Mobile Ministry Magazine

I know that some of you have visited here wondering what has been going on; but the MMM Mobile experiemnt is still going on. A recent finding has given me a link where you don't need a username and password to check out things. Here is the link:

https://mobileministrymag.mymobilesite.net/.py

So go ahead all and check things out; feedback welcome.

Mobile Ministry Magazine has gone mobile. For the next week, MMM will be hosted completely via Nokia's Mobile Web Server on my Nokia N75. This is one part a test of the technology, and another part a means to keep me on top of those things that might lend towards some effectiveness towards those of you who need small intranets within your workplace, but the cost of developing and maintaining on might be out of reach.

View MMM Mobile at: http://mobileministrymag.mymobilesite.net.

Username: Guest
Password: mmmguest

If it says that the server is offline, its probably because my battery is dead or I needed to close the app for a bit, just visit the MMM Jaiku channel as news, notes, and discussion can always be found there.

Now this is really taking things mobile :)

Labels: community, Jaiku, mobile, mobility, N75, software, tech

Image via Wikipedia

Monday night, I was talking with a baristia at the coffee shop that my church has Bible study at and she was very happy about her mobile phone. She uses a Palm Centro on Sprint and has enjoyed what it brings to her life. Being a high school senior, I was able to point her towards ways her phone can help her transition towards college, but I also noticed how it was very much a lifestyle device for her. To hear it in her words, it was not an attachment to how she lives, but it was a part of it. An essential thread even.

This look at mobile technology as part of one's lifestyle is a fairly new phenomena. For people roughly in my age group (I'm 29), we grew up literally watching tech be what it is now. I've had both penmanship and keyboarding classes. I've used the Dewey Decimal System, Infosearch (or was it InfoTech), to Google/Yahoo for various searches. I've gone from no planner to Radio Shack planners to Palm PDAs to smartphones. In literal terms, I am a part of a generation that has grown up with the DNA of mobile and web technology under a lot, and this presents a line above and below of how tech is viewed.

As the church, we are in a similar time period. A lot has changed very fast and we now have to adjust to increasing streams of connectivity that are in our ministries, families, schools, and governments. We have to brace for informational security, just as much as we push for or against net neutrality. We are on the verge of a major shift with computing and life as we know it - its a lifestyle now, not a choice.

It would be easy to just make the next steps in this of trying to just wait it out and then use and do what's popular. But my heart is that we as the Body would do more than just anticipate what is coming, but we would already be working in it. Whether that is a community-ran blog on social and educational issues that interfaces with thought-leaders and the classroom, or just advancing the use of VoIP to connect families whose jobs have disconnected them from their countries of origin. We have to address what is given to us, but we also have to push for where God meets us in this.

You see, one of my passions is to see the Church literally get to the point where our use of mobile and web technology is a direct reflection of the love, justice, and mercy that God granted us through Jesus Christ. It was this vision that cast me onto the Internet to begin with. We are at the point where this can be our Body 2.0, or just a old media shunning the inevitable change. Something to think about the next time you stop for coffee and the baristia is taking your order with a mobile instead of pen and paper.

Related Links:

• Is Your Church Leadership Interactive (The Digital Sanctuary)
• On the Problems of Designing User-Friendly Software for PDAs and Smart Phones (Laridian)
• Leatherbound iPhone Bible (ESV Bible Blog)
• I Wish Changing Churches Was As Easy As Changing Bible Versions (Palm Addict)

Labels: Centro, community, mobile, mobility, tech

Image via Wikipedia

In reading Matt Miller's latest post about a sub-$1000 ultraportables, I was wondering, how many of you use a laptop/ultraportable (not smartphone and keyboard) in Bible studies, meetings, etc.?

Considering devices like the HP Mini Note and Asus Eee PC that are well under $1000 (under $500 in some configurations), it would seem that its very possible to have a capable note-taking solution?

Of those of you that use ultraportables (that is, laptops with less than a 12in screen), do any of you orchestrate special programs or usability features for those in your communities that also use them? If so, what do you share/do?

