remember that name

In ministry, a personal touch is always a must. One of the best ways to remain personal and authentic is to remember names. Last week, a second time visitor showed up at an event. “Hello Katie”, I greeted her. “My name is Emily” she replied. I was embarrassed and a little red faced. Katie was her sister, so at least I had the right family. But a much better impression would be made with a correct name. I recently read an article that had a few great tips about remembering names.

The five steps to remembering names:

1. Pay attention when you are introduced to someone. A few minutes after you meet the person, say his or her name to yourself again. If you have forgotten it, talk to the person again and ask for the name.

2. Write down the new name three times while picturing the person's face; do this as soon as possible after meeting someone.

3. Ask how to spell a difficult name, or glance at the spelling on the person's business card, if it's offered. If you know the spelling of a word and can picture it in your mind, you'll remember it better.

4. Connect a name to a common word you will remember. For example, the name Salazar could sound like 'salamander,' 'bazaar' or 'sell a jar.'

5. Make a connection to the person's hobby or employment. 'Bill the pill' might help you remember the name of your pharmacist, for example.

These tips may take a little extra effort, but can really pay off.

http://www.ehow.com/how_1986_remember-names.html

basecamp

In ministry, one of the key tasks is working with teams. If you are not working with teams, you are probably not as effective as you should be. Team ministry is rewarding, efficient, and essential. However, the challenge many times is collaboration. Email and phone calls have become the way to share information, but are certainly not the most effective. Email gets piled up and disorganized faster than most would like. And unless you are taking notes, phone calls provide very little reference material.
There is a host of collaboration software on the market for businesses, but most of it is very complex. About 3 months ago, I came across a web based collaboration tool called Basecamp.

What is Basecamp?

Basecamp is a unique project collaboration tool. Projects don't fail from a lack of charts, graphs, or reports, they fail from a lack of communication and collaboration. Basecamp makes it simple to communicate and collaborate on projects.

It's elegant, easy, and web-based. You don't need to download, install, or configure anything (no IT department required!). All you need is a web browser and an internet connection. And don't worry, your data is safe with us.
How can Basecamp help us?

Basecamp makes it easy to centralize group communication with co-workers and clients.

Assign to-dos and tasks
Post messages and gather feedback
Simple scheduling and permissions
Share files internally or with clients
Track people's time
Who uses Basecamp?

Over 250,000 people and small businesses. Freelancers, designers, lawyers, publishers, teachers, students, non-profits, and more.

We have been using basecamp in our ministry to track contacts, assign tasks, post messages, and share files. It has been invaluable for us. I would highly recommend you give it a try. The base package is FREE and gives you a chance to play around with it. You can upgrade for more features for a monthly fee. 37 signals also has a few other products that are worth testing out. I especially like the ease of use and simplicity of their products.

http://www.37signals.com/

http://www.basecamphq.com/

sync toy

Syncing podcasts to my Treo 700W (or any other pocket pc)

I recently got a Treo 700W phone/pda. I used to carry a phone and a pocket pc. Having the two in one is great. I am always about making life more simple and consolidating devices. Another device that I have is an ipod. I enjoy listening to podcasts in particular. I was looking for a way to sync podcasts up to my treo so that I would always have them with me. Downloading podcast through itunes is hard to beat. The last thing I want to do is to manually go through and move mp3 files over to my treo. I searched around for the perfect solution and I think I have one.

The process involves using a free tool called SyncToy. It is actually provided by Microsoft as a Windows XP powertoy.

SyncToy, a free PowerToy for Microsoft Windows XP, is an easy to use, highly customizable program that helps users to do the heavy lifting involved with the copying, moving, and synchronization of different directories. Most common operations can be performed with just a few clicks of the mouse, and additional customization is available without added complexity. SyncToy can manage multiple sets of folders at the same time; it can combine files from two folders in one case, and mimic renames and deletes in another. Unlike other applications, SyncToy actually keeps track of renames to files and will make sure those changes get carried over to the synchronized folder.

