FredMcKinnon.Com

Social Media.  It’s changed our lives, forever.  From teenagers to senior-citizens, indie bands to mainstream news channels, social media is a permanent fabric in our society now.

How has it impacted you?  Are you a “Social Media Junkie”?  Take this test to find out!

Social Media Junkie Test:

1.  Give yourself 5 points for each of the following profiles you own:
Twitter
Facebook
MySpace
YouTube
Vimeo

2.  Now, if you have MULTIPLE accounts at any of the above (ie. multiple twitter IDs) that you control, add an extra point for each EXTRA account.

(example:  if I have @fmckinnon on Twitter, that’s 5 points, but I also have @mckinnonoutdoors, so that’s an extra point, etc.)
(facebook:  I have my personal profile, but also a fan page – that’s a total of 6 points for Facebook)

3.  If you have an account with PeopleString, SUBTRACT 20 points.  (sorry, I just had to!)

4.  Give yourself (10) additional points for every 1,000 Twitter Followers you have.  Round UP.
(so if you have 2026 Twitter, followers that would be 30 points)

5.  If you have updated your Facebook Profile today (prior to reading this), give yourself another 10 points.

6.  If you have “tweeted” today (prior to reading this), give yourself another 10 points.

7.  If your last Facebook OR Twitter update was within the last 1-Hour of reading this, give yourself another 10 points.

8.  If you have not updated your Facebook Status or Twitter Status in the last 24 hours, subtract 20 points.

9.  If you have ever checked your email, twitter feed, or social media status while sitting on the toilet, give yourself a pat on the back, and add 25 points to your score.

10.  If you are on a date with your spouse or partner and pull out your phone to check your social media streams (twitter, facebook, etc) while your date has gone to the restroom … look in the mirror, shake your head in amazement, and add another 25 points to your score.

11.  If you go to bed with your laptop within reaching distance, add another 25 points.

12.  If you have ever “tweeted” back and forth with your spouse or best friend, while sitting in the same house, at the same time … add another 25 points to your score.

13.  If your blog is hosted on blogger.com or blogspot.com, take 25 points away from your score.  (sorry, I’m a WordPress fanatic, and this is my test, so I can create the curve).

14.  If you have NEVER been accused of “being online too much”, subtract 25 points.

15.  If you’ve never used a RSS reader (bloglines, GoogleReader, etc)., subtract 10 points.

How did you do?

If you scored over 100 points:  Social Media Junkie … get a life!
If you scored between 75-99 points:  Your a Saavy Social Media guru, dangerously teetering on being an addicted Junkie!  Be careful!
If you scored between 25-74 points:  Your not as old-fashioned as you look.  Keep it up, young grasshopper.
If you scored less than 25 points:  Time to fish or cut bait.
If you have a negative score:  There’s really no hope for you.  Sorry.

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(Copy/Paste this Scorecard into the comments section below and share your score!)

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Total Score:

My buddy, Joel Klampert … well, he started this conversation.  It’s one that I’ve been having “in my head” for a while.

Let’s face it.

Twitter and Facebook.  They have really changed the way we experience “community” online.

For a season, you learned what you know about me, and about what I know (which isn’t necessarily all that much) through this blog.  Now, if you follow me on Twitter (which also connects via Facebook) you get a LOT more information.

According to Google Site Analytics and Feedburner Stats …. there are more of you subscribed to and visiting this blog than ever before.  Thousands.  Can I say thanks?  Thanks.

Yet … there is less commenting and community …
I have to confess, I rarely have time to visit many of your blogs these days, but I see your tweets.  Sometimes, I click on them and read your blogs.

So … is this horse dead?  Why keep riding it?  Why keep blogging?

That’s the question I’ve asked.  Soul-searching.  Pondering.

But, I’m still doing this thing called “blogging”.  Why?

Because …

* I can’t tell you some of the stories of my kids in 140 characters or less.
* I can’t ask the questions I have about Scripture in 140 characters or less.
* I can’t share vision and invite you to be a part of in 14o characters or less.

For those who know me personally, I can’t answer the simplest question in 140 WORDS or less, much less 140 characters.  My childhood nicknames were:
Motor Mouth
Mouth of the South

So, there you have it.  292 words to explain why I can’t condense my community to 140 characters or less.

Will you help me make this blog a better community, where we can go a little deeper with one another than 140 characters allows?

Jump in.

I hear it several times a week from friends, co-workers, and others …

“You must be on Facebook all day – how do you get any work done”?

So this blog post has been “brewing” in my toolbox for a couple of months now.
(my toolbox, and what’s in it – coming soon)

Here’s the deal.  If I were on Facebook all day, I would NEVER get my work done. If I didn’t get my work done, you’d notice.