Related articles

• Dell readies Asus Eee PC, HP Mini-Note rival [via Zemanta]
• What's The Perfect Balance For a Budget Laptop? [via Zemanta]
• RM to push new HP sub-laptop to schools [via Zemanta]

Labels: Asus Eee, community, Hardware, Laptop, mobiles, software, study, tech

Image via Wikipedia

A friend of mine has been debating when to get the Nokia N810. He basically wants it to replace his laptop for the lighter ministry tasks that he does. He's been doing his homework, looking at his budget, and basically learning all that he can about it before he makes the jump, but the question that he has is "when?" You see, for him it is not so much that its there, but when should he get it is the more important question.

For those who follow technology of any kind, you know that there is planned obsolescence for all of it. Nothing seems to be meant to last forever, and in some cases, not much longer than the 5 minutes that passed since your purchased it. However, being a good steward over our resources means that we have to take a proactive approach towards attaining mobile technology, and for many of us that leaves us in a constant wait pattern.

So how do you decide to pull the trigger? Here are some things that have helped me in the past on this side of decision making:

• Have you prayed about it or just told God that you wish that you had it?
• In investigating the device or software, have you noticed complaints for basic functionality or advanced features?
• Has the device had a major recall during its product life? Or is there a standing glitch that has not had any communication from the manufacturer that it will be addressed at some point and time?
• What devices/services are planned to come after this? How long from this point until that new device/service is released?
• Have you checked the Buy/Sell threads at the fan sites for this item (usually used, but the price is a lot lower than purchasing new)?

What about you, what kinds of decisions do you go through before making a purchase?

Labels: mobile accessories, mobiles, mobility, N810, Nokia, purchasing, tech

I was sitting here thinking about the Nokia N-Gage platform and their new Get Out and Play campaign and how it takes the online aspect (think X-Box Live and World of Warcraft) and brings that community to mobile devices. I wonder, much like some ministries have gone into virtual worlds to start ministering to people there, could the same thing be possible within N-Gage?

Related articles

• Snake and Breakout - Nokia style [via Zemanta]
• All About N-Gage reviews Asphalt 3: Street Rules [via Zemanta]

Labels: community, mobiles, mobility, N-Gage, Nokia, software, Video game

Image via Wikipedia

A very big thing for churches and ministries to understand about mobile tech is that it is an active agent. Being an active agent means that it not only is a product of an action, but mobile technology fosters several layers of interaction. From listening to a phone call, to reading an SMS, to viewing video, to something even more advanced, taking advantage of the computing that is in one's hands is an advantage for community-building that the church should not miss.

This is why I like the service Mobile Verses. It doesn't require that one have the latest or greatest smartphone, only one that is capable of receiving text messages. Yes, some of the services might stretch budgets a bit, but that is where churches/ministries work with Mobile Verses and other sponsors towards making these services usable for mobile device users.

Now, a common question I get is "why would I want something like Mobile Verses when I have a Bible?" Any pastor, or just a general onlooker can tell you that having a Bible is not always handy. Nor is having a calendar that is always accessible. Mobile Verses not only puts the Bible at your fingertips, but can accent that [sometimes boring and crowd thinning] announcements section of services. Yes, people will have mobile devices out during services, but like I've stated in other posts; the church should be at the front of teaching tech responsiblity. What better way to do so than with using a service like Mobile Verses.

Now before anyone thinks that I am writing this because they "tipped" MMM, please understand that this is not my reasoning. Mobile Verses is a very solid offering and one that should not be looked past, especially when high school students are carrying phones and using them to write things in their calendars ;)

Visit the Mobile Verses website for more information.

Labels: community, mobile, mobility, phone, SMS, tech, usablity

As briefly touched on yesterday, and basically alluded to since MMM came into being, Inner-Linked has been launched. A consulting and training service, Inner-Linked seeks to take lessons gained from Mobile Ministry Magazine, and apply those lessons directly to pastors, missionaries, and your leaders in non-profit arenas.

The best analogy to what Inner-Linked offers is technology enablement over technology support. Inner-Linked doesn't aim to fix usability issues, create applications, or even fix someone's device. Its simple a teaching pot. A place where those interested in mobile technology can gain the knowledge and understanding of how it will be used in their capacity.

