College students today are wrestling with issues of identity, integrity and where they can find community. Facebook and other online communities can give them a sense of vulnerability and intimacy.
Keynote’s New Media Labs is committed to developing tools that help connect students to a community where they can find answers to some of these tough questions.
Following is an interview with Brian Barela, the Director of New Media for Campus Crusade for Christ.
Some of our readers may not be familiar with New Media Labs. Can you describe this team and its mission?
New Media LabsThe New Media Labs team helps the ministries of Campus Crusade determine an online strategy that matches the goals of each particular ministry. There are so many things you can do on line, but the challenge ministries face is synthesizing all these tactics into a focused strategy.
Our team also assists in the development of web applications that catalyze evangelism and discipleship; our first digital tool was “God Tools,” which brought the gospel material developed by Campus Crusade into a portable and easy to use app for iPhones, Androids, and other smart phones.
What projects are currently in the works?
Currently our team is working on a blog-template for local campus ministries as well as individual Campus Crusade staff that is built on WordPress, the most popular online blogging tool in the world. This template allows staff to create a powerful blog to communicate on line in a matter of minutes. We are also working on MissionHub, an online contact management system that makes getting new people connected to ministry leaders and bible studies easy.
Currently MissionHub is being used exclusively by the Campus Ministry of Campus Crusade. We plan to have this valuable resource available to other ministries in the months to come. You can check out the various new media resources here.
Can you give us more context for and information about MissionHub?
Most students and a growing number of adults use Facebook and text-messaging as their primary communication tools. We realized that Campus Crusade had not developed an online tool that used these two tools effectively. MissionHub at its core is missional–it’s built around the needs and realities of those we are trying to reach. With MissionHub a new person can send a text message to get connected and fill out an online contact card using their Facebook profile as their online ID. This makes it significantly easier for a ministry leader to follow up new people. It allows them to connect with these new people through Facebook and text-messaging, and keeps a digital record of the follow up process.
What feedback have you received about this new tool for ministry?
So far the Campus Ministry staff who have used MissionHub appreciate the ability to centralize their contacts in one place on line and to use Facebook to connect with the new students. MissionHub has an iPhone and Android app, which our younger staff love as they can use their phone to follow up their contacts.
To date, more than 13,000 contacts have been entered in MissionHub, with more than 1,000 leaders managing the follow-up of these students.
How can our readers be praying for New Media Labs?
Please pray for focus to prioritize all the needs that these new tools have created, and for wisdom in developing and refining these digital tools.
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