority of them will be innovative :)

I'd love to share right now, but it will have to wait a few more weeks...

Important clarification: This post will come across as materialistic. But think about it in terms of ministry impact and keeping up with technology. If we wait until something is tried and true we'll always be playing catch up. It's like saying, "Let's start using DVD's now that the market has fully accepted them." Only to realize that Blu-ray has already secured that market for the near future and we are one step behind.

Being an early adopter has both benefits and drawbacks. On the one hand you are ahead of the curve but you also experience the pain being on the 'bleeding edge.'

That said, let's talk toys and tools:

The Computer: I hear people saying, "Duh! Did he just say computer?" Yes, I did, but I really meant notebook. In today's economy portability is to be desired. Any more there isn't a huge difference between the price of a desktop and that of a notebook. So why not be able to take it with you?

I still love a good desktop with two large monitors for graphic and web design, but the majority of my life resides on the notebook.

I won't get into the Mac vs. PC thing here so I'll leave it at: I love my Dell Latitude D830 for the day-to-day and I'd love to own a MacBookPro for my HD video (iMovie)...

As for what to have on your computer. See below...

The Browser: I've been hopping between IE and Firefox for the past few years but recently switched completely to the Mozilla product: Firefox3 which is amazing. I think what finally persuaded me was the way Mozilla attempts to make your life easier. Sure IE7 has begun to offer add-ons but Firefox was built upon this concept and in my opinion leads the way in this area.

I can't live without the FF3 developer extensions for CSS and XML, the extension that syncs my bookmarks (favorites) between my desktop and laptop and the extension (PicLens) that allows any online photo gallery to become a picture wall that I can easily scroll through without waiting for page refreshes. This along with color picker and measureit tools make developing websites much easier.

The Software/Apps: If you do what I do you can't live without Adobe Products. Of course it hurts to say that given the fact that I was a hard core Macromedia fan. But it's all good now. Whether a graphic artist or a web designer these are almost a non-negotiable. My faves are Dreamweaver, Flash and Fireworks.

You obviously need MS Office 07 with the 'ribbon' menu layout, the cool new smart art feature in Word07, Outlook07's powerful upgrades (still the best all around email tool in my opinion) and OneNote07 which makes taking notes and organizing between notebook and desktop a breeze.

Throw in the following apps (both online and downloadable) and you're golden:

• Blogger: Makes blogging as easy as flossing - for free.
• Bloglines Beta: RSS aggregator that will revolutionize your life! (no, I don't work for them...)
  
• TweetDeck: For managing all your Twitter needs.
• TwitPic: For taking picture on your mobile phone and easily sending them to Twitter (tell people what you are doing in real time) - simplest way to let people immediately 'see' exactly what you are seeing at any given point in time.
• Facebook: Just to remain connected to all your peeps - and to create/send Pieces of Flair...
• Adobe Media Player (AMP): For those of you dabbling in flash video (largely becoming the online standard) you'll need something to watch your FLV files in. Built for the Adobe AIR platform which has some really cool apps. These run on your desktop, but interact as if they were running inside a browser.
  
• SmugMug: Need a place to upload all your favorite pictures for safe keeping and sharability?
• Music: iTunes or the Zune Marketplace. Take your pick. I chose Zune - love the subscription service. I can try anything and everything for one price.
• Digsby: If you need to keep IM, Twitter, Facebook and other accounts organized and in one place.
• SocialThing: Still in beta so you'll have to beg to try it out. But when it goes live it might just take over the world :)

The Camera: I've dabbled with photography over the years but I'm still a little on the 'green' side. I have the Nikon D40x because I like the smaller body style and figured it was a good middle of the road camera for learning on.

But none of that really matters. What does is that it's digital, takes large pictures (8-10 megapixels) and can shoot in RAW/NEF format which gives you crazy control over them in the future. IMPORTANT! If you do this, make sure you have the Adobe Bridge software (ships with some of the larger Adobe packages like Web Premium) which makes these images viewable and allows you to easily edit them.

