One of the most predominant characteristics of the New Media is it's interactivity. Regardless of what specific application you're using, web-based media, in general, provide more user-to-user interactivity than any other form of mediated communication in history. Additionally, interactivity between user and information is what marks the shift from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0. The "one-to-many" model of traditional mass communication is being replaced with a "many-to-many" web of interactive communication.
Since the New Media alters traditional models of mass communication, we must radically review the ways we interact and communicate with others. The Church, as a primary vehicle for communicating the Good News, stands to amplify it's voice by using the interactive attributes found in the new media.
The image below represents a New Media mindset rather than a string of specific apps. Whether you blog or podcast, whether you facebook or MySpace, whether you Twitter or Jaiku, the significance of your web presence (whether individual or corporate) is greatly diminished if you are not providing ways for your users to easily hear and access you.
Let's remember, the congregation is not just listening. They're also talking.
Image attribution: Wayne Sutton
-- Cynthia Ware, The Digital Sanctuary
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