Apr
9
Written by:
host
4/9/2010 7:00 AM
We live in the age of sharing…at least in certain spheres of our life. If I open iTunes to listen to music or podcasts when I visit my local wireless-enabled coffee shop, I often can see the music playlists of the other persons who are also listening to their tunes. As long as they leave their laptop open, I can "stream" their music through my computer to listen to anything that catches my interest. I'm always surprised at the eclectic mix of tunes most people have on their computers; showtunes sit next to electronica, and country hits appear in playlists with classic rock. In reality, I almost never actually listen to the music, but I occasionally do browse the lists just to get a peek at someone's personality, a window into someone's soul.
We participate in the age of sharing. Ever noticed this little image before on a website like ours? 
When you click on the icons, you become an evangelist of sorts. Whatever page, product, song, or article you happen to like is instantly shared on your favorite social network with your friends, or even just through email if you prefer to "kick it old school." Click on the Twitter icon from one of our daily emails, and you can immediately Tweet the world, "Hey, you really should see this."
Over the past couple of days, Sally and I announced that changes are afoot at Different Voice. Sally's going to focus on some of her passions, and I'll be keeping the lights on around the place. But cranking out daily emails is, frankly, a bit overwhelming and exhausting, and I know many of our readers have a hard time keeping up with them anyway. So, as I've been thinking about the possibilities over the past couple of weeks, I've begun to make some new plans.
- First, this daily email will become a weekly email for now. It'll likely contain one main article, plus a variety of other links, as it does now. Most likely, it will be somewhat longer than it currently is. Creating the new template will take some time, so please be patient—the first edition will come soon.
- Second, I'll be using Facebook and Twitter to share links and ideas with far greater frequency than I have in the past. The immediacy factor is higher there, and the ease of sharing with others is a plus. It's a greet place for Different Voice to find a receptive audience, too. I hope you'll share things you've found especially helpful with me so that I can share them with others. If you're not already an active participant on Facebook and Twitter, I really do recommend you join today! (And if you're just not interested, don't worry...I'll be sharing a lot of that content on the website and the weekly email, too.)
- Third, I'll be putting more focus on writing some books that I have started. You'll be hearing about these projects more as they develop, and—perhaps not surprisingly given the theme of this email—I'll be inviting you to share your stories, ideas and feedback with me during the writing process.
- Fourth, I'll be slowly expanding the number of churches and individuals I work with on a consulting and/or mentoring basis, especially around the themes of technology and communication. I have a fairly unique approach to website design, for example, that involves a lot more training and mutual sharing of ideas than you'll get with most website design companies. If you have a project you'd like to tackle, I hope you'll be in touch with me to begin the conversation.
- Finally, I'll be making a number of changes to the website that will hopefully make it even easier for you to submit your ideas, book reviews, curriculum feedback, and so on. Different Voice is a community of people with broad experience and amazing insights, and I truly hope you'll contribute from your rich storehouse of knowledge.
(Actually, that's not exactly the final thing. There are a few other projects I'm mulling or working on, too, but they'll have to wait for another day!)
Sally said her words of thanks yesterday, and I too am incredibly grateful to her and to you for helping us get to Different Voice is today. I will certainly miss Sally's many creative contributions to the website, and I know you will as well. Our "open rate" of our emails is much, much higher than is typical for e-newsletters, often hitting 80-90%. Many of you have generously supported the site by setting your own membership fee and contributing accordingly, and other readers have purchased books or curriculum we've linked to. As I prepare to move the website into a new phase, I'm just so grateful and can't say enough to express my gratitude.
In our very first daily email, I wrote, "Newness is part of the cycle of all life. Springtime is not just a calendar season, but a metaphor for our lives. It's the time when we plant seeds, trusting that God will bring them to maturity in time." Now I'll be planting new seeds, trusting that a summer of sharing is just around the corner! I hope you'll continue to share both the seed-planting and the harvest with me.
~ by Tim Gossett
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