Using media in ministry (redux), facebook, twitter, blogs, youtube and more

Update:

Please click here to download an MP3 recording of the Radio interview I refer to below.

I am always amazed at how I stumble and stutter once I am on air!  It is quite a challenge to remain coherent and sensible when thousands of people are listening (and there's no backspace key!)  Ha ha!  The interview went off well (I think), and as I mention, I would love to hear your thoughts.  So, here's the podcast file (13MB in MP3 format)

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This evening (6 September 2009) I shall be doing an interview on Kate Turkington's Sunday evening talk show on 702 / Cape Talk.

I am extremely excited about this opportunity!  Kate is a remarkable woman, I was so thankful to be contacted by her producer Wendy Landau, who asked if I could come on the show to talk about the use of new media (facebook, twitter, blogs, video blogs, podcasts and e-publishing) in ministry.

Let me give a little bit of background to my interests in media and ministry.  Let's start with the media bit - I have been using the internet almost since its inception (I suppose that in Malcolm Gladwell's terms, see Outliers, I was born at just the right time and had a few fortunate opportunities along the way!)

I have had a website since early in 1994 (when I was a student at Rhodes University - in those days they had Unix boxes with Mosaic browsers and some of the 286 and 386 PC's had Netscape 1 installed on them!)  I realized at an early stage that this medium would have both forming and formative effects.

On the forming side, the ease with which information could be shared, disseminated and published would revolutionize the way we see and think about things!  There is little doubt that our capacity for understanding the complexity of the world (in terms of vast geography, economies, cultures and global interdependence) has changed in the last 15 years!  Access to such a huge quantity and variety of information has formed the way we interact, the way we make choices, and of course even some practical and functional aspects of our lives (such as communication, forming relationships, and crafting our 'picture' of ourselves, others and the world).

From a formative perspective I also realised that there was an incredible opportunity to get ahead of this social and information technology in order to add value to the lives of people all over the world!  Of course in the early days web sites were quite static (except for those ghastly 'animated gifs!') - by static, I mean that it was so difficult to add content that websites tended to be static repositories of information.  My first website on the Rhodes University Computer Users Society server (rucus) had a bit of boigraphical information, a few essays and papers that I had written in Theology (oh, and a hidden list of links to hacking sites and methods... I was quite proficient at getting through the Novell servers at the University and had become somewhat skilled at hacking the lab machines to access the internet...  Remember, those were the early days of computers!)  The point is that my first website was simply, and it had to be coded in html script in a plain text editor!  So adding content was very difficult!

One of the first theologians / priests that I connected with on the internet was Steve Hayes who was teaching in the Missiology Department at UNISA.  I think that was around 1995-1997 - is that right Steve?  Steve has always been way ahead of the curve in using new technologies to create networks and establish relationships (from the early days of dialup BBS' to the more current 'syncroblogs')

I suppose I had always seen a clear link between ministry and media (i.e., the necessity to manage how I, and others, are formed by the information we receive.  As well as using the technologies at our disposal to influence, inform, and help others to form fresh, life-giving perspectives on themselves, others, God and God's world.)

Basically, I see that there are two ways in communication technologies can be used for ministry.  I'm sure that there are many more, but these are the two broad uses I understand.

1.  They can be used to share information, thoughts, ideas and inspiration.  So, you'll see on my blog I give away three of my books for free.  This is an effective and easy way to publish my books to a very wide audience and have them interact with the content.  I also do videos and audio podcasts, and of course there are the shorter blog posts.  These tools can be quite effective for ministries and organisations that are producing content (whether it be sermons, books, reports, videos, materials etc.)  It is quite interesting to note that the Global Day of Prayer (whom I serve as part of my current ministry) has one of the most visited ministry sites on the internet, and their mobilization videos and resources are among the most downloaded and used ministry resources on the internet!

2.  Then there are technologies that are particularly good at facilitating relationships and engagement (facebook is one, but even a regular blog like this with comments is another, and then there is myspace, QIK, Youtube and of course to a much lesser extent there is twitter).  Interaction around thoughts, ideas, and causes has the effect of generating creative and interactive thoughts - often leading to new initiatives or fresh solutions to problems, but sometimes simply connecting people with similar ideas, values and points of view with one another.  Steve's blog is a good example of people congregating around issues, ideas, and causes to both give their unique inputs, but also to critique and discuss the views of others.  Facebook and Twitter are good tools to 'point' people towards issues, causes and materials that can help to enrich their lives and transform the lives of others.  So, for example, some Churches use their facebook fan page, or their twitter feed, to send out information about courses, events and resources in a fast and affordable manner.

