It’s Safe Again to Show YouTube Videos at Church

12 Feb

Have you ever tried to show a YouTube video at a church event, but worried about what kind of naughty or racy clips would show up in the so-called related videos section? At last, Google is offering the ability to filter out inappropriate videos on an opt-in basis.

The filter is called Safety Mode and you’ll find a link to it at the very bottom of all YouTube pages. You can select it on the fly or log in and make this your default. This video explains more.

Please note that I’m against censorship and I’m not suggesting this is for everyone. But it’s helpful to church ministry staff and volunteers–along with parents–to have this choice. If only there were a similar filter available when we’re watching NFL games live and inappropriate commercials come on! For now, I’ll keep my trigger finger on the remote.

I enjoy watching funny clips with my boys, but dread wondering what filth might show up nearby that I’ll have to quickly scroll by. Now I feel like I have another tool on my side.

Have you run into this issue when showing videos at your church? How do you handle it?

Weather-related Church Cancellations — More Tips

21 Dec

By abac077 via Flickr

By abac077 via Flickr

The Blizzard of 2009 gave me a few more ideas about handling weather-related cancellations at your church so check out that updated post.

If you were stuck in the snow I hope you had fun. On a number of social media channels, many folks are commenting how the snow has been an early Christmas present that has focused them on enjoying their family, making cookies, playing and slowing down in general. It was a great antidote to the usual holiday stress that can arise at this time of year. I had a blast sledding and making a snowman with my boys. How about you?

This Week in Twitter for 11/27/2009 — Black Friday Edition

27 Nov

Via graphicleftovers.com

Via graphicleftovers.com

In a week dedicated to conspicuous eating, football and shopping (and giving thanks), Twitter continued to elbow its way to the front of the line and the best spot on the couch.

BLACK FRIDAY CIRCULARS AND OTHER ADVERTISING
It’s impossible to miss the Christmas sales ads this time of year. Speaking of advertising, Tweetmeme covered the latest Twitter advertising plans, the NY Times warned A Friend’s Tweet Could Be an Ad (via @AndrewBates), and Twitter to launch paid business accounts from the Telegraph via @thebrandbuilder.

And what better gift than The Perfect Twitter Client via @scobleizer?

Given the theme of this blog, A Twitter App for Every Purpose Under Heaven grabbed my attention for gift ideas. If the headline concluded with “Under the Sun” instead, that would have led us to Brian Solis’s question of whether Twitter was a Nova or Supernova.

Even if you’re sure you’ve found the perfect gifts, it’s always a good idea to pay attention to a store’s return policy in case there’s a problem. But who do you turn to when Twitter is the merchant? Twittercism asks  Does Twitter Need an Ombudsman? (My answer is a resounding Yes, especially when Twitter keeps removing the Twitter help desk ticket option.) Dave Winer explains the customer service problems he ran into with Can Twitter Users Link Out.

BUY NOW — NEW AND IMPROVED!

After all that shopping, you might want to take a break at the official Twitter sports bar spotted by @TomMartin

Happy Tweetsgiving, everyone! And try out TurkeyTwitter for a roundup of #Thanksgiving tweets.

More Thanksgiving Prayers and Videos via Twitter

25 Nov

Looking for Thanksgiving prayers for yourself or your church website? Here’s a collection gathered from Twitter. You’ll see more tweets are linking to Facebook for the details, which we didn’t see in the 2008 round up of Thanksgiving prayers on Twitter.

Linus’s Thanksgiving Prayer from Charlie Brown

via @vesselproject, @celebratefaith @opus_6 and others

Johnny Cash Thanksgiving Prayer

via @maggiesraggedy

Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving prayer?

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