So here is how it works. Use Itunes to download your podcast. If you set Itunes to run when your computer starts, it can run the background and will download your podcasts when they become available. Itunes then stores all of your podcasts in a folder on your hard drive. (Usually in …\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music\Podcasts)

You will then need an SD card (or whatever kind of flash memory your PDA uses).

Run SyncToy. Configure SyncToy to sync between your flash memory and the folder in Itunes (…\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music\Podcasts). I actually created a folder on my SD card called Podcasts. In SyncToy, you choose two folders you want to sync. With my SD card in the reader, I choose G:/Podcasts (G being the drive of my SD Card) and C:\…..\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music\Podcasts). I name the job podcasts.

So now, all I need to do it stick my flash memory (SD card) in the card reader, launch SyncToy, and run the podcast job). All my current podcasts are on my SD card (meaning they are all on my Treo when I stick the card in the Treo).

So how do you play the podcasts on the Treo?

You have several options here. The first is Windows Media player (which comes with all pocket pcs). Update your Library and the podcasts will just show up in the playlist. However, I don’t really like the fact that you are unable to bookmark files. When I use Windows Media player, I find myself constantly loosing my place when I close out of the program.

Another option is a free player called MortPlayer. It works really well, allows you to bookmark and even specify favorite directories.

If you have some cash and want a few additional features, Pocket Player is also a nice player. It runs $19.95.

SyncToy

Itunes

MortPlayer

Pocket Player

SyncToy is also a great tool for backing up files! This method will work with any type of PDA that uses external flash memory. The player and the setup on your PDA may be different if you have a Palm rather than a pocket pc.

 

writely

I few months ago, I was introduced to this cool website called Writely, an online word processor.

You find yourself needing to touch up that sermon or youth talk when you discover that you left it at the office. You can drive back to the church, remote in (if you are able to do that), or just wait until the next day to do the work.

Another solution would be to store all your documents online. Writely provides a way for you to do that. I have not made the total transition at this point, but I have found uses for Writely. Whenever I want input on a letter or schedule, I stick it on Writely. The potential for this solution is great. You have do what works for you.

I do like the fact that a spell check is included and you can save your files in all kinds of formats including MS word and pdf. You can tag your files for better organization and invite people to edit your files.

Writely says:
Share documents instantly & collaborate real-time – Pick exactly who can access your documents.
Edit your documents from anywhere.
Nothing to download — your browser is all you need.
Store your documents securely online – Offsite storage plus data backup every 10 seconds.
Easy to use – Clean, uncluttered screens with a familiar, desktop feel.

Right now, writely is in closed beta, but I have some invites and would be willing to set you up if you like.

If you are interested in playing with Writely, go to http://www.writely.com to check it out and read up on it.

If you want an account, go to http://efficientministry.com/?page_id=29 and let me know.

 

hamachi

I enjoy listening to tech podcasts while I am cutting the grass or riding the bike. Many times, these podcast are a little over my head, but there are valuable tools and suggestions that I get from them. One podcast that I really enjoy is called Security Now by Steve Gibson. It is very technical, but informative. Several months ago, he covered this software called Hamachi. It is a free VPN tool that allows you connect to any computer from any computer. If you think something like this would help you in ministry, I would suggest listening to the podcast and then giving it a shot.

I love it. It allows me to retrieve files from anywhere. I can remote in to my work desktop from anywhere or even slide files between PCs from anywhere. It also provides a secure way to browse the Internet from hotspots. Without getting too techical, here is the link to the podcast and a description from the Hamachi site.

Hope it helps

"Hamachi" Rocks!

This week Leo and I discuss and describe the brand new, ready to emerge from a its long development beta phase, ultra-secure, lightweight, high-performance, highly-polished, multi-platform, peer-to-peer and FREE! personal virtual private networking system known as "Hamachi". After two solid weeks of testing and intense dialog with Hamachi's lead developer and designer, I have fully vetted the system's security architecture and have it running on many of my systems. While I am travelling to Toronto this week, Hamachi is keeping my roaming laptop securely and directly connected to all of my machines back home. Don't miss this one!