Steve is particularly good at the relationship side of new media, whereas I tend to find the information sharing aspect easier (my lifestyle, and even my personality, make it difficult to return to issues that I've 'put out there').

Next, I have a fairly simple strategic purpose for new media.

I see the microblogging and 'short form' media (twitter and friendfeed) as a first means of gaining interest, creating a 'following' and pointing persons towards content and interaction.  Twitter is almost like an invitation to a party or event!  If you make it worthwhile people will want to 'click through' to what you are highlighting.  The key to getting followers in twitter is

• 1) Worthwhile content (see my post on twitter tips here)  people follow people who add value to their lives and experience of the internet! Of course there are various ways of doing this.  If you're a 'personality' people often find value in gaining an insight into your ordinary life (when you shop, who you hang out with, what you're thinking etc.)  But, for most of us that is not the case.  Our content needs to be valuable (i.e., getting people quickly and effectively to entertainment, news, or helpful resources). 

• 2)  Build relationships - this is key to following people on twitter, and getting them to take an interest in what you're contributing on the internet (and in 'real life').  I find that the people who retweet my content, or point others to what I am doing are people who I know, or have built a genuine relationship with because I am connected to them and their lives and take a real interest in who they are and what they do!  In short, I need to be prepared to connect wortwhile people to my network of friends and 'followers' in order to expect the same in return from them.  But, more importantly I should simply follow and build relationships with people that I want to relate to. When this is the motivation then a relationship is not forced, it is simply a relationship!

Next you need to have a 'landing space' where people can find the content you're pointing to and begin to create a relationship with you, your ideas, and with others persons who share similar ideas and thoughts.  This is almost like hosting a part!  In my case my blog is the landing space - I will do my best to share something of myself, some of my thoughts, and of course some useful and valuable content here.  A blog takes time, commitment and some consistency.  These are not all my ideas, most of them come, in large part, from Seth Godin's book "Tribes"

• You need to take time to find and post content - remember - it must be worthwhile for people to visit your page (and to visit again!)  I've spoken about the neuroscience of survival and efficiency elsewhere.  It's a simple fact, people go to sites that are most helpful to their lives (information, entertainment, relationships, etc.)


• Post as regularly as you can.  People stop returning to blogs that are not updated!  There are simply too many good blogs out there that add good content frequently.  So, if you have a 'niche' and can post once or twice a week (better even if you can post daily) you're on your way to building a loyal community!
  

You can view a short video I did on New Media, Ministry and Tribes here:

So, the landing page is the place where you start to share your ideas, help to influence, support and challenge people to change their own lives and the lives of others around them.

But, that is not the end...

The final step is to 'build a conversation' - I am certainly aware of the fact that I don't have any definitive answers to some of the issues that I think about, work towards, and want to see changed.  I need your thoughts, ideas, and effort.  So, comments on your blog, requests for contact, and the opportunity to meet people in the 'real world' is essential!

I have had wonderful opportunities to connect with people and discuss their thoughts in relation to mine, to do presentations and talks, or contribute practically to the good work that others are doing!  That, after all, should be the aim of ministry - to bring about real and tangible change.

So, here are two resources that may be of some help to you.  They are both previous posts I did on Media and Ministry for Media Village in Kalk Bay, Cape Town.

Post 1 - July 2009 from here.

Last week I had the privilege of teaching some classes on new media and ministry at Media Village's School of Video Production.

Since most of the persons on the course were not theologically trained we spent the first day discussing issues related to the 'message' of ministry. In particular we talked about the message of the Kingdom of God and our responsibility to be agents of transformation in society (thus pitching the content of the message towards individuals in order to engage the individuals with the Gospel of Christ, and also empower individuals to transform systems and communities to embrace the ways of Christ).

I have recently become increasingly aware of the fact that the Church sees its mission mandate as a geographical mandate (i.e., go into all the 'world' making disciples of all nations...) However, there are 'worlds' that are not part of our regular geography - these include social networks and new social media. I'm not sure about you, but I so much more connected with many more people because of the technology of social media. I communicate with more than 1000 people each time I send out an update on my twitter feed - http://www.twitter.com/digitadion. I have over 700 followers on twitter, and since my twitter feed automatically updates my facebook profile the 460 friends I have on facebook (some of whom are also friends on twitter) receive my updates. This phenomenon shows when I look at the logs for my website! I see a huge spike in hits to my website after an interesting tweet!

