I was reminded of an incident the morning after last year’s Logies – Karl Stefanovic (host of the Today Show) found himself still very drunk on live tv the morning after. I typed in “Karl Stefanovic logies” and within seconds was watching the incident:

I was reminded that what happens today, is accessible forever.

Embarrass yourself?

Act inappropriately?

Say something you shouldn’t?

Chances are, it’ll be filmed and from now into eternity, viewable by anyone within a few seconds of a Google search.

It’s a new reality, brought about by the internet. We get the good with the bad.

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It struck me how quickly the social media landscape changes. For example, I’d made a note of the possibilities of Facebook Connect. At the Facebook Developer’s Conference, it was announced that Facebook Connect will be no more.

Keeping up with the latest developments in social media isn’t easy. But with Facebook providing a challenge to Google for the most consumed website, and 300,000 new Twitter users coming on board every day, the opportunities are only increasing.

What’s the answer? How do you avoid stepping into a nightmare? How do you make the most of social media?

Keep reading Communicate Jesus

You can check out all posts on Social Media, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Enjoy the weekend!

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I looked up, and saw an interesting billboard advertisement. YouTube was advertising that it will be streaming the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches live. This was the first I’d heard of this initiative, although I’ve since discovered it’s been reported extensively online.

When I got back to the office, I looked up the website that was promoted on the billboard. The top of the page was fine, and it looks like this:

However, when I scrolled down the page, comments had been enabled and four of the seven profile pictures were explicit – soft-core pornography.

It’s outrageous – a website that is being heavily promoted in public areas (and on the YouTube website) and is accessible to all (and of interest to many, especially younger boys) – is displaying soft-core pornography.

YouTube and the IPL – turn the comments off, or get a competent moderator in to ensure that these comments (and their profile pics) never see the light of day. This is poor form to allow such a high profile site to be managed so poorly.

I’m also very sick of pornographers infiltrating every aspect of our lives. Come Lord Jesus.

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This week, Marketing Magazine (UK) has an interesting post on how British Airways has been using social media to respond to industrial action.

Read ‘British Airways’ preemptive strike‘.

According to the article:

“A series of videos featuring chief executive Willie Walsh providing updates on the impact of the strike and apologising for the inconvenience caused to customers has received more than 100,000 hits on YouTube and BA.com. According to research carried out for Marketing, the videos improved perceptions of the British Airways brand among 19% of the people who had seen them (Marketing, 24 March).”

“‘Brands don’t have a choice but to do social media ‘ says Ian Armstrong, manager, European communications for Honda. ‘In a crisis, the medium can influence behaviour and brands can’t opt out as consumers will continue to use it. The brands just have to maintain a strong position and be true to their values; the tone should reflect that.’”

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One point I found particularly interesting was the call to categorise the levels of participation of your audience (page 9). Forrester Research developed the following categories:

1. Creators
2. Critics
3. Collectors
4. Joiners
5. Spectators
6. Inactives

It’s good food for thought – the level of participation of people in your church and ministry in social media should inform the strategy for how your church or ministry uses these media.

You can download the Social Marketing Playbook for free from the 360i website.

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1. Facebook
2. MySpace
3. Windows Live Profile
4. Bebo
5. Twitter
6. DeviantArt
7. Digg
8. Tagged
9. Buzznet
10. Orkut

According to seomoz.org, the top 10 social media sites in the world are:

1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. LinkedIn
4. Wikipedia
5. MySpace
6. Digg
7. YouTube
8. StumbleUpon
9. Reddit
10. Yelp

Which of these social media sites do you use most often, and why?

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1. The history and evolution of social media. Excellent article exploring how social media evolved, and the different ways social media has been and is being used.
2. Social media in Plain English – a great explanatory video for the tech-novices, from the inspiring folk at Common Craft.
3. Social Media Counts – a visual ‘counter’ illustrating how much new social media content is generated, in real-time.
4. The Social Media Guide – lots of interesting posts on social media.
5. 5 Ways Social Media is Changing Our Daily Lives – I don’t want to overstate its importance, but social media is changing our lives in lots of ways.
6. Twitter Guidebook – Mashable has put together a helpful guide to Twitter.
7. 19 Twitter desktop apps compared – if you’ve decided Twitter is for you, check out different platforms for tweeting.
8. 10 Twitter tools for effectively managing your followers – this one is perhaps for the more advanced (obsessed?) users.
9. 10 things social media can’t do – it’s always good to keep some perspective! For fun, check out 10 things you need to stop tweeting about!
10. Compassion using Twitter to get kids sponsored – a post I wrote about an innovative use of Twitter.
11. 101 social media sites – a good list, plus check out the top 25.
12. Responding to the internet revolution – two compelling videos with some mind-boggling stats on the use of social media.
13. Top 10 most popular social media sites in Australia – plus lots of other interesting links.
14. 15 ways for churches (and ministries) to use Twitter – the fourth most popular post on Communicate Jesus!
15. How to organise an event on Facebook – another helpful guide by Mashable. Check out their collection of social media lists and resources.

Have you come across other resources that you’ve found helpful? Share them with us!

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• The total market value of illicit human trafficking is estimated to be in excess of $32 billion (U.N.)
• 27 million men, women and children are held as slaves. (Kevin Bales, Disposable People)
• Each year, more than 2 million children are exploited in the global commercial sex trade (UNICEF)

This week they launch a new documentary ‘At the End of Slavery‘, with opportunities for your church or group to host a screening. I’ve included the two trailers below. It will shock you.

