Blog Archive

Social Links, Newsletter Banners and Summary Emails

Nov 17, 2011 by Matthew Warner

Social Links

If you've connected your Facebook Page and/or Twitter profile to one of your Lists, now your subscribers will automatically see links to them at the bottom of all of your emails that go out - inviting them to follow you on Twitter or "Like" you on Facebook. Like this:

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Banner Images for your Newsletters on flockNote

In case you didn't realize it yet, you can now add your own custom banner header images to your Notes that get emailed out on flockNote. So they can look like this:

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You can see a couple of other examples by clicking here.

To add a newsletter banner image like this to your emails that go out, you first have to add your "Email Newsletter Header Image" to the List you'd like to use it on. To do that, simply click "Edit List" and then select the "List Picture" option on the left. There you'll find a place to upload your "Email Newsletter Header Image" for that List.

Once you've uploaded that image (and clicked "Save Changes"!), then all you have to do is make sure to select the "Newsletter Email" option in the Style field when sending a new Note on that List. It will show up under the Subject field and above the Message field:

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Summary Emails

We've also updated the formatting for the weekly and daily summary emails that go out for your subscribers (if they've set their subscription settings that way, of course). They not only include all of the content from each message sent out that day/week right there in the email, but they also include an "In this email" menu at the top of each email:

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So now your "summary" subscribers get a quick look of everything that's been sent out that day/week and then they can click an item in the menu and it will simply jump down to that part of the email where they can read that particular Note in full.

Let us know if you have any questions about any of that! Hope you're all having a great week and thank you for all you do for our Church.

Peace be with you,

Matthew Warner
flockNote CEO and Founder

Category: 
New Features

What is a Social Network and why is it important?

Nov 01, 2011 by Matthew Warner

Is "social networking" really that important and useful? Or is it just something that wastes time and encourages unhealthy behavior and relationships?

At its worst, it's the latter. But at its best, it's most certainly the former. And not only can it be important and useful, but it's truly essential to the Church and Her mission, and it's at the heart of a thriving parish community.

But to understand what I mean, you first might need to change how you think about what a "social network" is in the first place. Before you think about Facebook or Twitter, profiles and self-promotion, think about the many social networks that you are already a part of: your friends/family, your coworkers, your parish, your neighborhood, etc. These are all social networks.

Social Networks have been around ever since people started hanging out in groups and being social (i.e. from the beginning). And the many new online social networking tools have made it possible to form and nurture these social networks like never before. They can help us connect in ways we never could have connected, form relationships we never would have formed, share information we never would have known and help each other in some very powerful ways.

These are all good things. Good things that the Church must embrace if we care about our mission. And I'll tell you why.

People are constantly bombarded in this information age. Everywhere we go, all day long, there are endless things demanding our attention, filling every nook and cranny of our lives with noise. So simply being present among all of this noise is not enough.

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A lot of parishes are finally getting websites. They are even creating Facebook pages and Twitter profiles. The problem is that they aren't using them properly. They aren't doing anything more than just being present amongst all the noise.

We have to move past simply being present. We have to build real, meaningful social networks with our parishioners. Ones that extend and offer value to parishioners online and that utilize the communication mediums people are most comfortably and commonly using.

One of the primary mistakes parishes and other organizations make when trying to build their social network online is that they continue to use new media like they used old media - as a broadcast platform.

They broadcast monologues that talk at people in order to inform them of something. But in a "web 2.0" world, people expect more because we can now do so much more. Now we can engage people in a dialogue, talking with them after first listening and relating to them.

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Don't just share content with your social networks. Share yourselves. The content is there to just get the conversation started.

The Web has become social. And isn't that a wonderful thing for a Church with Good News to share? Isn't that great news for a Church that knows the best way to share that good news is through meaningful, engaging relationships?

People are social creatures. The web is a social place. It's time our parishes have an online presence that is social, too.

Next, How-to (and how NOT to) build your parish Social Network.

 

Category: 
Tips

New Top Menu and Auto-login for your Subscribers

Oct 27, 2011 by Matthew Warner

One stylish announcement for you and one huge increase in functionality for you.

New Look: Top Navigation Menu

In case you haven't noticed yet, we tweaked the styling on the top navigation menu bar recently. Instead of the heavy black bar at the top, it's now a much lighter look:

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It's still easy to use and in the same location the average user would expect to find basic site navigation, but it also allows your content (your Network, List or Note) to more easily be the focus of the page (making flockNote less "present" and your own parish/ministry identity - or brand - more so).

Auto-login for your Subscribers

This is a new feature we are particularly excited about because it makes flockNote so much more functional and accessible, particularly for your members who have never fully registered or who don't stay logged-in in between uses.

Basically, now any time one of your subscribers clicks the "View or Reply" link in an email they receive from you, they will automatically be logged in to that particular page and able to immediately read and reply to your Note. Likewise, they'll also be able to immediately RSVP to your events or vote in your polls without having to fully log in first.

Basically, it uses a token authentication that partially logs the user in (similary to services like Evite - if you're familiar with that). And it makes utilizing all of flockNote's features that much more seamless and accessible to your members.

Let us know what you think and if you have any questions!

 

Category: 
New Features

How much are people using new media technologies?

Oct 25, 2011 by Matthew Warner

Here are the most recent stats I could find from a variety of sources - as of 2011:

  • 80% of Americans use social media [study].
  • 68% of churchgoers want to connect with their Church via social media [study].
  • 79% of all adults use the internet (95% of young adults) [pew study].
  • 80% of Americans use email [study].
  • 85% of adults own a cell phone [pew study].
  • The average teenager sends out 50 text messages per day [pew study].
  • 87% of teens engage in electronic communication [study].
  • The use of cell phones and text messaging is bridging the digital divide for lower income people [pew study].
  • 97% of households have a phone [study].

