Church and the New Media

I have finally got around to reading Brandon Vogt's book The Church and the New Media, and I can really and honestly, truly highly recommend it... and not just because I've got a chapter in it.

Brandon has put together a terrific book for every Catholic who has any inkling at all that they want to communicate the gospel. The case is made that we are in the midst of a social, technological and communications revolution equivalent to the invention of the printing press. Not being involved in the new media is like arguing with Gutenberg that scrolls on velum copied out with goose quill pens using ink made from soot really was better than the printing press...and all that moveable type stuff--it will never catch on....Fuhgeddaboudit.

People are communicating with gadgets and we better get used to it. Brandon covers the whole territory: blogs, flocknotes, twitter, facebook, websites, podcasts, videocasts, radio, TV--what it is, how to use it, and where to get resources--it's all in this book.

Pastors need this book to learn how to use new media to communicate with their people--not just talking but listening. Youth workers need this book to brush up on how to communicate with their teens. Educators need this book to realize where the learning is going on. Bishops need this book to learn how to feed their flock. Parents need this book to figure out why their kids are looking at screens all the time.

I already knew how important the new media was, but didn't realize how much impact it already has. Brandon stacks up the statistics and you can't leave this book and not want to do something more.

Furthermore, the book is compiled in such a way that the message and medium match up. It provides a juicy read while packing in side bar notes, embedded information and links--almost as if it is a printed website.

Go here to learn more about it.