Mobile Media Ministry

Comment

Comment by W. Stephen Keel on February 6, 2010 at 6:10pm

SMS marketing and fulfillment tools for spiritual audio content

I started a discussion on this topic a few minutes ago. This is what I wrote...The group that I am visiting in Northeast India, Bihar, in March, recently translated 23 Bible stories into 6 indigenous languages. My research shows me that many in the audience they are trying to reach have GSM/GSPR service with SMS/MP3 player phones. Some of the available plans give unlimited transfers for as low as $5-$8 a month. One company this month cut their rates in half. Once ne person gets a file they can share it with others at no cost using Bluetooth and files transfers…

Although I can reach some of them now with the relatively slow WAP services they have access to using my recently developed mobi websites, I believe it could be better to arrange for them to download episodes the same way many currently download ringtones with SMS. Millions of users already know how to get ringtones, spiritual hungry people could get spiritual episodes the same way, except they would not be monetized.

One company, http://www.mp3tunes.com/, has a system that allows a person to store mp3 files in a personal storage locker and access them for download to the MP3 players on their phone using software they provide. I wrote to them and learned that they have no plans to make this type of service available for organizations to distribute audio files

I believe a similar service can be created that uses SMS marketing and fulfillment. Unique SMS access numbers could be assigned to specific languages and sent to potential users. The user would only see materials relevant to their language. (I am making all audio files as small as possible before sending them.) This scheme only makes sense with the proliferation of unlimited texting plans that are increasingly available.

A lot of the MP3 “sharing” and distribution systems are influenced by copyright and ownership issues. Since a ministry would “own” their materials they could freely distribute them. I am seeking technical help to discover if it is reasonable to develop this SMS capability. Are you aware of any additional forums that I could join that would be being read by tech savvy people in this arena? If it will work in India, it will work in a lot more places too…

Comment by Antoine RJ Wright on January 9, 2010 at 9:09am

The Next 4 Billion by Tomi Ahonen (link to vid from my site): https://arjw.mymobilesite.net/.py?application=blog&action=6&id=836

Comment by Clyde Taber on December 22, 2009 at 9:05pm

Nice Robert!

Comment by Robert A. Kramer on December 21, 2009 at 2:11pm

Being Called?

Sorry, couldn't resist. Mobile Media... Called... nevermind:)

Comment by Nate Butler on December 21, 2009 at 2:03pm

I think what Tony means is exactly something simple like "Go, Teach, Disciple." Too bad "Mobile" is such a long word, otherwise it could be made into an acronym like "Move, Observe, Beckon, Illustrate, Love, Evangelize" (just using spur-of-the-moment words off the top of my head) for a button/graphic.

On a semi-related note (and I may have asked this here before, and/or someone else may have addressed it), but what is the current view/status of the ".mobi" domain name? Sorry if that's a really out-of-it question, but I haven't heard much more about its acceptance since it was first launched. Has this been embraced by your generation of technologists, Antoine?

Comment by David Hackett on December 21, 2009 at 2:02pm

Came across this resource: PDF article on "Why using video is essential for reaching Gen Y

http://www.redcliffe.org/uploads/documents/Lights_Camera_Mission_31.pdf

Also see the rest of the articles listed on tech and mission at:
http://www.redcliffe.org/standard.asp?id=6085&cachefixer=cf185633896204631

Comment by David Hackett on December 21, 2009 at 1:54pm

Create Int'l had two articles on mobile media in the latest Brigada. Here they are:

Mobile Media Evangelism tools --
Now you can share your faith while traveling cross-culturally in the
languages of unreached people groups. Create International has developed "Gospel Gadgets" with all of their evangelistic films loaded ready to be shown to the target groups that you or your teams are reaching. These "Godpods" are specially designed for today's "Mobile Media Evangelists" equipped with video and audio playback, ebook software to share the Bible in different languages, voice recording, and many more features. The best part about it is that they are one tenth the price of an ipod. For those of you working where electricity is rare or non-existent they have the answer for you: their portable solar charging unit. Find all of their Gospel Gadgets at:

http://www.indigitech.net/

Comment or inquire about this item at...

http://www.brigada.org/2009/12/20_3464
__________________________________________________________
Free Downloadable Evangelistic Films --
Create International's resource website at:

http://www.indigitech.net

is focused on resourcing Christians around the world with a variety of
evangelistic tools. Aiming to enhance one's personal witness and provide
effective cross-cultural tools in multiple languages, this website tool box is full of options, with more than 10,000 external links to resources and informative articles for helping you be as effective as possible in your witness to people of other cultures and languages. They now have a
searchable database of hundreds of people groups with links to audio, video, and literature tools for evangelism and mission mobilization. Create International has just completed a new section of "FREELY downloadable evangelistic films" for more than 45 of the largest and least reached people groups! They are available in both Apple and PC compatible formats which are playable on any desktop, laptop, or portable media player. Please visit their "Indigitech" website and get equipped to reach the nations!

Comment or inquire about this item at...

http://www.brigada.org/2009/12/20_3466

Comment by Antoine RJ Wright on December 21, 2009 at 1:26pm

Mobile won't be the same in 5 years time - and I'm being conservative at that estimate. Creating a slogan or manifesto for this area of media is probably not looking at it in its best context; then again, I am from a different generation of technologists, we just need to go, anything more than the simplicity of the commission (go, teach, disciple) is probably too longwinded ;)

Comment by Tony Whittaker on December 21, 2009 at 1:20pm

Dave - I didn't have any detailed proposal in mind - just floating the possibilities. I was initially thinking of some sort of catchy tagline that could sum up and encapsulate the need and potential of different forms of mobile ministry. It could be used by any of us in this context, we could make, for instance, buttons with it on. Of course, MMI, Guide Network, Visual STory are all already making this challenge.

Your valuable suggestions certainly seem worth talking round and could take this much further.Your idea of a manifesto sounds very eyecatching, and could be short enough to encourage others to republish it online or in print. Asking leading ministries to sign a manifesto could increase its credibility too.

Comment by David Hackett on December 21, 2009 at 12:58pm

Tony, can you say more about your proposal for a slogan/tagline? Is it the equivalent of a hashtag in twitter so that somehow articles reference a common thread? Simple ones of course are already "owned" by folks such as "mobile ministry".

I would think what you want is more along the lines of making reference to a consortium (a network that serves as a watering hole for collecting references to mobile ministry/mission); if so, this would best be a neutral place (an early logical place could be the GUIDE Network).

OR another way of doing what I think you're suggesting is if a group (or perhaps THIS Ning group) wrote a "manifesto" advocating for the Christian community to use the mobile platform - and allow people to sign on in affirmation. Then people could reference the manifesto; ie, that what they are doing is in affirmation of and living out the call made in the mobile manifesto.

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