The lectures themselves offered quite a lot of insight into the tools of social media (twitter, facebook, linkedin) and new media tools (which primarily are communication tools to get rich content (such as audio, video, electronic text, or still images) to large groups of persons).

My media strategy, as you shall see from the video below, is quite simple:

1. Build a wide range of relationships. This is where twitter and facebook come in. The intention of these relationships is the create opportunities to interact around common interests and concerns, and particularly to drive traffic to my content! I cannot emphasize this last point strongly enough!

2. Having built a wide range of relationships I use various means to present rich content to my network. These include videos through youtube and qik, electronic text via my blog, and of course audio via my podcast and images via flickr.

3. When persons visit any of these sites I try to provide content for free (books, podcasts, videos etc.) that will bring about returning visits.

The long and the short of this relationship is that it creates a model for engagement around issues of the Gospel (the love of God in Christ, justice, social transformation etc.) Furthermore, the model also serves as a platform from which to launch my thoughts and ideas - I cannot tell you how many wonderful opportunities have come because my blog is rated in the top 5 in the Mail and Guardian's religion blogs section. I frequently get emails, telephone calls, do radio and television interviews and have generated many sales for my books etc. through these contacts.

The 'secret' if I can put it as such, is to give away ones content for free whenever possible. My idea is that the most valuable thing I have is not the paper on which my books is printed, rather it is the ideas, concepts and engagement that form the books - and of course my time. So, persosn can have my work for free since it eventually leads them to contact me to engage around the content. This in turn allows opportunities for me to share the Gospel of Christ and to encourage others to work with me for the transformation of society and creation!

Well, here's the video on new media / social media:

And, here's a copy of the Powerpoint Slides I used over the three 2 days. Simply click the link to download them. There is a 'reading list' in the middle of the slides that may be of some help. Please feel free to use them as you wish, if I could simply ask that you give a linkback to my blog (or site http://www.dionforster.com ) if you use them.

I'd love to hear your perspectives on how the Church, and Christians, can use social media to bring God's will to bear on society.

Post 2 24 July 2009 from here.

Here's a short interview that my friend Shane Vermooten from Media Village did with me for their series 'On the Orange Couch' at the School of Video Production in Kalk Bay in Cape Town.

In this video I discuss some of the issues related to how we can harness new media in Christian ministry. I also discuss some theological perspectives in the mission of the Church and of individual Christians in society as they relate to the Kingdom of God.

Find more videos like this on SVP 2009

Please share any thoughts and feedback!

You can find my original video, powerpoint slides, and post on new media in ministry on this link.

Post 3 30 July 2009 from here.

This is a video interview / discussion with Bill Wasik on Viral Culture & New Media @NextSpace Santa Cruz

Before you jump to the video (and you'd best have some bandwidth to spare - but it is well worth watching), I have been reading Malcolm Gladwell's book 'The outliers'. It presents some fascinating research to challenge our views of success! For example, did you know that the overwhelming number of professional hockey players were born in January (in fact most of them in the first three weeks of January!) Did you know that most of the Tycoons of Industry were born in the 1830's, and that the tycoons of the internet (Gates, Joy, Jobs etc.) were all born within a few months of each other in the 1980's?

The point that Gladwell makes from his research is that 'talent' is only a small part of success. What made all of these aforementioned people a success in their fields was that they were ahead of the curve. Think about this for example, if Gates and Jobs had been just a little bit too young they would never have got ahead of the computer revolution and lead their way into the industry. If they were a little older they would perhaps have been married with kids and so not been willing to take the risks of starting up a new enterprise, and so some other younger, hungrier, more daring persons would have done it instead... Do you see the point? Being aware of where you are in history is an important thing!

There is little doubt that communication technology is absolutely revolutionising the world! The world is not the same as it was even 10 years ago. We can connect at no cost, and in an instant, with hundreds of thousands of people all over the world using a computing device that we can put in our pocket! Text messaging, facebook and twitter are changing the ways in which conversations are structured and engaged...

What is the Church doing about it? We still employ a 20-30 minute sermon as our primary means of communicating the unchanging Gospel to an ever changing world! My goodness that is unwise!

Bill Wasik on Viral Culture & New Media @NextSpace Santa Cruz from Allan Lundell on Vimeo.