The initial service offerings by Inner-Linked are Purchase Assistance and Mobile Device Training. Purchase Assistance walks through purchasing a mobile device, from comparison shopping to addressing the direct user needs. Inner-Linked wants to make sure that you purchase a device or service that fits you, not something you have to fit into. Mobile Device Training is a three course one-on-one (or one-on-many) option where you gain basic, advanced, and specific knowledge about your mobile device or service. From backups and insurance, to using social networks, to strategically implementing a mobile component to one's workplace, Mobile Device Training aims to make sure that whatever mobile technology you are linked to, its something that remains effective past the time when the newness runs off.

Initially, Inner-Linked will be operating as a one-man show. I've got to get a number of things together before adding staff (and trust me, that's really needed already). Inner-Linked is based on making interpersonal relationships, so for now things stay local (Charlotte, NC) and East Coast USA (within reasonable traveling distance).

Chances are that if you are reading this, you might not need something like Inner-Linked. But you do know someone who does. Pass them Inner-Linked's website address (http://inner-linked.com) as well as MMM's and let them see that there's more to mobile ministry than what we can see now; a whole generation of folks around the world use and understand this technology, and using it effectively to them and the generations to come speaks well towards becoming enablers of those who share Christ's passion to the ends of the earth.

Related Links:

• Inner-Linked
• Mobile Ministry Magazine Issue 5: Keep Moving Forward

Labels: community, Inner-Linked, issue 5, mission, tech

The theme of things this week seems to be on part with reflecting on the past, and moving towards the next. Contrary to the internal battle that I have towards integrity, finances, and just life as I age, I really am enjoying things as I have had a lot of places where I am able to discover new parts of myself and put away some older parts.

I went back in the MMM archives today as I was looking towards some records of a few things and saw one of the post popular posts that we ever published, The Paperless Pulpit (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3). It was amazing to not just have such a suitable contribution, but for it also to garner some national attention. That, and a phone call that I received last week, just encouraged me that MMM is in the right place, even if it is a bit different and on another stream than what other tech ministries do.

That being said, I am glad that MMM is continuing to move forward. Besides having MMM as the web magazine resource, we also have Inner-Linked as the offline training resource. Inner-Linked is that part of MMM we have talked about from the beginning. A place of training and instruction for pastors, missionaries, and organizations wishing to better apply mobile technology resources to their abilities to inreach and outreach. Its exciting for me because I have to continue to trust God with everything, including the direction and administration of MMM and Inner-Linked. But also because its that moving forward we talked about earlier and doing so in a way that speaks towards glorifying God as best as our humanity allows.

I won't short you all by not speaking a bit more about Inner-Linked later. I've not had the time to write much of anything up for it. But there will be signage on the site soon, and your prayers (and business) will be definitely appreciated.

Labels: Inner-Linked, tech

Realizing that it doesn't say MMM Tips Jar, this article refers to the TopSpots banner now appearing on the site.

I am not one to really want to have a website full of ads, but since moving to writing full-time in the beginning of February, I have had to look at ways where MMM and other writing that I do will have a bigger impact in allowing the MMM team and myself the ability to continue to have this resource. Many things have come through donations and various associations that we all have, however I myself have had to hit the ground with a number of approaches to ensure that I keep my bills up to date.

That being said, I still don't like ads. I don't like how they cheapen some websites, and how hard it is to make many of them work in such a fashion that does not destroy the formatting or functionality of the website they are on.

That's why I am a bit more in favor of putting a MMM Tips Jar on the site. Not so much a revenue bringer in terms of ads, it is a means for some of you who have asked how you can support MMM to be able to do so financially. The functionality is provided by a company called Scratchback and they funnel things via PayPal.

As it stands MMM is by no means as popular as SMSTextNews, who is where I first saw Scratchback implemented and thought it a great idea to run with. Though we do get a suitable amount of views from those inside and outside of various arenas in mobile and Christian circles. For $5, you can tip MMM for something that you've read and enjoyed or just for appreciating the resource. These funds are sent to my PayPal account and will contribute towards keeping me in position to continue MMM.

