About
Robbie Lane is a former BBC journalist, newsreader and producer who now works for a national charity on media and campaigns.
Your Church In The News has been developed and piloted as a workshop since 2008 and short courses have been carried out at a number of churches.
If you would like to find out more about running a workshop in your town or at your conference, or would like advice on using the media, please get in touch.
Your Church In The News has been developed and piloted as a workshop since 2008 and short courses have been carried out at a number of churches.
If you would like to find out more about running a workshop in your town or at your conference, or would like advice on using the media, please get in touch.
Five steps to teriffic tweeting
Everyone likes to be followed
1. Choose a
name – this obviously needs to be unique so ‘stjohns’ won’t be available. As
with most things on the web, think what people are likely to search for.
2. Update regularly – there’s not much point in using twitter, unless you use it regularly. Generally, if you’re using it less than once a week, it may not be worth having it.
3. Be a tease – with only a few characters to play with, it’s better to leave people guessing. For example, “Find out why God loves Simon Cowell - join us this Sunday at St Johns, 10.30am, Church Street, Sometown”.
4. Use a short url - If your church website is long, you can end your ‘tweet’ with your web address condensed into a ‘tiny url’ by following the site’s simple instructions.
5. Increase your number of followers - There are lots of techniques for picking up followers, which involve mass marketing, huge budgets and selling your soul.
The quickest, easiest (and free) way is to search for people near to you and then start following them. Many of them will start following you in return and your messages will then appear when they log into Twitter.
2. Update regularly – there’s not much point in using twitter, unless you use it regularly. Generally, if you’re using it less than once a week, it may not be worth having it.
3. Be a tease – with only a few characters to play with, it’s better to leave people guessing. For example, “Find out why God loves Simon Cowell - join us this Sunday at St Johns, 10.30am, Church Street, Sometown”.
4. Use a short url - If your church website is long, you can end your ‘tweet’ with your web address condensed into a ‘tiny url’ by following the site’s simple instructions.
5. Increase your number of followers - There are lots of techniques for picking up followers, which involve mass marketing, huge budgets and selling your soul.
The quickest, easiest (and free) way is to search for people near to you and then start following them. Many of them will start following you in return and your messages will then appear when they log into Twitter.
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3. Show off 'the church' in a good light
An article about a baptism in a shopping centre
‘The church’ (in its broadest sense) gets a pretty bad press sometimes, yet nearly all congregations are involved in something they should be shouting about.
Let's highlight positive events, like comedy nights, life changing stories and charity fundraisers rather than the familiar negative image of internal squabblings and dusty hymn books.
Let's highlight positive events, like comedy nights, life changing stories and charity fundraisers rather than the familiar negative image of internal squabblings and dusty hymn books.