Storage becomes an issue when you start taking a lot of digital pictures (especially when shooting in the RAW/NEF format). You NEED a backup plan! Mine is currently this:

• Transfer to desktop hard drive
• Copy these to external hard drive
• Upload to SmugMug (easy to share with friends and safe in case the first too solutions crash)
• Delete off camera (SD card)

The Video Camera: Go HD or the future will smack you in the face :)

I recently purchased the Sony HDR-SR11 HD camcorder with 60GB hard drive, 10MP camera and 5.1 surround in an attempt to keep up with the HDTV revolution.

Here's the problem. Not only is analog going away in February 2009, but in the very near future you'll only be able to buy HDTVs. This means all that footage you've shot on the non-HD camcorder (640x480) is going to look bad on the new TV (which wants at least 1280x720).

Better to start shooting now in HD and save those memories on something that will look great in the future. However cost is an issue (most HD camcorders are between $800-$1500).

Another thing to keep in mind is storage space. You thought digital pictures were hard to keep up with - wait until you start taking HD video! I'm still working out the details on that backup plan...

The HDTV: Currently watching Samsung 50" Plasma 720p.

This technology is fast approaching which means I'm trying to get in on the ground floor and ride the elevator. But that means fairly significant costs up front.

Not only are HDTV's expensive ($1000-$4000 for the type 'normal' people would own) but you also have the additional associated costs that come with cable, HDTV programming and a HD DVR (Tivo or equivalent).

However there is nothing like Discovery Channel in HD and playing back your home videos from your HD camcorder will blow you out of the water.

My HDTV doesn't have a network jack, but look for this in the near future. You'll want one as IPTV takes hold. You will be able to watch streaming content from the Internet right on your TV!

The Phones: Want to stay connected to all the other stuff in the palm of your hand? You'll need one of the more complex phones available to day like the Samsung Instinct (pictured), the Motorola Q9, the HTC Mogul or the iPhone to name a few.

These phones not only allow you to talk to people, they also bring all your other work or personal information to you. These sync with exchange servers so your email, calendar and contacts are available on your phone. You can surf the Internet, text, twitter and Facebook all from the phone.Some even have geolocation and navigation features via GPS.

I currently use the Motorola Q9c through Sprint. All the above can be yours for $69.99/mo. on the Simply Everything Plan.

However please use restraint. More people each day are getting into serious car accidents trying to take pictures, talk on the phone and Twitter all simultaneously...

In Summary
This post is a stinking book! Hopefully I broke it up well enough so you could easily find parts that interest you.

Don't be afraid of technology. The majority of the stuff I purchased for personal use, but there is a huge crossover in what I do for the church. From the digital pictures to the HD video we're daily working with the stuff trying to leverage it for His Kingdom.

If Satan is using technology to make things darker - We need to use it to turn up the light.

For the past month or so I've been slowly reading through Dan Roam's latest book The Back Of The Napkin.

It's a great read on simplifying the daunting - making rocket science available to the common man through simple doodles on the back of napkins (assuming that's all you can get your hands on...).

Seems simple enough - but he also describes the science behind the doodles. There are very specific things you draw to get very specific points across.

Who knew there could be a method behind the chicken scratch?

I love the core message:

What's the point in using big words and complicated spreadsheets if no one understands what you're talking about?

So I'm trying to learn from him and apply it in our setting. Here are some places I think it would be helpful:

1. Meetings: On whiteboards and in handouts. Make it simple - not because they can't handle it - but because the more simple and concise it is the more likely it will be that everyone leaves on the same page.
2. Process Documents: Make simple instructions with obvious drawings for maximum impact.
3. Taking Notes: No better way to take notes than to illustrate from time to time. Helps flesh out the concept.
4. For the Office Walls: People think you're smart if they see drawings posted all over your office or cubicle.

Grab the book and see for yourself.

Also - Dan just released downloadable/printable versions of the basic concepts here.

Good stuff!

I recently posted on the importance of filtering your audience feedback - ignoring the majority of it in order to focus on the stuff that is really helpful.

