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Webwatch 2007-05: Lights, Camera, Look at me.

Webwatch is a column published in the Covenant Companion Magazine every month. It is written by Heidi Griepp, manager of Covenant Internet Services and an avid web wanderer. This month, Webwatch explores the explosion of video online.

Video online is the next big thing—at least for now. Churches are putting video on their websites, doing video podcasts, playing videos before, after, and during church services. Video online has become interactive—you can watch videos and comment on them, or use video clips on a church or personal blog. Companies are starting to use video in their storefront signs—even some gas pumps show videos. Here are some resources to explore if you are interested in using video in your church or on your personal website.

www.faithvisuals.com
Faithvisuals was created by ChristianityToday.com. It’s an online resource with quality videos, PowerPoint presentations, and still images that can be used in sermons and projected during worship services, or incorporated into classes and Sunday-school discussions. Other resources include training and helpful information for churches wanting to use technology in their church. Two particularly interesting reads are “The Copyright Blues” and “Eight Reasons to Use Technology During Worship: What You Ought to Consider before Bringing Multimedia into the Sanctuary.” Both can be found in the free training section under articles and helpful tips.

Possible Uses: This is a good place to start if you are looking for a Sunday-morning video illustration.

Rating: Free training and great information on using video in the church, all in a well-designed package. ★★★★★

www.lifechurch.tv
LifeChurch.tv is a Covenant church based in Oklahoma City, which is always trying something new, including giving away their video and other creative content to other churches. Click on “Free Resources for Churches,” and then click on “Lifechurch.tv Open” to find teaser videos and loops, graphics, outlines, small group questions, even  downloadable messages that can be burned to a DVD.

Possible uses: Take advantages of churches that share. And, if you can, consider sharing video content from your church as well.  

Rating: What’s not to love about free stuff? LifeChurch websites have great designs and are fun to explore. ★★★★★

www.churchmarketingstinks.com/archives/multimedia/
The mission of this website is to “frustrate, educate, and motivate the church to communicate, with uncompromising clarity, the truth of Jesus Christ.” The site features a good article on how to use multimedia resources, particularly video in your church. It’s worth a read. Entitled, “How Your Church Can Use Video,” it is part four of a series called “What Web 2.0 Means for Your Church.”

Possible uses: For some ideas on how to use video to market a church, check out some of some of the examples on this site. 

Rating: The main article is interesting but this page could have been filled out with more content. ★★★★

www.churchrelevance.com/category/design/video/
This blog, run by Kent Shaffer, focuses on design, marketing, and leadership for churches.  There are several posts on video with useful information. Shaffer says that his passion is  “empowering and training church leaders to enhance their ministries” and I think his blog does that. Shaffer points out new places to get video clips, to find new software for using video, and to keep tabs on the video related websites and online resources.

Possible uses: Find some new video clips for Sunday school or a church service.

Rating: A really great and informative website. ★★★★★

www.gbod.org/worship/default_body.asp?act=reader&item_id=3396
This page, run by the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church, lists extensive copyright information. If you are working with video, audio, or projection of songs, this site gives useful information on copyright restrictions. The main topics covered include: What are some of the problems and concerns of showing video clips in worship? What are the restrictions of the CVLI license? What studios and producers are covered by the CVLI license?

Possible uses: Learn what you can and can’t do when it comes to video.

Rating: This site has copyright information but that’s it. ★★★

www.churchvideoideas.com
This website is run by a worship pastor named Greg Atkinson. It offers resources for churches that are planning to use video during worship services along with useful links to other video-related websites.

Possible uses: This is an interesting site to visit while brainstorming ways to use video.

Rating: The great thing about this website is that it’s all about church video ideas—it’s not just one section or one page on the topic. ★★★★★

www.godtube.com
Okay, so the name is a bit cheesy, and a little too much like youtube.com, but it’s worth  visiting. Here’s a decision I think you need to make when posting videos online. Do you want to post on youtube.com—because it will reach a larger audience? Or do you want to post it on a site like godtube.com, where the content is more selective, and your visitors won’t accidentally run into a video of someone’s wild spring break vacation?

There are advantages to both. If your audience is only other Christians who might be offended by youtube content then post your video here. If your intended audience is those outside the church, post on youtube.

Possible uses: Post your sermons, welcomes, anything you can think of here. Then link it to your blog or website.

Rating: The site has easy to use content,
but seems a little too much like a youtube.com
knock-off. ★★★