Here are some other posts (videos and lecture notes) that I prepared on New Media and Ministry... And here is an exceptional reflection and critique by Steve Hayes that consciders a different aspect of technology and its use in ministry.

I would love to hear your feedback, thoughts and insights! How can we use these tools in our ministry? Do you know of anyone who is doing it well? Do you agree with me that our generation must get 'ahead' of this curve or we may just miss the boat?

Free Christian theology and spirituality books to download!

Every now and then I repost this message - Here are the links to download copies of three of my books for free!

As I've said elsewhere a few times, I would much rather have you read my books than pay me to own them! So, please, go ahead, download a copy of each and use them as you would.

http://www.spirituality.org.za/books/Uncommon_Spiritual_Path_Forster.pdf

http://www.spirituality.org.za/books/Prayer_Guide_for_Exams_Forster.pdf

http://www.spirituality.org.za/books/Christ_at_the_Center_Forster.pdf

Please may I request two favours in return?

1. Please could you drop me a line to let me know that you've downloaded one or all of the books and whether you have any thoughts, suggestions, or feedback to share? You can email me at digitaldion@gmail.com

2. Please could I ask that you spread the links to my books as widely as you possibly can! Please try to drive as much traffic to these books as possible. Thank you so much for your interest!

If you would like to own copies of the books simply go to my blog /blogger.html and you can order paper copies of each of the books, plus three more, using the links on the right hand side of the page.

May you be richly blessed in Christ,

Dion

Rest in peace 'Zoob'! The passing of Rev Barry Marshall

Dr Wessel Bentley, Rev Barry Marshall, Dr Dion Forster
Originally uploaded by digitaldion.
I heard today of the death of my friend the Reverend Barry Marshall. Barry, is pictured in the middle of Wessel Bentley (left) and myself (right) in this photograph taken in Cape Town in 2007. I have such a fond memory of that evening! We had come from an exceptionally heated debate at the Conference of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. Barry and I are both known to be a little hot headed - so at the advice of Alan Storey (see the picture below) who was a seasoned veteran of the anti Apartheid struggle, we agreed that if either of us got antagonized into an emotional response we would simply glance across and the emotional person would have to quieten down! Ha ha! A few stares were passed during the debate that afternoon. You can read some of it on the link about Barry below.

I first came to know Barry when he followed me as a 'Probationer' (Student) minister at Trinity Methodist Church in Sunward Park in the early 1990's. We struck up quite a close friendship since we had similar interests in ministry, theology and life.

Later we got to know one another even better when we did the same Master of Theology course at Rhodes University.

In subsequent years Barry and myself shared lodgings at least twice a year at the Methodist Church of Southern Africa's Education for Ministry and Mission Unit meetings in January and June / July. We always found something about which to joke, and would nip out to meet Johnathan Anderson, Fr Stephen Barry and Bishop Paul Verryn for a little 'libation' in the evenings!

Barry and I had another close connection - my mother works for Barry's Dad, Guy Marshall. So we were frequently sharing stories about our parents, and of course our parents were frequently passing on stories and news about us!

Barry was passionate about the Christian faith, and particularly passionate about issues of justice and inclusiveness in Church and society - he was a leading crusader for the rights of gay and lesbian Christians and he and I (together with many others) worked hard within our own denomination to open the way for a more hospitable and accepting Church. When I was the Dean at John Wesley College and Barry was a minister in Edenvale we used to get him to preach in Chapel and come to teach our classes on contemporary worship. He was deeply respected, and well loved, by our students and staff.

You can find a few of my posts about Barry here.

The photograph above was taken at the Cape Town Conference of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa - it was a glorious sunset evening where a group of friends went out for a meal.

I affectionately knew Barry as 'zoob' a nickname he picked up somewhere along the line... I'm not sure when or where!
In this photograph Barry is at the end of the table with myself to his right, then Wessel Bentley, Alan Storey, and Kevin Needham. On the other side of the table is Diane Moodie and Kenneth Car. What a great evening that was!
I spoke to Barry just over a week ago when he phoned to tell me about one of our Transformation Africa / GDOP meetings that took place in PE. We spoke for 20 minutes... I now wish I had made more of that conversation!

Barry, is survived by his wife and two small children. My heart is very tender for them. Please do spare a prayer for his family. You can find a link to Barry's website here.

You're already deeply missed my friend! Thank you for your service to Christ and your faithfulness to the call to ministry!

Please, DON'T click this link! Economics, maps, faith and ecology

I know... It's not a very good trick - but, you followed the link, and here you are! I'm glad you've stopped by my blog!