So here’s how I seemingly stay connected throughout the day (and even throughout the night, or midair during flight!) to Facebook.  (go to my Facebook Profile)

1.  Twitter
Plain and simple.  I have “Tweetdeck” on my Mac, and incredible application that allows me to view multiple twitter accounts simultaneously, including my Facebook feed.  (which I have turned off, by the way).  When I take 30 seconds to post Read more »

Hey Everyone!

I don’t always post on Saturdays … but I missed saying so much this past week on vacation, I’ve just gotta blog!

First, thanks to those who are voting daily for my song, “Restore My Heart” on IndieHeaven.Com’s “FanFaves” charts. I need you to vote every day. And if you’ve got multiple computers, vote from each one! (yes, that’s fair!). Today, “Restore My Heart” finally hit the Top 20. But time is running out to get it into the Top 10. Just go to www.indieheaven.com/fanfaves.php.

This morning, while waiting on the sun to dry out our soaked yard so I can mow, I’ve spent some time setting up (and cleaning up) my account on a few social networking sites.

Thanks to Russ Hutto’s recommendation, I’ve signed up for an account with HelloTxt.Com. Because my “Twitter” account automatically updates my FaceBook status, I’ve tried to limit myself on how many times I use Twitter to send @replies to friends. I can now use HelloTxt when I want to update all my social networking sites at once, and turn off the Twitter App on FaceBook.

Twitter is quite the rage these days. I use it often. There’s a great dialog happening right now on Billy Chia’s blog about it. It’s both friend and foe. I have a lot of friends that use it. Last night I posted about the Olympics and since my tweet updated my FaceBook status, I heard from lots of friends about how they were reacting to the opening ceremonies. It was like having everyone in my living room together. That’s cool.

Speaking of Twitter, there is a similar site called Plurk. I’m reserving Twitter for my microblogging, but think it’s always cool to stay informed, so I’ve opened a new Plurk account. It will mostly be updated from my HelloTxt account. If you have a “Plurk” account, come follow me.

Though I don’t often use it, I do have a LinkedIn profile as well. Feel free to add me if you are using that as a means of communication.

As for my other sites for “social networking”, join me on FaceBook and MySpace. FaceBook is preferred. I only login to MySpace if I must. Try FaceBook, it’s much better, in my opinion.

Of course, my favorite way to communicate with you is via email. You can contact me right here through the blog.

Well, time to mow the lawn.  Speak up, though – what are YOUR FAVORITE SOCIAL NETWORKING TOOLS?

Fred

Hey Everyone,

Welcome to “FreePlay” Friday – where anything goes on FredMcKinnon.Com. Here’s the idea … I can’t help but think I need to be more consistent with keeping my blogging content on target for those people I’d like to influence … those involved in worship leadership and music. At the same time, I have a LIFE (quite a busy, active one) and I enjoy blogging about that, too. I have plenty of friends and family who read here, so this blog isn’t called “All About Worship Leadership and Music” … it’s called “FredMcKinnon.Com” … so you’ll get some “Fred McKinnon”.

But, maybe I can help things a bit my trying to let Fridays be the main “off-topic, free-stylin’ kind of post” day. “FreePlay Friday” is a name Joy uses during the school year. It means the kiddos can pick what they want for breakfast before school. Monday – Thursday, she has breakfast planned out … eggs and toast one day, cereal another day, cinnamon toast one day, oatmeal, etc. FreePlay Friday is when THEY get to pick (individually, I might add) what they want for breakfast.

So today is FreePlay Friday (edition 1) .. I’ll have my own “FreePlay” by blogging about random STUFF that isn’t necessarily related to worship, music, or leadership … and then YOU can get involved in the comments by replying to my “randomness” with comments about what I discuss, OR … start your OWN RANDOM MADNESS in the comments!

OK – so I spent most of my time on the setup … and don’t want this to be long, so …

FaceBook – WHAT HAPPENED?
What happened to FaceBook? My FaceBook account pretty much went dormant .. I mean, I never login. The, a few weeks ago, I got a “friend request” from an pastor friend in VA that was our College Pastor back at GSU. He began to confirm friends off my page, which triggered a massive chain reaction in “friend requests” from those college days in ministry. At the same time, some old college acquaintances from being in the GSU Marching Band started doing the same thing … it’s like FaceBook is coming alive again!

The Shack

Whereas in technology, I tend to become an early-adopter, I can’t say the same thing about culture. I guess this book has been around for a while, but I first heard of it only a few weeks ago. My friends Jay and Brooke have been reading it on vacation, lots of people are Twittering about it, it was the subject of discussion Monday morning at our Pastor’s meeting … and I got an email from my Dad saying “you have to read this book, I’ve put a brand new copy in mail to you”. Well, my copy came in the mail yesterday. Thanks, Dad. I can’t put it down. I read until after 1:00 AM, and woke up immediately craving to start reading it again, which I did over a couple of bowls of Peanut Butter Crunch. I’m not much of a book reader, but this book has captured my attention in a big way. For those who have read it … I just finished the Chapter where Mack first meets “God”.

OK … let the madness begin!

Fred