That being said, I do think its kinda neat to finally have something on the site that can generate some kind of income. Even if the cost of doing so means that you (the reader/donator) can get some publicity about your ministry or service. I encourage those of you who are looking for ways to allow your blog resource to have more than just a digital impact to look into this in addition to or an alternative to other ad options to place on your websites.

Related Items:

• Scratchback website
• Scratchback at SMSTextNews

Labels: community, donation

Greetings all. I'm back from celebrating my birthday (Sat) and just having an enjoyable and very busy weekend connecting with friends and family. To get started with the week, I'd like to share some of the links that had been sitting in my RSS feed list this weekend that I am just getting to.

• Laridian has a PocketBible 4 for Pocket PC Preview posted on their blog. It looks like this will be a very good update to those of you already using Pocket Bible. And those of you on the fence about it might really want to take a look as well; looks spiffy at this point. Beta testers are being asked for as well. See the post and a video of PB4 at the Laridian Blog.
• TonyDye has posted about the start of a CITRT group on LinkedIn. CITRT stands for the Church IT RoundTable and plenty of believers from around the US are a part of this group encouraging and sharing knowledge of what works in tech in their respective areas. Do connect on LinkedIn and the CITRT website.
• Frank J. at Strategic Digital Outreach shot MMM a note about a post on his blog talking about how ministries are using SMS as an enabler to connect people with ministry outreach events. Very cool stuff.
• Don't forget to vote in last week's poll about MMM taking itself literally to being run off a mobile device for a week. This poll will close later this week.
• There's a relatively big announcement coming in the next day or so about an extension to the MMM family. Stay tuned for that as many of you might want to link in with this fairly quickly ;)

Labels: Bible, Laridian, software

Proverbs 15:16
Better is a little with the fear of the Lord Than great treasure and turmoil with it.

Luke 3:14
Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, "And what about us, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages."

1 Corinthians 7:24
Brethren, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called.

Philippians 2:14
Do all things without grumbling or disputing;

Philippians 4:11
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

1 Timothy 6:6-8
⁶ But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. ⁷ For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. ⁸ If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

Hebrews 13:5
Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,"

Labels: contentment

Interesting story in USAToday (via Switched), speaking about the popularity of religious podcasts. Here's a snippet:

Podcasting also is an inexpensive way for pastors to extend the reach of their teaching beyond the walls of their own place of worship.

Walker pays $29.99 a month to a company called SermonAudio.com, which allows him to upload as much audio for podcasts as he wants.

More than 1 million sermons are accessed each month from the site. It's owned and operated by Steven Lee, a Korean-born graduate of Bob Jones University.

"We definitely try to bill ourselves as an economical way to reach a large number of people," says Lee, a computer programmer and graphic designer who runs his site from an upstairs room in his home in Simpsonville, S.C.

Read the rest at USAToday.

What are some of the podcasts that you listen to in order to continue to engage God or the community of believers? And if you are a pastor or layperson who podcasts, how do you get the word out about your offerings? How can MMM help you in that endavor?

Labels: music, news, podcast

I was just at the car wash thinking about my slate for the rest of today and had the reflection that mobile technology has done an interesting job in teaching me about evangelism - from a mobile tech standpoint, but just as much if not more so from a spiritual one.

Mobile Lessons

When sitting in a coffeeshop with an Internet Tablet, Bluetooth keyboard, and mobile phone out, one should expect people to ask questions. What I didn't expect was that people would ask questions and just have comments about so many things. Some people wanted to know about iPhones and phone plans, others wanted to know how my setup worked and if it could work for them. And still others just took my "open platform" as a means to just have a conversation.

In terms of what mobile is, things are still new and people are still looking for a definition that fits how they are mobile, connected and productive. Being a person who is using tools and services so out in the open, I am getting a chance to see exactly how people respond, and if need be, point them to a solution that would work best for them.

