I'm writing this in GMail, with my "Google Buzz" count prominently displayed to the left. 
This post will then get published on My Posterous Blog, The Prodigal Blog before it goes to its final home, my main blog, "The Epistle of Jim."  On that site you can "follow me" on Twitter, check out the Girdwood Chapel website, or subscribe to my posts.  The post will then appear on my Facebook page.

I manage two other websites (very poorly) and two more Twitter Accounts plus another Facebook page.  No MySpace.  No LinkedIn.  No YouTube.  No Vimeo.  But they may be coming for me.

So why do all of this?

Maybe I'm easily captivated by the new technical stuff out there...even if I have little to no expertise.

Maybe, as Communications Chair of the Alaska United Methodist Conference, I thought I'd better understand these things.

Maybe I'm avoiding the other work that is staring me in the face.

Maybe I want to understand all of this so I can understand our culture and understand how these tools can be used in evangelism and discipleship and the forming of relationships.

Maybe I'm concerned about the "branding" of our church and our churches.

Regardless, I don't think "social media is a fad."  Things will change and the next new thing will come up.  Earlier today I read how some social media experts have been giving up on Facebook and putting their collective energy into a new service that will, they say, better protect personal information.  There will be something new.

And this all brings up interesting questions for the church.  Just a handful...

1. Just because we can use social media, does that mean we should?
2. What does it mean that so many thoughts (good and bad) are not private anymore but are broadcast?
3. How does the church use social media constructively for evangelism and discipleship?  Or, can it at all?
4. How should the church deal with the social media issues of privacy and cyber-bullying?
5. For our larger churches, how much of our staffing should be directed towards this area?

If you have answers, let me know.