Have you ever had one of your social media accounts hacked? I have...yesterday in fact. Well, it wasn't quite "hacked" as my Facebook account was left logged on while I was at church (my computer was in my office). Two students thought it would be fun if they changed my profile picture to a piece of poop in a toilet. Then, they tagged a few others and posted it. I didn't even notice it until I got a few texts and my Facebook messenger went off with a person who said they were offended by my pic and asked me to take it down. Thank goodness for their very rude message to me. 
So, I was hacked and although I changed it quickly I was really mad. In fact, I was livid and confronted the student immediately (it was pretty obvious who the primary offender was). I told him that it was completely inappropriate for him to do that and that I was going to tell his parents about it. That scared the living daylights out of him and he apologized left and right. Now, I ended up not telling his students but about an hour after the incident I went and processed it with him, letting him know I still liked him but, as I do with my girls, processed through why what he did was wrong.
Can't I take a joke? Why was it wrong? Yes, I can take a joke, but considering I am a Pastor, people look at me and my actions differently than others. So whether or not, it was funny or not, having something like this posted on my Facebook wall and as my profile picture crossed the line in my eyes.
But maybe I was wrong. Have you ever had this happen to you? What did you do? If this hasn't happened to you, how would you have responded and done? Post your thoughts or experiences so that we can all benefit and learn from each other. After all, I'm sure I haven't been the only one
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Here are some things you can take a bit out of...
Stat to Chew on...73% of teens are on a social network (reference)
Quote to Digest..."If you are going through hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill
Student Ministry Blogs to bite into...
- Student Ministry Games shares a game I've never played before - Flip It
- Colton at More than Dodgeball gives out some Small Group Tips
- College Rejection letters are coming now. Benjamin Kerns processes what we, as Student Ministers should do
- Michael Bayne talks about how change demands patience
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Here are some things you can take a bit out of...
Stat to Chew on...14% of students have no idea of their parents' political viewpoints. (reference Stageoflife.com)
Quote to Digest..."You don't get anywhere in life looking backwards and dwelling on things that have gone wrong. And maybe the counter to that is that sometimes you have to lose something that you really hold precious and dear to really realize how much it means to you." - Chris Hansen (guy trying to relocated the Sacramento Kings to Seattle)
Student Ministry Blogs to bite into...
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Just in case you were too busy the past 2 weeks to catch up on what others are doing in Student Ministry, here are some interesting posts I found in the blogosphere recently. So grab some chow, sit down and enjoy...
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Ok so I'm late to the Instagram party. That sounds a little odd considering that I'm big into the social media stuff. I'm always promoting the youth group stuff and my blog on twitter and Facebook. But Instagram, that wasn't for me. Why would I need to post pictures of me or the youth on Instagram? That is what I thought until the past month.
See, I have a middle school daughter now and she has an iPhone . I know, I know, I'm one of those dads who got their daughter an iPhone when a simple phone would do fine. But honestly, I have good reasons and if you really want to know why she has an iPhone, email me and I'd be happy to share. So my daughter has an iPhone and I won't let her have Facebook or Twitter yet. But I did let her have Instagram as long as it was private.
What I began to notice about her was that she was on it all the time! Literally, she's always on it ALL THE TIME! That's when I discovered that not only her, but a ton of middle schoolers are on it as well. They are on it for many of the same reasons my daughter is...because their parents won't let them on Facebook and because they like to share pictures about their lives to others.
So, I joined the Instagram craze...but not me personally, my "ministry" did...nlstudents. I am now using Instagram to promote my ministry. I don't use it for me personally...I don't need to as I have other social media outlets I can do that on. But I realized that if I wanted another way to reach out to my middle school students, I need to be on what they were doing. I needed to be on Instagram to see what they were into, what they were doing and who they were. Pictures tell us a thousand words about each other and just seeing some of the pictures on my students Instagram profiles have enlightened me greatly...they have even enlighten me about my daughter.
So the question is, what social media platforms are you on...not you personally, but your ministry. Are you taking pictures to promote what you are doing and drawing people in? Or is that too "tech" and "new school" for you? Are you on these platforms to get to know your students better?
Whether these platforms like Instagram is for you or not, I want you to TAKE A MINUTE and give them an honest look. What could you use it for and how could your ministry benefit from it? Then, I want to encourage you to try them out. What platforms work best for your group? Then go with it. If we are really serious about reaching this generation of students, we have to be where they are. Which means whether it may seem too "tech" for us, we have to engage in it. Because again, that is where our students are.
Thoughts? Comments? Experiences? Post a comment so that we can all learn and benefit from it.
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Have you ever had one of your social media accounts hacked? I have...yesterday in fact. Well, it wasn't quite "hacked" as my Facebook account was left logged on while I was at church (my computer was in my office). Two students thought it would be fun if they changed my profile picture to a piece of poop in a toilet. Then, they tagged a few others and posted it. I didn't even notice it until I got a few texts and my Facebook messenger went off with a person who said they were offended by my pic and asked me to take it down. Thank goodness for their very rude message to me. 