Spiritual Lessons

The greater lessons for me have come on the spiritual side of things. Where some people can separate their tech from their spirit, I happen to have a very tight relationship between the two. It was the idea of having multiple Bibles on my PDA that allowed me to minister to various friends and students on my college campus without carrying the intimidation of a large book bag around. I've had to learn what affluence is, gluttony from the tech side of things if you will and how that can and does rub people the wrong way. I've had to learn how to be a teacher of those things Godly with this tech, sometimes at the cost of cutting off myself from the things others do. Frankly speaking, I've learned that there is a holiness to using technology that we really do miss because we are not usually taught that this exists in this medium.

And From Here?

I've been working with Brighthand for years, with Nokia and the S60 Ambassadors/Nokia Blogger Relations, worked as a web designer and developer for more than 9 years, and basically played the roll of techie to a lot of people in my life. There's more to this than devices and my own wares though. Without educating others on how to use this tech correctly, they miss the point of the benefits. Misuse almost always turns into someone speaking against proper use because of that misunderstanding.

The same thing has happened to Christianity on several levels since Jesus (one can even argue since Adam). There's a responsibility to wield this faith in a manner that represents the breadth of God's love. Whether that is speaking against inappropriate use, or just teaching someone how to study the Bible, the responsibility is clear...

...go to the ends of the earth and teach people about Jesus. Not just with a Bible and a few nice words, but with the power of the Holy Spirit.

When you think about it like that, mobile tech could really be on to something, couldn't it ;)

Labels: accessiblity, Bible, community, devotion, education, gospel, mission, mobility, stewardship, tech

I am one part a member of Nokia's Blogger Relations team, and have recently been invited to be an S60 Ambassador. Essentially, I speak about Nokia's products to people when I see that there's a need for them. In some cases, I'll get devices or services to try out and then report those findings back to Nokia. For them, it's an effort to see how people are using their devices and services. For me, it's a chance to see how mobile technology can enrich and empower lives.

The better part is that there are relationships that happen. Being able to live in Christ around them makes having opportunities like these presented by Nokia and other companies kinda neat. Here are a few of the recent reports that I filed to Nokia's S60 Ambassador's program. For those of you looking at ways to see how mobile tech fits, this is how I go about learning and applying.

Episode 1: The Young Mother

I went to visit a friend of mine on the other side of Charlotte as she has a 1yr old kid who has provided for several great photo opportunities. She and I talked about her e-learning class that she is taking and some directions that she could go with content for her blog. I recommended the idea of the phone as the literal center of the Internet for the school by using the Mobile Web Server.

First, I had to explain to her what the Mobile Web Server is and what kind of functionality that it opens up. Then, I told her that I could show her what it would look like. So I pulled out my N75 and turned on the Mobile Web Server. We navigated through each of the pages on her laptop that was in front of us, and I showed her how such a setup would make for a different take on distance learning ventures.

She was amazed that my phone could do that and asked why it was that her 3555 was not able to do the same things even though it was a Nokia phone as well. I explained to her that while they were from the same company, that they used different operating systems. One of the applications that she'd become a bit intrigued about is Jaiku; especially its ability to link with the address book for presence notification. That was something that she wanted for her phone. I led her to Yahoo, and there she learned about Yahoo's oneConnect service. Unfortunately, she does not have a mobile [data] plan, and does not see getting one; so downloading that was out of the question.

he problem that she posed to me was how to get more out of a phone like mine without being online. Considering that I do so much online via my N75, that really left me without many words. Other than the Bible, voice, and SMS, the rest really is the Internet. Making my phone compelling towards those who don't need that functionality will have to become another search of mine.

Episode 2: The Church Admin

Monday night is usually bible study at It's a Grind Coffeehouse and that is where I was again this Monday. Having had a successful demonstration of the Mobile Web Server running on my N75 earlier Monday, I decided to pique the interest of one of the administrative workers of my church and get her idea on such a solution.

First, I gave her a small demonstration of the software on my device, and then used my N800 Internet Tablet to show what the site actually works like in a web browser. At that she was impressed, but I could see not convinced at its usefulness. I then changed modes to talking about how there is always some information that one wants to keep personal, but other things, like pictures and availability that would come in handy for some people to know.