Have you ever taken time to consider the relationship between faith, economics, globalization and the environment?

Well, recently I did a post about the neurological causes of greed, and how these can be managed as a 'value transaction' in order to address some of the economic inequalities that we face across the world.

Let me show you a few basic analogous maps of the world to illustrate the economic inequalities that exist in the world.

First, here is a basic map of the world based on geographical land mass (i.e., this is the traditional manner in which maps are drawn - the area of each land mass is a represented equivalent of the actual land mass drawn to scale).

Now, take a look at this next map - this map is analogous of the world's wealth. In other words, the more wealth a nation has the larger it will appear on the map. Look how large North America and Europe are in relation to the rest of the world - it is also worth noting how rich Japan is on this map. Clearly, the world's wealth is concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere, and it is largely concentrated in the West. I shall, however, say something about the shifts that are taking place in the world's economy at a later stage.

Next, take a look at this map which analogous of poverty across the world. It is almost an inverse representation of the wealth map above - this map shows nations that are poorer as larger masses on the map.

Now, take a look at this map which shows HIV / AIDS infection across the world - it is interesting to note that 68% of all HIV+ people live in Southern Africa (that is 22.8 million out of the 33 million persons who are HIV+). I have just written a study on this for a new book on a Christian response to HIV / AIDS - it is shocking to see the prevelance of AIDS deaths in Africa. But please do take a look at the last map in this series.

This last map gives an analogous representation of where the world's Christian population lives. Isn't it sad to see that Christians live in most of the places where wealth, poverty and HIV / AIDS are significant problems? Clearly we have a few things to learn about money, God's economy, health care, reproductive care, women's rights, and sex!

OK, now I made mention of the fact that the world's wealth is concentrated predominantly in the North and the West - this is changing! Within the next 10 years the economies of the USA (North America), and most of Europe will show negative growth in some instances, and decline in others. The economies that are on the rise are China, India and Brazil (Australia is also a Southern Hemisphere economy that is growing at a significant rate). In other words, by 2020 we will see a completely different picture in global economic power! My advice is that you send your kids for a 'gap year' in China! As for me, I'm starting to study Mandarin!

If you're interested in a more detailed discussion of these shifts you can read this paper that I wrote for the Stellenbosch University Business school in 2009.

Sadly, Africa's economy will only show marginal growth since it is crippled by the impact of AIDS, political instability, underdevelopment and international debt. However, if we play our cards carefully the continent could be the next economic powerhouse after China and India since we are one of the only continents on earth that still has natural resources!

So, here's the point - did you realise that if we spent just 10% (190bn US$) of the annual world budget for military expenditure (1235bn US$) we could BOTH restore the earth's natural resources (cleaning up our water, replanting trees, creating environmentally friendly and more sustainable energy source), AND meet the basic water, sanitation, education and health care needs of the whole world! Just 10%... You can read about that research from Brown 2008 (entitled Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to save civilization) here.

Christians make up more than 40% of the world's population - surely we could take up our responsibility to manage the 'household of God' (oikos nomos - economy) for the transformation of the world?

What do you think? How do we do it? What practical steps can you suggest to start making a difference within your sphere of influence... As I've been doing this research in recent weeks I've been praying one text consistently:

The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. (Psalm 24.1 NIV)

If you're interested in an article / chapter that I have published on the subject of the environment and earthkeeping you can read

• More red than green – a response to global warming and the environment from within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. Forster, DA in The Epworth Review - the Journal of Methodist ecclesiology and mission Vol 35, No 2 (2008). This paper was also published in

• Forster DA, 'More red than Green', in What are we thinking? Reflections on Church and Society from Southern African Methodists. Forster, DA and Bentley, W. 2008. Methodist Publishing House, Cape Town. ISBN: 978-91988352-6. (2008:117ff. Chapter 7)
  

(This is not my area of expertise by the way, I am far more interested in justice and economics, but there was not much being written on this topic from our perspective so I took it upon myself to do some research in the area).

If you're interested in reading a chapter that I wrote on the Christian's response to Greed and Economics please see:

• Upon the Lord's sermon on the mount - discourse 8 (a contemporary exposition of John Wesley's sermon on stewardship and the use of money from an African Liberation Theology perspective) in Shier Jones, A and Reisman, KD 44 Sermons to serve the present age (2007), London: Methodist Publishing house. ISBN: 97807162063

Oh, and if you're looking for my 'other' post on maps of the world please go here. This is the MOST clicked linked on my blog - isn't that amazing!?