In other words, they are using them a lot. And if the Church wants to speak in the ways that people prefer to listen, then we need to use them to communicate in our parishes, dioceses and organizations. All of these stats are only going up - and fast.

I include the "phone" stat because it is still a really great way to reach people who don't have any other means (which is why flockNote includes a feature that will actually make a phone call to those individuals - and leave a voicemail using text-to-speech - reading them any new information you send out to everyone).

Please share these stats with any parish leadership who doesn't understand how important it is that we begin communicating in these new ways now.

Category: 
Tips

Phone Calls, Unlimited Lists and Aliens

Sep 21, 2011 by Matthew Warner

Howdy everyone! Just a few flockNote updates for you...

Unlimited Lists

In case you haven't noticed yet, your Network now has unlimited Lists. That means a Network Admin can create Lists to their heart's desire. It used to be that your Network was limited to a certain number of Lists based upon your Network's subscription plan ("package"). That is no longer. Now the only difference between the different flockNote plans is the maximum number of members that can join it (which you can upgrade/change any time). Other than that, all of the plans are exactly the same and you are no longer limited in the number of Lists you can create!

Phone Calls

phone call notificationsThe phone calling feature is up and running. This means that when you post a new Note on your flockNote List, you can have it notify members via a phone call now, too. Basically, the system will call the person up and read your Note to them (or leave them a voicemail). This feature is primarily to help you with notifying people who do not have email or text message capabilities (now they can get a phone call!). But it also allows flockNote to operate as a full-on "phone-tree" system if you'd like, too. Phone call notifications must be turned on by an Admin of a List, however, and are not able to be controlled by the subscriber (except to turn it off).

For all of you tech-savvy types

flockNote DevelopmentWe have a flockNote Development List you can subscribe to. It's where we post more detailed, technical updates about what's going on with flockNote. Some people like that stuff. Some people don't. I'm a nerd, so I dig it. And Jeff is a bigger (okay maybe just smarter) nerd, and so he does most of the updates over there. You can click here to check it out and then subscribe to follow along. We'd love to have you be a part of that conversation. And we'll also be soliciting help from subscribers there from time to time to help with beta testing various new features, etc.

Checking the current status of the flockNote service & website

flocknote StatusBecause we live in a fallen world made up of people and things that are not perfect (with us at the top of the list), things sometimes go wrong. We have gone to extremes to protect and backup your valuable data. We've got that covered. But what we can't do is always guarantee (just like no web service can) that the actual flockNote service and website will be up and running at every given moment in perpetuity (although it's extremely rare that we're down). What we can do is make sure that we're always getting you the info you need if we do ever experience technical difficulties. So if you're a Network Admin, you'll probably want to bookmark this link: status.flockNote.com.

status.flockNote.com is where we'll be able to update you about any technical difficulties we may be experiencing, even if our entire website is taken down by alien atheists bent on destroying the communication tools of the Church. So if you're ever questioning the status of the flockNote site, check there first. And if you ever find that both the flockNote website is down AND our status.flockNote.com site is down, then there has likely been some kind of global catastrophe that deserves your attention...or you may have just lost your internet connection.

As always, much more to come! And we thank each and every one of you for using flockNote and for helping us to improve the way we communicate in the Church!

Peace be with you,

Matthew Warner
flockNote CEO & Founder

Category: 
New Features

flockNote v3 is Up!

Aug 11, 2011 by Matthew Warner

In case you didn't notice yet, we quietly rolled out flockNote version 3.0 last week! We're still working on some follow-on features that will be implemented in the following weeks. So if you don't see something you were expecting, just be patient. We're also still working out some small kinks. But if you have any questions in the meantime, don't hesitate to contact support and ask! We always love feedback.

Text-to-Register

Text-to-Register is up and working with our new short code. That means you can get your members subscribed to your Lists, capture their phone number and email address and initiate their full registration...all by asking them to send a simple text message. Click here to learn more.

New Front Page and Video

We've got a newly designed front landing page for the site. We really like it. It's also got a new video you can check out and share with others. :-)

Adjusted Plans / Packages

If you check our new subscription plans (used to be called "packages") page, you'll notice we've adjusted the sizes and prices of the plans. Don't worry though, whatever rate you currently have locked in from your existing Network package will still be the same for you.

Improved Look and Customizable Email Newsletters

We updated the look of your emails that go out. They look a lot nicer, cleaner and more professional. We also added the capability to insert your own custom image for the header of the email (like you see in this email) and for you to fully format the body of your Note (change the font, size, headings, colors, hyperlinks, etc.).

Conditional Registration

Now you can further customize your Network registration form by asking for different information based upon the person's previous input. For example, you can have flockNote ask for one set of info if the person's a student and then ask for a different set of information if the person is a permanent parishioner (or a visitor or whatever). More to come on that.

Lots More to Come

All of that just touches the surface. We've got a lot more planned for the coming weeks and months (and years). And you'll also notice soon that we're going to be talking a lot more and posting a lot more information to our blog, Facebook page and Twitter profile in the coming weeks. So make sure you stay plugged in for that. We really think you're going to like it and we hope you'll continue to be a part of this growing flockNote community. Much more to come.

As usual, don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions for improvements.

God bless,

Matthew Warner
flockNote CEO & Founder

 

Category: 
New Features

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