So I thought it might be a good idea to give an example of this: The Arts Information Page on gccwired.com.

The Arts Department was receiving numerous inquiries about songs used/performed on stage during services. Inquiries came via email, phone and personal conversations. So the need was there to centralize this information and cut back on the time spent looking for it for people.

To accomplish this we created the Arts Information Page. It does the following:

1. Becomes a one stop shop for people looking for the arts information from our services
2. In a small way gives back to the featured artists. We typically link directly to the artists or their songs in the iTunes Store - thereby providing free publicity and advertising for them

According to Google Analytics this page was viewed 518 times in the last month. Hopefully the tool is serving it's purpose and people are getting the information they want in a quick and easy way. And I think the Arts Department is happy too...

I killed it. That little widget in the sidebar that used to give updates on the abc show LOST.

Just isn't as fun having it around when there is nothing new about LOST till next season.

Still a great show - just need something new in my sidebar.

This is going to be a very deep and meaningful post.

Actually...no...it isn't.

I was just browsing the web the other day and came across the (PRODUCT)RED website again. I love the campaign and check out the (BLOG)RED blog once and a while to see how things are going.

So while I was there it occurred to me that the website I manage is also capable of having the (RED) campaign applied to it. Very fashionable. Just not true since we don't partner with the (RED) campaign. Not that we wouldn't. It just hasn't come up.

I can hear you already:

He has too much time on his hands...

In this technological day and age there is so much going on. So much to know, keep track of and learn in order to stay 'up-to-date.'

Self Induced Problem
The problem is we create the problem. We don't have to own the digital camera, the Tivo, the HD camcorder, the plasma TV, the car with NavLink or rear DVD system, the iPod/Zune, the portable DVD player, the iPhone/Windows Mobile equivalent, or even the fancy pop up toaster for that matter.

Truth is we love gadgets. We love the fact that there is something new out there that can take a little piece of our daily existence and either make it smaller, faster or more powerful than the previous solution. But in doing so we actually clutter up our lives. When we have 25 devices to do 25 things with 250 page user manuals for each one you can't tell me we are simplifying our lives!

Fact: We probably aren't giving up our gadgets.

So I love it when a company like Apple works their @!*# off to simplify it for us (even though I don't own Apple products at this time).

I knew they had a wide range of solutions in their arsenal but my friend Adam Callender recently introduced me to a new one. He and his wife both own MacBook Pro's and will probably end up with iPhones in the near future. But the cool tool I'm talking about is the Time Capsule.

In essence this one piece of equipment would replace my D-Link router, my external hard drive (that's 1TB worth of external hard drive) and any sort of backup software I purchased to make life easier.

Here are a few of the things it does for you:

• Server grade storage (500GB or 1TB)
  
• Wireless network (5x the performance and 2x the range due to 802.11n)
• Wireless drive sharing
• Wireless print services
• Built in security
  
• Works with iPhone, Apple TV and more...

Amazing! Especially in recent days for me. I now the following products that make backup a nightmare:

• Nikon D40x (10MP stills that produce close to 5MB files per picture in JPEG format)
  
• Sony HDR-SR11 (AVCHD camcorder with 10MP still capability)

At this point I have been dumping it all on the desktop, manually transferring it to an external hard drive and then uploading all images to SmugMug as added backup. If I had the Time Capsule, I would simply download the files to the computer and Time Capsule would pull them over to the external drive in the background. I seriously doubt it would upload them to SmugMug for you but you can't have everything.

In the PC world I'm sure you can put together a solution like this if you know what you are doing. But how cool is it that Apple puts it together for you - allowing you to keep working on that whole simplification thing...

So I was thinking the other day...what would it look like if Mac and PC stopped focusing on their differences and found common ground? If they dated for a while, got married and had a child? What might that look like?

Obviously I assumed it would be a positive thing...

But seriously. I have one foot in both camps. I've used PC's my entire life and yet after using the MacBook Pro a few times I totally see the value in going this route for my music, pictures and AVCHD video.

