MyChurch.org reports that more than 3,700 churches have created online communities.Religious folks looking for an alternative to the frivolous images on MySpace.com have created a space of their own.MyChurch.org modeled itself after the wildly popular social networking site and launched late last year. It reported more than 3,700 churches had created online communities through the site by April. There are more than 100,000 religious groups on MySpace." Owner and operator JC Media reports that MyChurch.org receives 2.5 million page views a month. It allows pastors to record and upload sermons and congregants to discuss them. Users can embed Bible passages into blogs, and organize and register for local events. The site allows access to electronic bulletins, classifieds, recent sermons, a U.S. church map, prayer requests, podcasts, comments, photos, and personal profiles, of course. MyChurch.org is a social networking tool for Christians and their churches, but the site encourages non-Christian individuals to join as well. It points out that it is a way for people who have relocated to meet others in their new towns. Access is free for individuals, but churches support the effort by paying $12 monthly for premium subscriptions. Premium services include donation links and PayPal accounts, ad-free pages, customer service support, a spot on the church map, and 1-Gbyte of disk space (instead of 100 Mbytes for free membership). The site archives sermons in an online library, offers a collaborative blog, provides a photo sharing application, and contains event calendars for churches and individuals. The site operators describe themselves as "four guys and a gal who love their church communities and want to create meaningful technologies.
|