By Val Harlynn, Associate for Communications
During this time, frequent communication is important. I know many people are trying out new technologies and ways of connecting while we can’t physically be together. This new weekly blog will serve as an update on Thursdays. This is a way to share news and information from the Office of Bishop that has developed since eNews (see recent eNews emails in the archive here). Hopefully, I’ll be able to share some tips and tricks, good practices, and tools to help as people navigate this new period of ministry together.
Live stream and Video Directory
The synod office is working on compiling a list of live streams and recorded services of congregations in this synod. This is to help churches who may not have the ability to share online and help people who may not know where to find worship services. Fill out this form to add your live streams or recorded services to the directory.
Some blogs and articles
- Tithe.ly Blog: How to Take Your Church Virtual (Fast): The Ultimate Guide to Church Live-Streaming During Crisis
- LEAD: Leading During a Crisis
- COVID-19 Lockdown: Creating Live-streamed Worship in 3 Days
- Using your church bell: The Northwestern Minnesota Synod put out this great resource on using your bell.
Zoombombing
I have seen some reports of problems with “Zoombombing” due to the uptick of Zoom meetings. Zoombombing is when disruptive people (trolls) log into public zoom meetings and try to share inappropriate or obscene content either through file-sharing or live screen sharing through Zoom. There are a few ways you can prevent this. Techcrunch has posted a good article about this with steps you can take to prevent it. That article can be found here.
I have also recorded a 5-minute tutorial video walking through changes in your default meeting settings to prevent this.
Some free or low-cost tools to help with streaming and meetings
- Freeconferencecall.com – Free conference calls, possibly good to share with folks who don’t have a computer but want to listen in on your live stream.
- Facebook Live streaming – the Facebook tutorial is a good step-by-step
- If you have a zoom pro account you can push right to a Facebook live stream! See the article here from Zoom
If you see any resources or find any tools that you want to recommend please send them to me at [email protected]
Disclaimer: links, articles, tools and blog posts shared are not necessarily an endorsement from the Office of Bishop. They are merely a sharing of resources and news.