Unfortunately, that's where my Mac love ends. Try to do my typical daily routine and my blood pressure rises. Replace Outlook with Entourage? Are you kidding? Carry a power cord everywhere I go? Don't think so.

Back to my illustration: If only there were a "Cindy Crawford Solution" to this problem. How cool would it be if I could purchase Mac tools like iMovie, iPhoto and PhotoBooth for my PC? Or Outlook for the Mac? What if all open source and online programs worked as well on the Mac?

I know. I know. Capitalism. Each one needs have a unique niche in order to compete for market share.

Whatever! The browser wars are almost over now that IE is becoming standards compliant. Sure they will continue striving to be number one. But hopefully in feature sets and not obscure functionality.

So couldn't this be a next step? Bill? Steve? Can't we just be friends?

Yes, Twitter is taking over the world - at least the world I live in.

When I first learned about it and saw how people were using it I simply dismissed it as one more thing to check and stay up on. In my world this would mean blogging, reading blogs, managing the Inbox, managing Facebook and now Tweeting? So I wasn't very interested at first.

Then I learned that Twitter would automatically update my Facebook status. So prior to my SXSW trip this year I signed up so I could do Facebook status updates from my MotoQ9c on the fly. This worked well, but was just the beginning. After using it for the week I quickly learned the "power of the tweet."

I'm still a newbie but here are a few of the perceived benefits:

1. Status Updates: Basically what Twitter is, but also able to update your Facebook status remotely from your cellphone.
2. @replies: Simply add "@friendsTwitterUsername" in your tweet and it will show up on that person's page - similar to replying to an email.
3. Instant, Generic Communication: Instead of having to text or email a group of people, you can simply send a tweet and anyone following your Twitter will receive the communication.
4. Share Your Crazy Captures: Couple Twitter with a simple application like TwitPic and you are able to snap a picture on your phone then easily include it in a tweet as a link. One of the fastest ways to communicate a real-time personal experience.

Call it mini-blogging, texting on steroids or just the next version of mass communication. Either way it rocks and has definitely found it's place on my list of tools.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the Great Commission and how that plays out for the Christ follower. I grew up in a traditional church where the highest expectation was church attendance and following the rules. We left "helping people" up to the super Christians we called "missionaries."

Needless to say this created a level of anxiety within me. It was hard enough just trying to be good all the time, much less the thought of becoming a missionary.

To this day I still wrestle with feelings of inadequacy since I'm not directly feeding poor people or traveling to India. I struggle with questions like, "Does my work count?" "Is what I doing fulfilling the Great Commission?"

Luckily I attend a church uniquely positioned to answer this question. You see aside from the traditional, mainstream, middle-America attendee, there are at least three unique populations that we engage both on the weekend and Outside These Walls:

• The Down & Outers (local, regional and international): Granger has developed a local strategy at the Community Center in South Bend. Regional efforts are made in low-income housing projects in Chicago. And partnerships are strong in India where church planters are being resourced multiple times per year.
• The Up & Outers: Wealthy members of our community are in a slightly different boat. They are resourced to the max which typically leads to a sense of entitlement and self importance that makes it difficult for them to see their need for a Saviour. Granger's level of excellence and seeker-sensitive focus create the perfect environment for people in this category.
• The Connected: Social networking and connectedness via the Internet is growing daily. Unfortunately the forms of media, topics and other connecting factors can be less than ideal - the Devil's playground so to speak. Which is exactly why we need to be out there too. We have the ability to bring His light into the dark and depraved places on the web. There is an entire community out there who never leave the house. Their broadband connections just might be the only gateway through which His love can reach them.

Knowing this, what are we to do?

Must I dedicate 33.3% of my time to each area or do I pick one or two of the three and focus all my energy there?

I'm going to frustrate you by saying, "I don't know."

It's easy to rationalize and say, "There are people going to India so I don't need to." But is that the right attitude? Even though I spend countless hours helping The Connected and the The Up & Outers is there more I should be doing?