I then set my Gallery to show the pictures from my memory card and showed her how that page could be set with permissions. I then showed the Contact, Presence, and Calendar screens and showed that these can be controlled with a simple group that is created on the phone.

She looked at the phone and said "that's interesting. Your phone is a powerful little thing." Powerful indeed, but as a device that connects, its hard to beat.

Related Items:

• Nokia's S60 Ambassador Program
• Nokia's Mobile Web Server
• N75 Live-in Review Update
• MMM's N95 (via Nokia Blogger Relations) Review
• Yahoo's oneConnect service

Labels: Bible, church, community, device, family, Jaiku, mission, mobile, mobile accessories, Mobile Web Server, mobility, N75, Nokia, phone, software, tech, urban, usablity, Yahoo

Last night, I downloaded Nokia's Mobile Web Server onto my N75 and have to say that its am impressive piece of work. Besides being a web server, aka I can run a website off my phone, I can also use it to extend things like my calendar and contacts to friends and family and essentially have a website for direct communication.

That, of course, got me thinking about Mobile Ministry Magazine (MMM) and a route that could be taken with it. Essentially, I was thinking of taking a week to host the site on my phone, and then use the MMM Jaiku channel to supplement things when I need to take it offline (ya know , to turn off the phone or use it for something else).

But before I go off the deep end and really make MMM mobile, I wanted to ask you all of your thoughts. Here is the poll, please place your responses in the comments.

• MMM should stay as it is and the mobile MMM just be an aside
• MMM should go mobile as described above
• Something else entirely (please describe)

Please understand, I am totally mobile and so doing this for a short time is mostly a test of the technology and my abilities to be productive with it. My phone will certainly have a fit with it, but this is part of the reason I get the devices I do, I like to push.

Thanks in advance, and I hope your week can start off with some innovative ways at addressing life and tech.

Labels: browser, community, device, Jaiku, mobility, N75, Nokia, phone, software, tech

I unintentionally tend to sit on some news stories. Hoping to speak about some things when there is an open slot or the chatter on the interwebs isn't so loud about it that it would get lost in the shuffle; some things just get pushed to the back a bit. Here's some of those items that aren't too flaccid in terms of timing, but definitely useful for various applications.

• Logos post address Spanish-oriented resources.
• The latest GMPSoft newsletter has several deals on various electronic resources for your PDA or smartphone including a Bible Bundle which includes the Greek UBS4 module.
• Something to make you think on how to approach little ones with the subject of hearing God and prayer even when its something that the Bible may/may not talk about ;)
• Palm Addict has a random giveaway of a 15 inch Mac PowerBook going on right now. The rules are to send in a post relevant to how you are using mobile tech. If not something that you need, definitely enter for someone in your circle who could use a computer but may not have the means to attain one.
• Swerve, a ministry of Lifechurch.tv, has two post titled 10 Things.... The first deals with Introspection and the second Ministry. Hands down, a very solid read and meditation piece for the weekend.
• And finally, the Carnival of the Mobilists at Mobilestance has plenty of readings from the past week in mobile tech.
• Forgot this one: YouVersion has done some updates that have improved performance and added a few new versions to the fray. Unless you are on an Internet Tablet like me, it really should work very well in connected settings as both a journaling and group Bible study tool.

Don't forget that we published MMM Issue 5 earlier this week. Several articles and insights there as well for your own mental scratchpad.

Labels: accessiblity, Apple, Bible, Carnival of the Mobilists, community, devotion, family, issue 5, mobile accessories, mobility, Spanish, stewardship, study, tech, worship

The last two posts, we've talked about extending your mobile office to help mangage the tasks of doing ministry easier. But there's nothing like real world examples.

So what do you do to extend your office capabilities? And what hurdles have you encountered either personally or with your team?

(Lord willing, a question like this in the future can be met with some kind of giveaway to help some of you on who are doing this already)

Labels: church, community, mission, mobile accessories, mobility, tech, urban, usablity

Image from Wikipedia

For many of you, its not an issue of "if" to extend your offices, by using web and mobile technology, its a matter of "how."

