The Practical Side of Social Media

Are you using Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube) to connect with others as well as to get your message out? People have many differing views on Social Media; some ignore it, some dislike it, others embrace it while still others can become addicted to it. Heres the reality: whether we use it or not, many of our family members, friends, church members and customers do. They not only use Social Media, but their day to day lives are heavily influenced by it.

We shouldn’t think of Social Media as a replacement to our normal avenues of communication (though this is a topic we will discuss in the future). Think of it rather as an enhancement to what we are already doing. It is about relationships. It allows us to connect to people in our community and beyond with very little effort and typically zero financial obligation.

Many companies, churches, and small businesses are embracing Social Media, allowing them to get their message out without having to rely solely on traditional and usually very expensive means of mass communicating, ala TV commercials, newspaper ads, billboards, etc.

One-on-one contact has always been one of the most successful ways of getting our messages out, but typically communicating in this manner is very slow. Now with Social Media, a small post or quick video about an event, sermon series, mission opportunity can reach hundreds or even millions in minutes. Communicating via Social Media can be very personal as well, for instance, 1 and 5 married couples today meet online through Social Media. Think today how you might better serve your members by harnessing the power of Social Media.

Written by: Doran Woods

Are you prepared for a Disaster?

With the busiest months of hurricane season once again upon us, we keep our eyes on the tropics and say a quick prayer that nothing major will come our way. However, when it comes to protecting your church and its data, we’ve been blessed with technology that helps us do that. Though we cannot keep disaster from coming our way, there are steps we can take to help minimize damage when threatened with a hurricane, some of which are more simple than you might think.

• Make sure backups are running correctly and that copies are stored offsite.
• Keep servers at least 2-3 feet above the floor level.
• Make sure all servers are protected by backup batteries.
• Shut down all equipment in the proper order when preparing for the storm.
• Close all blinds and doors – both interior and exterior.

As part of ongoing support, Solerant engineers have prepared a Disaster Preparation Plan for each of our clients that will guide you through everything you need to know to prepare for a hurricane and how to resume church business once the storm has passed. Should you desire an additional level of preparation, Solerant can help you design a custom Disaster Recovery Plan or School Continuity Plan which will help your organization recover faster or continue operating with little interruption should a hurricane cause long-term damage.

Written by: Alton Fojtasek

Technology in the Classroom

Through this regular article, it’s our intent to bring you relevant information about the use of technology in schools in general, and in classrooms in particular, of the 21st century. Many times it will include videos; oft times with some humor interjected into it.  Sometimes we’ll actually show you some specific products and how they are being used in a classroom environment.  Other times it might be a roundtable discussion on a particularly germane topic.  The one thing it won’t be is boring.

Today’s video is somewhat broad in its scope.  It’s produced by i Studio and in 5 minutes, it reflects their view of what the future classroom could look like if it incorporated their products.  Our primary intent showing this video is to raise everyone’s awareness about how much technology has already influenced schools and to start us all imagining just how different the classroom of the future will look going forward.

Written by: Stephen Posta

The Pros & Cons of Multiple Monitors

There appear to be two recurring themes: first is that ALL studies show that multiple monitors increase productivity.  The only thing in dispute is by how much.  The second theme is that prices on ALL monitors continue to fall at a rapid pace.  A Solerant client recently purchased a Dell 23″ LED Full HD Widescreen monitor for $220.  Some of the pros and cons of using multiple monitors.

Pro:

• Productivity increases by an average of 42%
• Multiple programs can be opened and viewed simultaneously
• Facilitates quick movement from program to program
• Sharing/moving data between applications is quicker
• Allows video teleconferencing (Skype, etc.) while keeping other data opened for referencing
• Sequential positioning of repetitive tasks can help streamline them
• Adding a second monitor, in most cases, is easy and affordable

Con:

• Requires/uses more desktop space
• The potential exists for a greater number of distractions
• Consumes more power than a single monitor

As with most things in life, moving from a single monitor to multiple monitors involves some trade-offs. From a practicality perspective, the benchmark to use comes down to your daily workflow. If your position involves working on a single task at a time, finishing it up and then moving on to the next task, then a single monitor serves you well. But if your position has you hopping in and out of multiple tasks repeatedly all day long, than you’re probably a candidate for a second monitor.

For those of you who are considering taking this article up to your church’s accounting office and using it as justification for getting a second monitor, remember this trade-off: They’ll be expecting at least a 42% increase in your productivity in return!

Written by: Stephen Posta

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