Download Podcast (Right click and Save As…) and/or Get the Full Transcript from the Show in PDF format

If you are interested in testing it out, go to http://www.hamachi.cc

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energy management

Time management is a subject that peaks our interest. I think it is a line that grabs us because we find time so scarce. Most of us long for more hours in the day. The concept of getting better use of our time appeals to us. However, a book that I recently read challenged my thinking on time management. The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr, Tony Schwartz is a book that emphasizes energy management. They suggest building routines and habits throughout your day that will increase your energy at key points.

As ministers, our days are often gobbled up by the demands of our tasks, conversations, and people. We often fail to prepare ourselves for the most crucial tasks and come to these tasks with insufficient energy. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to maximize their performance.

Using their impressive work with athletes and corporate executives, Loehr and Schwartz lay out the new rules for getting exceptional results in any performance context. Instead of managing time, manage energy between performance sessions to maximize emotional recovery for the next time you push your personal limits. Don’t rely on discipline alone; it takes too much effort to micromanage at every moment. What’s needed are routines–effective and even rigid practices that optimize recovery between performance sessions. – Audiofile

For me, this book transformed my weekly schedule. It helped me see that more hours do not mean more productivity. In fact, the opposite may be true.

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blinksale

One of the least fun things about ministry is collecting money for retreats, camps, and conferences. It is distressful to have to make that phone call to a parent who has failed to pay up for Johnny’s summer camp.

This week, payment is due for our most popular summer camp. Our secretary is always inundated with phone calls and emails asking about the final balance. Most churches have database programs with some sort of built in invoicing. Those are nice features, but sometimes fall short of what we need. First of all, you have to print out invoices and snail mail them. Secondly, the databases are usually only accessed inside the building.

A solution that works well is called Blinksale. It is a web based invoicing system. It is simple to use, emails the updates, sends thank yous for payments, and makes it really easy to see who has not paid.

Blinksale solves both shortcomings of traditional database programs. This year, we had a bowling fundraiser just a week before the final payment was due. Being able to update the invoices and send them quickly through email made life a lot easier.

Another cool thing about this product is that various people can check it out from anywhere. Since it is web based, the youth minister, mentors, and the church secretary can all see real time reports. It also exports the data to an Exel or xml format effortlessly.

You can try it out for free at www.blinksale.com. They have paid plans depending on how many invoices you create. Plans begin at $12/month

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rss feeds

What is an RSS feed and how can it make my life easier?

Perhaps you have heard the terminology and have even seen these little symbols floating around the interne t or  or . I guess it is really only a few years old, but has really made the web a different place. In short, rss feeds provide you with a way to read web content without actually having to travel to a website. It allows a website to pull content from all over. The cool thing for you is that you can set up a homepage with all kinds of feeds from your favorite sites. Whenever you open your browser, you can see the stuff that interests you rather than the local headlines from MSN.

Here is what feedburner says about feeds:

Why is This a Good Thing?

Technology evolution in online publishing has made it really easy to not only publish regular updates to web-based content, but also keep track of a large number of your favorite Web sites or blogs, without having to remember to check each site manually or clutter your email Inbox. You can now streamline your online experience by subscribing to specific content feeds and aggregating this information in one place to be read when you're ready.

Read the entire summary of RSS on feedburner here

So how do I set this up?

Almost all of the major players on the web have a way to set up a home page with the feeds you want. You simply find the feeds that you want and paste the addresses to those feeds in the appropriate place on your homepage. Usually feeds are indicated by one of these symbols  . You copy the address of the feed (you can usually just right click the symbol and choose “copy link location”). You then paste the address into the part of the webpage that calls for the feed url or address.

The feed address for Efficient Ministry is http://feeds.feedburner.com/EfficientMinistry
To get started try one of these (my favorite is Protopage, and I will post more about Protopage in a future post)

http://google.com/ig
http://protopage.com
http://live.com
http://my.yahoo.com

RSS feeds can be really fun and can help you keep up with what you want.

tech time trap

I have recently been reading a book entitled Time Traps by Todd Duncan. It is book written for salespeople to help them avoid being trapped by the less productive time demands. He encourages them to take charge of their time and intentionally spend more of it on the tasks that will bring them the most sales. In ministry, we too are often trapped by tasks that could be delegated or not completed at all. We too are guilty of not giving our time to the most important items. I would recommend this book to anyone feeling overwhelmed and unable to spend the necessary time in the areas of top priority.

