This is still experimental, so I might just quit using it at some point, but it looks very promising.

EuroCom (Kevin Colyer, Priscilla Frommann, Bec Gibbons and Rodney Blevins) first shared a snapshot of the present state of communication within YWAM Europe using the statistics from their recent e-mail survey.  The survey was conducted by e-mailing more than 130 YWAM locations around Europe, posing as an interested person wanting to know more about their base.  The locations were given 3 weeks time to respond, and were given a final score based on four factors: how visible the contact info was on their website, how quickly they responded, how personal the response was, and how well the questions were answered.

Around 50% of the answers were either very well done or moderately well done, which means their contact details were easy to find and they answered quickly, in an informative and personal way. Another 10% of the responses were not so well done but still ok. This last 10% is, of course, somewhat subjective since it depends greatly on how the individual receiving the email would perceive it. The last ~40% did not respond at all in the given time of three weeks (not counting the ones with technical problems).

Kevin Colyer then preceded to share a vision for what YWAM would look like if the “nervous system” were healed in Europe.  We then broke into small groups to discuss practical ways of getting there and also what the needs were.  After the groups began reporting back, it was clear that the discussion had centered mainly on what their current needs are.  One of the things that stood out the most, was the need for training.  A suggestion was made to send a team out to visit the bases and spend a few days with them offering training specific to their needs and helping them to develop newsletter and website templates.

EuroCom then offered suggestions for the leaders for how to continue on from here.  We urged them to take this information back to their areas of influence and to go through the W5H ComTool.  We also asked them to identify communication people within their areas and have them contact us at eurocom [at] ywam [dot] eu so we can start networking with them.  If they don’t have a communication person working with them, we suggested they appoint one.

We also made several short video clips of leaders telling their stories about something exciting happening in their region/nation/base, etc.  You can check those out on the ywameurocom page on youtube: youtube.com/user/ywameurocom.  We also made a promtional video for the YWAM Knowledge Base (ywamkb.net), so check that one out, too while you’re at it.

These are taken from John Maxwell’s latest Leadership Wired e-mail newsletter. You can subscribe to it here: www.giantimpact.com

“The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity.”
~ Keith Ferrazzi

“Always recognize that human beings are ends, and do not use them as means to your ends.”
~ Immanuel Kant

“Your network determines your net worth.”
~ Anonymous

My inbox is a measly 1754 messages (none unread), but what about those of us who have 3000, 4000 or 5000+ e-mails in our inboxes? If that’s the case with your inbox, check out this series of articles by Merlin Mann over at 43 Folders which looks at the “skills, tools, and attitude needed to empty your email inbox — and then keep it that way”.

Here’s a good article on troubleshooting Skype:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2002061_troubleshoot_skype_voip.html

Hope it helps some of you out there.

The new YWAM Promotional DVD is now available! We are very excited to release this DVD and hope that it will spread YWAM’s passion to know God and to make Him known. The videos on this DVD are excellent tools for recruiting, promoting and fundraising.

The four videos are:
• We are YWAM (3 min.) is a fast-paced glimpse of YWAM worldwide aimed at getting youth excited and involved.
View it on YouTube

• Get Involved (4 min.) is an invitation to churches to learn more about YWAM and how they and their youth can be part of this international, interdenominational missions movement.
View it on YouTube

• Get Going (5 min.) is all about YWAM’s life-changing Discipleship Training School.
View it on YouTube

• Think YWAM (10 min.) is a sit-down talk with two YWAMers sharing the heart of YWAM’s wide-spread ministry.
View it on YouTube :
Part 1
Part 2

We invite you to post comments and rate these videos on YouTube. We also hope to make them available for download as podcasts through ywam.org soon. Please help spread the word.
To order DVDs for US$5 each plus shipping, please email pr [at] ywam [dot] org
If you are interested in having these videos in your language, email: procla[at]intlcom.org

Don’t forget to order the new YWAM international brochures too! Print ready data for 6 different brochure designs is available - customized in local languages, with your local YWAM ministry contact info on it for localized printing. More info on all these new materials is available at : http://ywam.org/contents/sta_res_promo.htm
or email: pr[at]ywam.org

One MacBook with a Thinkpad keyboard please (or OS X running on Windows, when hell freezes over) by ZDNet’s David Berlind — Just because almost everybody is doing it, does that mean it’s a good idea? Or does that mean that we’ve somehow been hoodwinked into thinking this makes sense. I’m talking about touchpads. Somehow, users have been convinced that these kissin-cousins to the digitizing tablets that graphics artists use (where the technology benefits productivity) make [...]

Is this guy on crack or something? Sure, I agree with him about trackpads. Who really uses the trackpad on their mac laptops anyway? I’m a macfreak but I avoid using the trackpad on my powerbook as much as possible. I’m also a productivity freak so I use keyboard shortcuts as much as possible. But pointing sticks? Please, that’s so 90’s.

My only brief experience with a pointing stick was when I had to help a friend with his Toshiba back in the 90’s. My only hope was that I could get the job done as soon as possible so I wouldn’t have to use that stupid, little pointing stick anymore.

Sure, it was fast. Too fast. Speed went up and accuracy plummeted. The fact that it may be harder for manufacturers to make or maintain is not the real reason why it has never caught on. People don’t like them.

Want speed and accuracy? Use a mouse. Want productivity? Keep your fingers on the keyboard as much as possible and use shortcuts. That is unless you get paid by the hour, of course. In that case, feel free to use whatever outdated, outmoded technology you wish to use.

Technorati Tags: productivity, trackpads, pointing-sticks

This actually goes for anyone who is trying to make a presentation or a video of some kind which will be displayed in front of a larger audience like a church or even distributed via the internet. It’s my understanding that if you’re just showing the video/presentation to a small audience in your own home then you’re safe to use whatever kind of music you want, however, if at some point you decide to post it on your blog or show it to your church on Sunday morning, then you’re going to have either redo your presentation using copyright-free music or obtain a costly license to use the music.

Well, here are some links to places that offer free music that you can use for just about anything except for commercial purposes (some of them can even be used for that). Please refer to the license information provided with each song or on the website itself. Some artists do ask to be notified if it is going to be used publicly, and some of them ask you not to remix the music in anyway (using excerpts notwithstanding), but others place absolutely no restrictions at all on their music. Two of them are secualr websites where you might find some Christian music and the last one is specifically worship:

Podsafe Music Network
macjams.com
freeworshipmusic.com