What a place to teach!

This week I had the joy of spending two days in the classroom teaching
a group of 52 persons from all over the world. More than half of the
'students' are Christian business people, the rest are community
workers and Christian aid workers of various sorts. To see more about
them please visit http://www.alict.org

I taught two classes. The first was a class on the Christian's
responsibility for social, economic and community transformation (with
quite a strong focus on the intricasies of the global economic system
and the effects of globalization on the poor). The second lecture
dealt with the subject of changes in the global Church and why these
changes are taking place.

On the second day I taught the group out at Bergkroon in Wellington.
Take a look at the scenery where the centre is located! You can even
see a Springbok in this picture. I love Africa!

I'll post my lecture notes and slides on my blog when I get a chance.

Alien spider!?

I haven't had a chance to upload this photo since last week Sunday.
It has been such a busy week!

Anyway, take a look at this branch that I came across on our
Mountainbike ride on Lourensford farm in Somerset West. I thought it
looked a bit like a huge spider! Of course I can't show it to Megan -
she is terrified of spiders!

Some advice please! What cellphone should I get!?

Right, let's do some crowd sourcing! I am an MTN cellphone user in South Africa - my contract renews on the 14th of September. Here's the advice I need, what cellphone should I get?

I already have an iPhone. My previous phone was a Nokia E90 which I loved! I need my phone to sync my email and calendar (preferably by MS Exchange, but blackberry or direct sync to my Mac could also do!), I also would prefer a good keyboard (so no predictive text options if possible!)

I would prefer a phone that has or can do the following:

• 3G
• Wifi
• Bluetooth
• Good camera (video video recording)
• Should be able to shoot & upload video to Qik.com
• GPS with free map service
• Fairly good battery life
• Fairly good web browser
• Must have a twitter (and facebook) app!
  

You can see I don't want too much ;-) ha ha! Oh, and did I mention I have not had a great experience with Windows Mobile and HTC phones....

I was thinking about:

• Android phone
• Blackberry 9000
• Nokia N97 (but I've heard this is not a good phone at the moment! What have you heard?)

So please help me out, ask your friends, ask your friends to ask their friends! Please post your suggestions below. The person who offers me the best advice will get a huge thank you AND either a signed copy of one of my books (signed by me), or a signed copy of Graham Power's book on the Global Day of Prayer book 'Not by Might, Nor by Power' (signed by Graham of course!)

So, please spread the word, leave a comment and 'help-a-brother.com!' Please tweet this, or put it on facebook for a bit of help! You can add my twitter username @digitaldion

Thanks!

Dion

Ken Wilber's four quadrants cont... All Quadrants All Levels

This is the diagram I refer to in the next podcast, it may be helpful to keep it handy as you're listening.

In this LONG overdue podcast I discuss Ken Wilber's understanding of the Four Quadrants of being in relation to holons and the Holarchy. In short, it discusses how each part / whole of reality has individual, social, interior and exterior realities, and how these realities relate to one another to offer a holistic understanding of true being.

For any person who truly wishes to understand, and make meaning, of life as a whole, this schema is a truly wonderful tool. My introduction is extremely cursory. For a detailed discussion of Wilber's notion I would suggest the following title: Wilber, K. 1995. "Sex, ecology, spirituality: The spirit of evolution". Boston: Shambala.

Download the podcast audio here: scast5.mp3

Please post comments to: digitaldion@gmail.com

A brief compendium of Ken Wilber's All Quadrant All Level schema for consciousness.

I've had a few questions from visitors to the blog about my view of consciousness. In general I subscribe to an inter-subjective approach to consciousness (i.e., an individual consciousness that is formed in and through relationship). What else would you expect from an African? After all as we say in Africa umuntu ngumunta ngabantu (a person is a person through other persons).

So, I believe that your consciousness and identity is formed by your biological and psychological makeup. However, it is also formed by your social relationships, your gender, your social standing in society, your geographical location, when you live in history etc. There are four basic dimensions to identity:

1. The individual interior (what I think about myself).
2. The individual collective (what I think about 'my kind', e.g., maleness, richness, englishness etc.)
3. The individual exterior (how I am e.g., tall, white, weak, strong, healthy etc.)
4. The collective exterior (how we are e.g., we are English, white, South African which is different form being a black, Zulu, Zimbabwean)...

Well, here's a first podcast I did on Ken Wilber's integrative theory. It is followed by a second podcast on Wilber's All Quadrant All Level holarchic theory.

