Bookmark magic

I read this article last week and it has transfomed my web browsing. It really makes things move a lot faster. I would highly recomment you take a read and see how you like this new way of setting up bookmarks. I have found this method great for sites that I visit everyday or at least once a week. Del.icio.us is still great for for research or sites that you just want to file for safe keeping.

A fantastic read

Skype Web Toolbar

I have found Skype really useful in ministry, especially since they have made calls to US phone numbers free. This toolbar really makes calls really quick.

Windows only: make your Skype experience even sweeter with the Skype Web Toolbar.

Once you’ve gone through the quick download and install process, the
Skype Web Toolbar magically recognizes phone numbers and Skype
usernames whenever you come across them on the web. See someone you
want to call? With the Skype Web Toolbar, you’re able to gab with one
convenient click. The Skype Web Toolbar is a free download, Windows
only, available for both Firefox and Internet Explorer. — Wendy Boswell

Skype Web Toolbar [via Digital Inspiration]

Blogged with Flock

Quick launch apps from the Run box

Forget installing a launcher application – the built-in Run box in
Windows can quickly launch applications. Create a shortcut in your
Windows installation path, such as C:/Windows, and launch programs by typing in the name of the shortcut in the Run dialog.

For example, if you create a shortcut in C:/Windows, to
Winamp and name the shortcut winamp, hit Windows-R to invoke the Run
box and ‘winamp’ to start it. This hack is very simple, though is very
useful if, like me, you have a full desktop, start menu going off the
side of the screen and a quick launch so big you can’t actually use the
task bar! — Joe Anderson

The ‘Quicker’ Run Cheat [Webby's World]
Blogged with Flock

Cell Phone Speed Dial Wallpaper

Lifehacker is a great site to find simple and easy ideas to make life a little easier. I thought this one was a great idea

I can never remember which number (1-9) I’ve assigned for my friends on my cell phone. So I went into Photoshop, made a simple but stylish background

and put 9 pictures of each of my friends (from their MySpaces – I shamefully admit) in a 3×3 grid corresponding to their assigned speed dial number!

I can never remember which number (1-9) I’ve assigned for my friends on my cell phone. So I went into Photoshop, made a simple but stylish background and put 9 pictures of each of my friends (from their MySpaces – I shamefully

admit) in a 3×3 grid corresponding to their assigned speed dial number!

Set that puppy as your phone’s wallpaper and you’ve got a grid of friends just ready to speed dial up. Thanks, Will! — Gina Trapani

Cell phone speed dial wallpaper – Lifehacker

Blogged with Flock

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

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

/

google alerts

We have a bulletin board in our church lobby with pictures and quotes cut out from our local paper. Whenever someone in our church gets in the paper, the church secretary cuts it out and posts it. The only problem is that someone has to catch this in the paper and notify the church office.
I saw this article today and thought it was interesting. I could see value in something like this for a church office or a youth pastor trying to keep up with when the kids in the group when they make the paper or news.

Google Alerts lets you set up Google searches. When new “hits” to those searches are posted on the Internet somewhere, Google Alerts sends you an e-mail with a link.

It's a very simple tool. But I'm going to tell you how to use it to constantly stay in touch with the people, places and topics you care about.

Why would you want to do such a thing? Well, it can make you a better person — by that I mean a better professional, a better friend, a better family member.

Let's say you have a friend who lives on the other side of the country. Let's call her "Janet Birkenstock." You can set up a Google Alert using quotation marks around her name that searches both news stories and web sites. Then you can just forget about it. From then on, whenever Janet runs a marathon, gets promoted, is quoted in the local newspaper, or does anything that someone mentions in the news or on the web, you get an e-mail with a link to that page. You can always be the first to congratulate her, or whatever. The point is that you're staying in touch with and remain aware of your friend without any effort at all.

Maybe worth a shot to see how it works. Try it out at http://www.google.com/alerts
How To Get Total Information Awareness (Without Really Trying) [Personal Tech Pipeline]

website up

EfficientMinistry.com is a website that contains my thoughts and suggestions for pastors and ministry professionals about technology, time management, energy management, leadership tips, and personal organization.

I hope that you will find the content of this site helpful. I am a family ministry pastor and have been in ministry for 13 years. I have found that the task of finding the right technology, personal management systems, and organizational tools daunting. Nevertheless, efficiency in ministry is crucial to successful ministry. Good systems, good technology, and personal discipline in using them are a true asset.

Another difficult truth is that this subject matter is ever changing. There are many blogs and websites that offer advice in this realm. However, I have seen little out there that relates this sphere of information to ministry.

The goal of this site is to provide ministry professionals a place to read about efficiency. Some of the articles will be on technology, some on personal organization tips, and others on leadership tips. So when you are feeling a little overwhelmed, inefficient or unproductive, I hope that you will come here to read.

Wade Allen