I mean what if we took 1000 people to India on the next trip? What could we accomplish?

These are the sort of things that run through my head...

Recently got to spend an entire week in South Carolina. North Myrtle Beach is a great place to hang out with friends and family. We stayed in a condo with a couple other families and spent most of our time either poolside or at the beach.

There are some things that you CAN do but SHOULDN'T do because the intent is questionable.

I found yet another example in the web field the other day. I was creating a website for a local company and the owner asked how he could make the site more visible to search engines like Google, Yahoo, Answers, etc.

I began to explain what meta tags were and how he could come up with a list of words for the search engines so they would return the site in searches for those words.

He seemed to understand and then asked how it could be that every time he searched for his store, the competitor came up in the list before him.

A quick "view source" showed us that the competitor had entered my clients company name (word for word) as one of his meta tags.

My Two Choices
Given this turn of events I had the following options:

1. Tell him 'turnabout is fair play' and simply put the competitors name in our meta tag.
2. Use the opportunity to model ethical business practice for my client.

Luckily it was fairly easy to choose option 2. My client agreed that it was low business practice and he wanted nothing to do with it. I can only pray that I would have been so ethical if he had have pushed me to do the opposite.

In Summary
In this upside down world it makes sense to do anything to get one up on the competition. And while you may lose market share due to ethical decision-making I believe God will bless you. If not here and now, in the near future or at the end of it all.

Either way I'd much rather be on this side of the fence...

By the way, there is a slight chance you could be taken to court for this behavior. But this isn't the judge I'd be worried about. Even if you get away with your meta tag mayhem in this life, you will stand before The Judge someday.

We've all heard:

You can't please all the people all the time. But you can please some of the people some of the time.

I was thinking about this in terms of our websites and future changes we choose to make. And it occurred to me that the following is also true:

You can't listen to everyones opinion all the time. But you better listen to someones opinion some of the time.

The truth is: People are always willing to give you their opinions. I hear stuff like this all the time:

• I love what you guys do
• I hate what you guys do
• You really need to do this instead
• If only you had have thought about this more
• I would have done it this way

Because of this, filtering becomes a VERY important skill. You can't just write off what people say. You must sort through the opinions and find the stuff that matters - stuff that has value and can help you grow.

What to Look For (Opinions that Matter)

1. What to do more of: Look for common themes in the stuff people like. If there are a lot of positive statements about the same thing it might help you justify keeping that component or offering on the website. You may also choose to put more time and money into it in the future.
   
2. Constructive criticism/complaints: Criticism/complaints are often a waste of time. But keep a look out for the following: 1) Numerous complaints about the same thing. This might indicate that something really is broken. 2) Complaints from professionals in the field. But only when they offer solutions to the problem they have identified. Some professionals complain just because they think their way is better.
   
3. New solutions: Once and a while you'll get recommendations for newer, more effective solutions than what you are using on your website. Look into these. Often new solutions cut down on maintenance, cost less and offer the user a better experience. Just make sure you aren't betting the farm on a solution that is still in Beta testing. You may wind up with all sorts of headaches as the product matures.

The larger the scope of your ministry, the more correspondence you'll wade through. But with these filters in place you'll actually find much of it useful as you make future web strategy decisions.

The team recently added downloadable video to the product offerings on WiredChurches.com.

It seems like this would be a no-brainer with today's technology but there were definitely some glitches that kept us from doing this long ago. With files from 500MB all the way up to 2GB it isn't like you are making an MP3 available for download. And you also need an eCommerce solution that plays nice with large downloads.

But this aside we're finally able to make them available.

Due in part to an incredible team of dedicated web guru's that worked at it until it became a reality. Here's the rundown:

• Matt: Hosting and ftp solution along with some slick behind the scenes work to make file management and uploading a breeze.
• Jeanna/Lisa/Lindsay: Video acquisition, uploading, product creation, promotion, etc.

I love the fact that I get to brainstorm with these guys and then watch them knock it out of the park. We're in for a good ride in the Communications Department. The team is strong and ready for the next big challenge.