Categories
motivation Social Media

It Looks Good Onscreen But it Doesn’t Print

My day job is as a Graphics Manager. Occasionally, I will see a job come through that looks fantastic on screen, but it doesn’t print well. If the graphics stayed on the screen, there would be no problem. But when it comes to printing, it defies the physical limits of a printing press.

Bright colors that take advantage of the screen’s vibrance can print dull. An image may have all the needed resolution to look great on-screen. But it can look pixelated and rough when printed. It looks great in the virtual world but put it on paper, and it falls short.

There is a difference between the virtual and physical worlds. The virtual world can look bright and shiny. But when that world meets the physical world, it can be dull and rough.

Beware of comparing the virtual world to the physical one. The highlight reel of social media doesn’t show the troubles someone is going through. A video game may make you look like a fantastic driver… until you get behind a real vehicle! The virtual world can be fun, bright, and shiny. It has yet to replace the real world we live in on a daily basis.

Categories
church cartoons Social Media

Social Media and the New Pastor Celebrity

One interesting phenomenon of the pandemic is that more churches than ever are using social media and video to continue connecting with their congregations. In effect, it can make any pastor a new celebrity.

It wasn’t that long ago when anyone we saw on a screen would have been a big deal. If you saw that person out and about, you would naturally want their autograph. Now, anybody with a phone or computer can post a video. That is quite powerful!

Yet, it is still tempting to want an autograph of someone you have seen on a screen, whether it is Facebook Live, YouTube, or that coworker you had a Zoom meeting with. I better dust off my autograph book, grab my face mask, and get to it!

Cartoon of two men. One says, "You're that pastor I saw on Facebook Live! Can I have your autograph?"
Published in the July 2020 CHOGNewsletter

Categories
Internet Social Media Social Media

Discretion in a Hyper-Sharing World

YouTube was well on its way when I wrote and drew this cartoon in 2009. We have done so much more with social media since then. According to a site, 300 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute. That’s a lot of cat videos!

Should every moment be shared? It no doubt affects the behavior of people if they are performing for social media. It may be tempting to do something outrageous if the goal is to get as many views and likes that you can.

Discretion is a word that isn’t used much when it comes to social media. It is something that comes with maturity and is easy to forget in the heat of the moment. But it is something we all need to keep in mind. It takes wisdom to do this. Wisdom comes from experience and experience comes from making mistakes. Unfortunately, it can be very embarrassing and life-changing if you make your mistakes on social media for all to see.

Before you get ready to post that video, before you post your opinion or respond to that obnoxious post with an equally obnoxious response, consider discretion. Use your better judgement. Let’s keep ourselves from wishing we could take that comment or video back.

Social media is a powerful tool. Let’s use it wisely.

Cartoon of boy and dad. The boy says, "You should have seen what Bobby did in class! It's already posted on Youtube!"
Categories
Marketing Social Media

What Exactly Is the Social Media Mind?

I have been reading this fascinating book on social media entitled The Social Media Mind: Ho social media is changing business, politics, and science and helps create a new world order.

It was written in 2012 when there was still hope  the Arab Spring would bring positive change. It looked five years into the future, which is almost today and how social media would be a part of our lives.

Categories
Social Media

Social media makes us all brand marketers

You see it each time you log into Facebook. Friends post their vacation photos. Parents brag on their kids. Grandparents express admiration about their grandkid’s accomplishments. It looks like everyone else is having a wonderful life while you’re stuck at home scooping out the litter box and trying to keep your toddler from tossing your iPhone in the potty.

You don’t think about it, but you do the same as everyone else. You post the best of your experiences and glow about the love you have for your teen. You don’t mention the fight the two of you have the other night because he refused to take his coat to school. Nor do you mention his atrocious calculus grade (at least you shouldn’t).