So, do you have a Facebook account? How about a Pinterest account? Instagram? Twitter?
All of these social media options are great for building community, which is exactly what your small group is about. And If you don't have accounts with these social media channels, what are you waiting for? They're free and they're fun!
Consider just a few of these ideas:
· Facebook. Planning a small group activity or have you just had one? Maybe your group served together in a ministry or you helped out one of your members. Post some photos · or a quick paragraph about it on your Facebook account. And, create an album for your small group photos. Be sure to tag all of your group members in photos. Your friends will learn more about you and your small group so when you invite them to visit the group they'll already be interested. And, your small group can enjoy the photos.
· Or, create a private Facebook group where only your group members can participate. You can continue the conversation from the meeting, add new ideas or links to resources, or even post a YouTube video that you think is an interesting addition to the discussion.
· "Friend" us at Saddleback Small Groups on Facebook. Then add a post about your small group with a photo or two so that other small groups can learn from your group. You'll spark a conversation between groups and your group could just help a group that is trying to solve a problem.
· Twitter is not a very local channel, but you can still use it for your group. Get each member of your group to start a Twitter account and follow each other. Be sure to link your Twitter account to your Facebook page. Then tweet about small group activities and they'll appear in both Facebook and Twitter. As you learn new things in your small group, or the group takes a great new step of faith, tweet it out! Your world needs to hear about it. And you'll be helping other people discover the wonderful things about being in a small group.
· Instagram. Use Instagram several ways. It's a great tool to attach photos from your smartphone to your tweets, to Flickr, to Tumblr or to Facebook. You can also email them to others. Shoot a pic of a page in a small group study book in which you have circled a key point, or a photo of your group doing an activity like eating or talking or just meeting. Then modify it with any of Instagram's cool filters and then send it out with Twitter or post it on Facebook.
· Pinterest. You can "pin" (upload) pictures to your bulletin board for people to comment on. Like Instagram, Pinterest is all about images - graphics, photos, etc. So, capture your small group, capture your small group thoughts or ideas, inspirational faith quotes, Bible verses or experiences (visually, of course), and pin them on your Pinterest board. Example, if your small group has a summer picnic - create a board called summer fun and search the term "summer picnic" in the tool bar. You will see images of decor, food, activities... Pin those to the board! (Many ideas courtesy of Crystal Hansen.) Others will see them and pin to their boards too! You'll get great ideas from others who comment, your group can enjoy the images, and you'll be exposing other people to the awesomeness of small groups! For a quick tutorial on using Pinterest, read more here.