To answer the "how" we are going to look at a few areas: engaging people to use the tools and selecting what works best with your budget.

Engaging the Team

A major hurdle to using anything new is getting people sold on the idea that it would work best for them. Unfortunately, we are creatures of habit. Doing something different, especially when it comes to utilizing mobile devices, services, or applications can be a bear.

One thing you want to have in place before you roll out a solution is some type of easy to access help system. This should be in two layers (simple): knowledge base and people (in that order). The first questions people ask are the "how do I do this" ones, so making sure that this is populated, and constantly maintained, is of great importance. This resources should be emphasized during any training, and a part of a weekly routine of checking on the progress of implementing a solution.

What this looks like to the minister's on-the-go-office could be a wiki that is saved on the mobile device with common topics. It could be a contact entry that is constantly synced with a note detailing how to do immediate problem solving.

The people resource should be the second and final one. This is where one asks for assistance in doing a feature, or needs a refresher in what was taught originally. Everyone needs a point of contact, and assuring them that there is a person that can be contacted makes it easier for people to accept that there's a change in the workflow in the mist.

Actually getting the team to use those new tools might be less difficult if it could be implemented into the normal routine. For example, in one SharePoint installation I was a part of, instead of making the entire enterprise use it all at once, we made the departments use it only for announcements. We left it open for individuals to play with, but made them know that the only way to know about what was going on was to visit the SharePoint website. Over time, we rolled out more and more SharePoint-only features, backed up with training key users on more features so they would talk about it, getting others involved into using it on a more consistent basis. Basically speaking, giving it to them in small bits is better than force-feeding.

Budget Concerns

One of the questions that is always asked when talking about extending one's office using mobile tech is the cost. Cost doesn't just include the money, its also inclusive of the time, the administration, and any thing else that is not actively using the tech. Balancing cost versus use is hard, but here are some things to think about when evaluating cost:

• Are those providing support or those building the system a volunteer who may leave at any given time?
• Does using a mobile device require additional learning outside of just using office tools, such as user interface and system maintenance issues?
• What is the backup plan? Will implementing a backup plan cost as much as implementing the primary plan? Can using the backup be easier for users than using the primary?
• What are the cost savings/expenses of an entire ministry team being online? Are subsidies or grants available to offset the costs of running/not running a physical office?
• In extending the office, what are the costs to family, friends, and ministry endeavors? Can appropriate boundaries be kept?

Addressing Smaller Offices

Some of you reading this might see these as all well and good, but you are part of a 5-man or smaller team. Things just aren't that deep (in scope or budget). So what can you do?

Take advantage of web suites like Google Apps or Zoho Office. While providing a centralized interface for work, it will also keep things manageable in one area. Using smartphones, Internet Tablets, and UMPC devices are a good means to take light work on the go. Remember though that more devices are more things to manage. Choose the device carefully, basing the costs and engagement on what you already do and what you need to do better.

Labels: browser, community, device, email, family, Google, mission, mobile accessories, mobility, networking, SharePoint, stewardship, study, tech

I have been sitting in my usual coffeehouse office for this afternoon, and in reading announcements about the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet with WiMax, I started thinking a bit more about how possible it will be for believers to take computing and the task of [managing] ministry on the road.

Much like I chatted about last week with my pastors seeing the N800 as a viable ministry solution. The addition of WiMax networks takes this to more attainable possibilities.

Let me explain a bit about WiMax. Think of it as WiFi (hotspots) but instead of confined to a small area (300ft) this is something that can cover miles and miles, similar to a cellular connection. Except, unlike a cellular connection, the ability to do rich media is greater because the "pipe" that info is carried on is much bigger.

Now, that being said, imagine a situation where one can have their "office" in their pocket. When WiMax is official (mostly in larger metros initially) and more devices hit, this is something that will not just be a possibility, but could be an option.

Related Articles:

• Internet Tablet Talk Announcement of N810 Internet Tablet WiMax Edition
• N810 WiMax Edition Demo at Nokia
• N810 WiMax Edition Specs from Nokia

Labels: internet tablet, mobile, mobility, N810, Nokia