Publishing Media as a Missionary

Online missionaries need to be smart about using media. Whether they are blogging, using online chat, or updating their Facebook status, Elders and Sisters will engage people more meaningfully by using various kinds of media. What kinds?

1. Images
   Yes! But whose? Where? How? How many?
2. Videos
   Great! But from where? Embedded or uploaded? Personal or church-created?
3. Audio
   Good! But what are we talking about: music? podcasts? recordings of church events?
4. Presentations
   Super! But what kind? Your own or by others?
5. Links
   Important! But how and where?

I'm not going to answer all of those questions just yet. My goal today is to teach some basic principles about using media in general. We'll get to the specifics about using each medium soon enough.

Mix it up
Online people expect to encounter various kinds of media, so don't disappoint them! Words are wonderful, but become tedious if they are not broken up by various media. But more importantly, each type of media invites a different kind of response or interaction, and the more varied your use of media, the more ways you can reach people. Your media choices also reflect your personality, so the more ways you can use media, the better sense people get of who you are.

You might post pictures, but how about a slideshow? That's what Elder Roger and Sister Kris Hamblin have done on their blog. On the side of their blog they have embedded a slideshow (piped in from a Picasa web album) that's about the Sacred Grove. I've seen lots of church photos of that important place, but  never anything like this picture:

The slideshow included shots of the flora around that area -- many within Winter. It made me think about the Sacred Grove in a different way. I appreciate that. It reminds me that people experience the same places very differently, and I respect the different point of view the Hamblins are providing.

Another reason to "mix it up" is to avoid flatness of tone. Your life has variety, so should your blog. As I said in a recent post, important doesn't always mean serious. As you embed or link to others' stories and media, it provides a richer context. It shows you are connected and interested in lots of different ways of experiencing the world. Looking for media (and media-creation opportunities) can keep you from being stuck in a kind of online silo. So consider mixing up the types of media you use, the sources of the media you use, as well as the frequency or design of the media you use. Hopefully this blog will give you good ideas for achieving media variety.

In one blog post, Elder K.C. Harris includes a picture of SpongeBob SquarePants, followed down the page by a portrait of Christ. Blasphemy? I don't think so. The title of his post was "So Happy You Could Explode!" and the bright cartoon face of SpongeBob makes his enthusiasm seem authentic. I bet Elder Harris has often felt the kind of boyish glee that this animated cartoon character exemplifies. And I'm equally sure that what he says about Jesus is true -- and in part because he seems to see Christ as something that is integrated into his everyday life, a life that sometimes includes watching cartoons (well, maybe not so much while on his mission!). I'm more interested in what he says about Christ because he included SpongeBob. Sounds crazy, but what do you think?

Use Personal Media First
As you know by now, I keep stressing the power of the personal within New Media. Remember those important differences between old/traditional media and the New Media. This is especially important when it comes to choosing which media you incorporate into online missionary work. The last thing you want to do is to come off as an impersonal parrot of official Church media. That isn't because Church media isn't good; it just doesn't carry the same impact as your own life. So, whenever you can, post images, video, audio, or presentations that you have personally been involved in.

A great example of this comes from the blog of Sister Stephanie Smoot. She does such a great job in her blogging, and I think it's because she always taps into the power of the personal, and she does it with class. Here's a photo from her recent post, "We Seek After These Things."

She mentions how grateful she is to be surrounded by amazing people, like the sister missionaries pictured here (in such a subtle and clever way, I might add -- showing them seated from behind and in black and white). We guess that she is among these, and they seem to be close friends. So, when she finally gets to the 13th Article of Faith, quoted at the end of the post, we feel that doctrine within the context of her friendship with these other women missionaries. This is a simple and powerful use of media -- largely because it is personal.

And personal media can open other doors. At the end of Sister Smoot's post she links to a church-produced video in which various youth sing and talk about the 13th Article of Faith (in relationship to music and dancing). It's really pretty cool. Loved the Brit talking about "dodgy" dancing! Now I want to show this clip to my teenagers. Funny, I didn't feel that way when I got sent the DVD of this video program when I was bishop. But here's part of my point: personal media created by missionaries or members can be a gateway to church media that people wouldn't otherwise seek out. In the spirit of Sister Smoot's post, people seek after what is virtuous, lovely, or of good report when they are given a personal reason for doing so.

So, give people personal reasons for encountering worthwhile messages by mixing up your media and giving priority to media that you are involved in creating. It really works.