A chapter in the book entitled The Technology Trap really struck me today. Allow me to outline the chapter and point you to the book.

The premise is that technology can assist us in becoming more productive. However, many of us have allowed these devices to rob us of the time we are attempting to save. If you follow the advice in the book, you can free up a significant portion of your day. Nevertheless, you can squander that time on technology if you are not careful. He gives five worthwhile suggestions:

1. shorten your technology leash
the point here is turn off you cell phone at times, check your email at certain times, and don’t allow these communication vehicles to rob you of rest and recovery. Being attached to work 24 hours a day is not helpful, in fact it is detrimental.

2. substitute technology devices, don’t stockpile them
Duncan says:

If you have to buy a new piece of equipment, get rid of your old one; don’t try to use both…Technology can save time, but there comes a point when the more you have, the less time you save.

3. Ask directions
you can spend more time trying to figure out a new device than it can save you. Many times, we begin our time saving efforts by wasting time. Simply asking for directions or walking through a tutorial can be well worth the effort.

4. Test your tools efficiency
make sure that the device that you are using or recently purchased is doing the job. If it proves to be more of a time waster, chuck it.

5. Go backward to go forward
Duncan says:

Sometimes technology isn’t better. It’s just prettier. I know that there’s a subtle pressure to have the hippest tools available. But if you can accomplish something more efficiently without a tool, don’t get a gadget because everyone else has one. Besides, retro is in these days.

These are great tips to keep in mind when pondering that new technology purchase. As one who loves technology, Duncan’s book is a healthy reminder that we need to think more about efficiency than what is hip.

If you want to read further, check out Todd Duncan’s Time Traps.

flickr

Placing pictures online is a great way to share memories of youth trips. It also keeps everyone from coming up to you and asking for copies of the recent youth trip pictures. For the past few years, we have been posting pictures online during our youth trips. A couple of years ago, one mom emailed and asked me to tell her daughter to wear more sunscreen . Needless to say, pictures help parents feel more connected to their kids while they are on youth trips. Pictures also serve as a great tool for promoted upcoming trips.

However, finding a good way to share pictures online can be daunting, and who has time to design picture pages on a website during a youth trip. A great solution for churches is a website called Flickr. Flickr was an independent company that was recently purchased by Yahoo. They are hands down the best picture sharing site out there.
Here are a few advantages to Flickr:

First of all, it is free! There is a 20MB upload limit on free accounts, but purchasing a pro account is only $25/year. The pro account also allows you to create sets of pictures which come in handy for trips. We purchased a pro account and have found the features to be worthwhile.

Secondly, it is very easy to set up and upload pictures! There is a picture upload tool that you can download and simply drag and drop pictures into the tool.

Thirdly, you can make a Flickr webpage and set it up so that it can be linked from your webpage. Once you set it up, kids can go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourchurchname and see your pictures. If you don’t do your website, you can simply give this url to your web person and you are set. You can also pass out this address to your parent prior to a trip and they can go right to your pictures. There are also ways to make badges for your website that look really cool.

Fourthly, if you really want to get the most advantage from Flickr, you can tag your photos. Here is a great description of tags from the Flickr site

Tags are like keywords or labels that you can add to a photo to make it easier to find later. You can tag a photo with tags like "catherine yosemite hiking mountain trail" and then later on if you are looking for pictures of Catherine you can just click on that tag and get all photos that have been tagged that way.

Fifthly, Flickr allow you to have buddies (or I guess they call it “contacts”). So any youth or families that use Flickr, can be added as contacts and therefore linked to the account. It is a really nice feature to connect everyone together.

If you have thought about putting pictures online, but have held back because you think it might be really complicated, look no further. Give Flickr a try!

http://flickr.com

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