On a related note, I’m also impressed with their use of social media. Follow International Justice Mission on Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo and YouTube.

Advanced Trailer

At The End Of Slavery – Advanced Trailer from International Justice Mission on Vimeo.

Extended Trailer

At The End Of Slavery – Extended Trailer from International Justice Mission on Vimeo.

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1. copyright is complicated, and
2. many churches are unaware of the copyright laws that bind their use of media (video and audio).

However, I have continued on, undeterred, and done some more investigation. From what I can work out there are two situations where videos might be used in churches:

1. to show in a church service (e.g. as a sermon illustration).
2. to show in a church for entertainment (e.g. playing a video at a youth group social).

Let’s tackle the first scenario – a common one. Using videos during church, e.g. as a sermon illustration. From what I can gather, Australia has a fair dealing provision. According to the Copyright Council:

“The Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) allows people to use copyright material without the copyright owner’s permission in certain situations. These include making a “fair dealing” for certain purposes…

“There is no general exception for using copyright material simply because you think it is fair or because you are not making a profit. The copyright act allows you to use copyright material without permission if your use is a “fair dealing” for one of the following purposes:

• research or study;
• criticism or review;
• parody or satire;
• reporting news; or
• professional advice by a lawyer, patent attorney or trade marks attorney.”

So, it appears that the use of video clips as sermon illustrations is possible, without permission from the author/creator, as long as this is accompanied by a critique, or is used to make a satirical point.

Let’s take a look at the second example – playing full-length or just longer videos for purposes other than those stated above. Some examples I can think of include playing a video at a youth group social or playing a video on the bus on the way to youth group camp.

On the website for the Australian Copyright Council there is a section for non-profit organisations including churches. On this page is a link to a document I downloaded: ‘Videos, films and DVDs: screening in public.’ On page two it says:

“A licence for screening a film or video in a church can be obtained from Christian Video Licensing International (CVLI). Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) joined with the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC) to form CVLI and create a church video licence. This licence allows churches and other ministry organisations to show videos and films (of participating producers) in a public setting. The licence covers over 60 producers, including Universal Pictures, DreamWorks and Paramount and over 1000 movie titles. CVLI also offers group licences whereby several churches in one denomination can arrange for their licences together at a reduced rate. For more information, and to apply online for a licence, visit www.cvli.com.au.”

From what I can gather, unless churches want to get express permission from the author/creator/publisher, this license from CCLI is the best (only?) way to go.

On the same website I also came across ‘Churches and Copyright: A Practical Guide‘. However, this publication is $15 and was published in 1995 with a supplement in 2004, so I’ve written to the Copyright Council asking if this publication is still current.

Tonight I’ve also watched a short DVD produced by Outreach Media entitled ‘Copyright or Copywrong?’ It’s produced by Outreach Media and makes some great points and provides useful advice about copyright and Christian ministry. Contact Outreach Media for a copy (I’m not sure how many copies are left, or the current price).

On a related note, I’ve also written to YouTube, asking what restrictions govern the use of YouTube videos during a church service.

I’m not a lawyer, but from scouring the CCLI website and the website for the Copright Council, these are the conclusions I’ve come to. I welcome the input from those more learned than I!

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According to their website, there are two situations where you can download YouTube videos:

1. when you are downloading a video from a designated YouTube partner.
2. when you are downloading a video that you have previously uploaded.

YouTube explains that:

“Except for the cases mentioned above, the YouTube’s video player is designed to be used within your browser as an Internet experience.”

You can check out the full article on the YouTube website here. In addition, Section 5 of the YouTube terms of use explains:

“Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only and may not be downloaded, copied, reproduced, distributed, transmitted, broadcast, displayed, sold, licensed, or otherwise exploited for any other purposes whatsoever without the prior written consent of the respective owners.”

This isn’t convenient, but as the provider of this service, YouTube has the right to set the rules for how their service is used.

I thought I’d check out the CCLI (Christian Copyright) website to see what they had to say about churches using YouTube clips. The only article I could find was from 2008 entitled – ‘Playing it safe – internet content and copyright‘.

As far as I can tell, the long and the short of it is this – in most cases, it is not legal to download YouTube videos for church use, personal use, or any other use, apart from the two scenarios mentioned above. Similarly, I discovered that should you (for some reason) want to reproduce (e.g. quote) comments made against videos, this too is a breach of the terms of use.

Steve Fogg wrote in with the following comment:

“…it is actually illegal to play this kind of thing [YouTube videos] in a church service or public space unless you have written authorisation from the ORGINAL copywright holder

Which means if people who put together videos for youtube sample vision or sound from somewhere else you need their expressed written permission.

CCLI who give licence for music offer video licence for most major movies which gives you rights to play a clip for a sermon. Outside of this, if you don’t know created the video or don’t have their express permission as copyright holders it is breaking many interlectual property laws and could break a small churches bank totally as fines for this kinda things are massive.”

Thanks to Steve Fogg for the heads up on the legal implications of downloading YouTube videos – much appreciated Steve. My apologies for misleading anyone with my previous post (now removed to avoid any confusion) – let’s strive to submit to our authorities and stick to the terms of use required by YouTube.

All is not lost! Coming soon, I’ll share some helpful resources for finding videos to use at church. If you’d like to suggest any to get the  list started – comment away!

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