Please do excuse the quality - I was still figuring out my equipment, and certainly didn't have much confidence with recording! Hopefully, however, you find something useful in all of this! Lastly, if you're interested in reading a detailed (academic) explanation of my views please download this document (a copy of my PhD) and read chapter 5 (from page 156).

This Podcast is a discussion of Ken Wilber's notion of holons and holarchy. The concept is extremely enlightening and offers an interesting critique of hierarchies and heterarchies.

To find out more about Ken Wilber you can go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Wilber

Download the audio here: scast4.mp3

Please drop me a line and let me know if you're listening! Also feel free to add any comments using the comments link below.

Thanks for listening! Please drop me a line with any comments, suggestions, or discussion.

10 Twitter commandments... Thou shalt not...

Twitter is becoming more and more popular! You can follow me on twitter @digitaldion - so, I thought I would post these 10 commandments for twitter use!

I know I've transgressed a few! What about you? Are there any other 'commandments' that we should be following for twitter us? Here's the post!

Twitter can be used for many things. From communicating with friends, family and associates to building an online profile to promoting products and services, many individuals employ Twitter for important functions.

But some of them shoot themselves in the foot by engaging in Twitter sin.

Here are The 10 Twitter Commandments that will keep you away from sin:

• Thou shalt not use DM autoresponders. More often than not, DM autoresponders are used poorly. Unless you have a good reason to use them and know what you're doing, consider avoiding them altogether.
• Thou shalt not beg for retweets. If your content is good, other Twitter users will retweet it. Asking "pls RT" makes you look desperate.
• Thou shalt not autotweet. Unless your followers followed you to get automatic updates (eg. they know your account is tied to a content feed), autotweeting is usually a bad idea.
• Thou shalt not tweet in bunches. You know the guy who always sends out a couple dozen tweets in rapid-fire succession? Don't be that guy. Sending lots of tweets in a short period of time is just downright annoying.
• Thou shalt not take your followers on a trip to hashtag hell. Hashtags can be extremely useful but they're frequently abused by spammers, marketers and applications. So choose which ones you use wisely. Hint: hashtags relating to body parts, private matters, illegal activities and words you wouldn't use in the presence of your grandparents are usually the ones to avoid.
• Thou shalt not sex up your avatar. Everyone loves a pretty face but when it comes to your Twitter avatar, make sure that pretty face is your own. Using a photo of a beautiful woman or a studly man to attract attention is suitable only for the lowliest of spammers. And don't forget to keep your clothes on; your rock-hard abs may be worthy of exhibition on the beach but you probably don't need to show them off in Twitter's public timeline.
  
• Thou shalt not oversell. This is 'social' media. Just as nobody likes the person who is constantly selling vaccuum cleaners at the cocktail party on Friday, nobody likes the person who is selling via tweet 24x7. So even if you're using Twitter for business purposes, don't go overboard with the pitches; providing value with your tweets will do more for your selling efforts than 140 characters of hard pitch.
• Thou shalt not overfollow or autofollow. If you have 500 followers but are following 5,000 people, something is wrong. Some people have sophisticated beliefs regarding follower ratios; I don't. But common sense is in order: there are plenty of reasons not to follow other users and you should only follow people who you find interesting. As it relates to autofollowing, if I told you I was jumping off a cliff, would you follow me over the edge? Hopefully not. Consider applying the same logic when it comes to who you follow on Twitter.
• Thou shalt not sell out. Tweeting a message for a company for a chance to win a free laptop may be a good deal for the company but you'd probably ask for more if you were selling your soul and not your Twitter account. Even so, by tweeting marketing messages for compensation (or a chance at compensation), you send the message that you're easily bought and sold. That's probably not a message you want to send.
• Thou shalt not tweet before thinking. You are what you tweet. So think twice before saying something dumb. From retweeting a fake news story to crudely voicing a opinion that makes you look like a jerk, there are plenty of ways you can put your foot in your mouth in 140 characters. So keep your shoes on and your feet on the ground by thinking before you hit 'update'.

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Radio Pulpit now have its own radio channel on DSTV!!

Here's some great news! Radio Pulpit is a great South African Christian Radio station. You can now tune into Radio Pulpit if you have a DSTv decoder in Africa. My show, 'The Ministry and Me' does its lead broadcast on a Wednesday at 9am (Central African Time), and then rebroadcasts a few times throughout out the week.

Here's how you can tune in.

To tune in, do the following:

• Press "TV Guide" on the remote control.
• Select "Music & Radio".
• Select channel 182; this is Radio Pulpit.
• Press "OK".
• To return to the normal programming on DSTV:
  • Press "TV" on the remote control twice.
  • Select DSTV.
  • Press "OK".

For the latest decoders:

• Press "SHIFT" followed by the "TV" button for direct access to the Audio Bouquet.
• Go to channel 182; this is Radio Pulpit.
• To return to the last viewed video channel, press the "TV" button again.

For all technical. accounts and programming enquiries please call your nearest Multichoice centre:

• 083 900 DSTV (3788) (VAS rates apply)
• Johannesburg: (011) 289-2222
• Pretoria: (012) 422-2222
• Cape Town: (021) 508-2222
• Durban: (031) 710-2222
• Port Elizabeth: (041) 395-2222
• Bloemfontein: (051) 503-2222

By the way, you can also listen on your cell phone if you don't have DSTv - follow this link to find out how.

The politics of IQ? Smart bombs and the nature versus nurture 'wars'...

I came across this incredibly thought provoking, and detail filled, post on the relationship between IQ and power, a discussion of the debate between those who advocate nature as more powerful than nurture, and of course those who propose the contrary view.

In the light of what I have been reading recently (Malcom Gladwell's Outliers and Zachary Shore's Blunder) this has brought an entirely fresh perspective on the complexity of the relationship between individual identity and ability, and the complexity of social forces (particularly as they relate to success and power). For example, persons with a high IQ don't necessarily become successful - some are extremely intelligent in a linear sense, but lack the basic social graces and abilities to establish meaningful relationships. Of course the reality is that very little in life happens without being able to do it with others, or because of their favour, help and grace. Conversely, there are some persons who do not have a very high IQ, but understand that applying certain types of force and social pressure can lead to certain results (like many criminal minds who use force and domination to achieve their objectives). I have worked with a few persons like this in the past! I am astounded that they manage to achieve as much as they do their sheer force and power! Yet, they understand where the pressure points are in society and act upon them. Fear is a very powerful motivator, sometimes even more powerful than insight or knowledge! Am I right?

Anyway, for those who are interested here's a great post on this subject (and others). Please do let me know what you think! I would love to hear your insights on the relationship between IQ and EQ (and of course SQ for those who are aware of it)...

In February, 2009, I approached Steven Pinker, a deep thinker about linguistics and cognitive science who fishes where the two streams flow together, with a request for an interview. I was on assignment for the cultural studies journal Cabinet, writing a personal essay that would intertwine my own fraught relationship to the notion of intelligence with a historically informed critique of the cultural politics of the IQ test, specifically the Stanford-Binet and its successor the Wechsler.

A professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University (until 2003, he taught in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT), Pinker has popularized his theories of language and cognition through articles in the popular press and via critically acclaimed books such as The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, Words and Rules, and The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature. The furthest thing from a vulgar Darwinian---he rejects the term "genetic determinism"as a social-constructionist slur---Pinker is nonetheless a vigorous opponent of what he contends is the ideologically inspired insistence (often from the academic left, he maintains, and typically from those in the humanities rather than the hard sciences) that we are exclusively products of cultural influences, rather than, as he puts it, "an evolutionarily shaped human nature."In his popular critique of this assumption, The Blank Slate, he takes up the sword for evolutionary psychology, behavioral genetics, and cognitive science against social constructionism.

Exhaustively knowledgeable about the science of cognition, and a foeman who gives as good as he gets (if not better) in the nature-versus-nurture culture wars, Pinker seemed the perfect foil for some of my ideas about the IQ test. Thus, I was delighted when he agreed to an informal e-mail exchange that lasted through much of February and into early March. I was equally chagrined when I had to inform him that his thoughtfully considered, sharply argued quotes didn't make it into my published essay. Happily, my guestblogger stint offered the perfect solution: publish our spirited exchange as a Boing Boing exclusive. I owe Professor Pinker a debt of gratitude for allowing me to publish our interview on Boing Boing. I'm very much the beneficiary of his deeply insightful, eloquently argued ideas; the privilege of sharpening my ideas on the whetstone of his intellect is a rare one, and I'm delighted to share that opportunity with Boing Boing's readers...

Continue reading Smart Bombs: Mark Dery, Steven Pinker on the Nature-Nurture Wars and the Politics of IQ.

Another great story from BoingBoing.