nickblevins.com

Below is an infographic from Mashable comparing the soon-to-be-released Droid X and the newly released iPhone 4. What’s your phone of choice?

A few months ago I switched from Outlook to Google for email, calendar and contacts. The move was prompted when I knew I was going to get an Android phone, specifically the Motorola Droid. Google designed the Android operating system for phones so it seamlessly connects with all of Google’s applications.

I would highly recommend using Google for email, calendar and contacts. I can access any of that from any internet-enabled device. It’s really great for productivity and it’s great to know I don’t have to worry about backups.

For email, Google acts like an email client (Mac Mail, Outlook, etc) and manages email for all of my accounts. I use the labels (like folders), to organize it all and keep different email accounts separated. Switching was a bit of a pain because I had to move 45,000 emails.  Yes, 45,000! I used the process described here, that leverages IMAP. It took 3 days and I transferred a bunch over night.

I use the following Google applications regularly, if not daily:

• Gmail
• Calendar
• Contacts
• Alerts
• Feedburner
• Analytics
• Docs
• Reader
• Voice
• Maps

Between Google and Remember The Milk, that’s how I stay organized (at least the church stuff).

I’ve moved my blog from Typepad to Wordpress.  If you subscribe by RSS or Email, and you’re getting this through that subscription, then you are good to go.  No changes necessary.

However, if you’re seeing this on nickblevins.com and didn’t get the RSS or Email (wait a day or so), you probably need to update your subscription.  The old root feed was http://nickblevins.typepad.com/blog/atom.xml

The feedburner feed, which was in place for most of the old blog and is still the same for the new blog, is http://feeds.feedburner.com/typepad/nickblevins/blog

I’m going to post something on the old blog/feed today and later in the week so it will be easy to tell if you’re still subscribed or not.

As for the move, it was the logical thing to do now that I’ve learned a ton about Wordpress after moving our church website to that platform.  Wordpress is free and Typepad isn’t.  Plus, I can customize Wordpress and host other sites under the same installation without any trouble.  I’ll post in the future about migrating from Typepad to Wordpress, and all the bumps I hit along the way (some still need to be crossed).

We use Google Analytics to track our website traffic.  With analytics, you can see what keyword searches on the internet that led people to your website.  Here are some funny ones that led to people to communitycc.net:

"1280 x 1024 church" – Looking for a church that fits your computer screen resolution?  Apparently we're it.

"church services white marsh md saturday" – You'll be the only one at our Saturday service.

"churches in white march" – We have had a lot of snow lately, but none this month.

"communitycc.net smtp" – Looking to use our email server?  Sorry.

"international christian community church in baltimore" – I missed the announcement where we went global.

"romantic church evening scheduled for saturday white marsh md" – I don't think they found what they were looking for.

"white churches in maryland" – I hope they found us….and changed their worldview.

"community christina church in white marsh"  - Sorry, we're all about Jesus, not Christina.

Below is an infographic from pingdom.com about Google.  Gotta love the simple, sticky mission statement:

At CCC we have been working on upgrading our web presence for a while now.  The biggest upgrade was overhauling our website (see left).  The new website runs on WordPress and is adapted from a theme/design that was done by Rob Spangler for another one of our websites: thrivebaltimore.net

Tons of people were involved with making it happen, starting with Rob's design, Zak's modifications for the new site, Ryan's kickin' graphics, Adam gathering and managing content from the staff team while I tried my best to learn WordPress on the fly to make it do what we wanted.

In addition to the new website, we launched our new blog, new Facebook page, and new Twitter account.  Check it out and let me know what you think.  Don't forget to subscribe to blog updates, follow us on twitter and become a fan on our Facebook page.

North Point is following the likes of LifeChurch.tv and NewSpring as they launch an online environment on Sunday, August 16.  They'll broadcast the 6pm service at Buckhead Church every week online while creating some opportunities for online attenders to connect surrounding the service.  Here's a video they released this week to promote it.  Check out the new website here:  www.northpointonline.tv

I recently had an idea about how I could possibly leverage the internet to help train and develop CCC Kids volunteers.  The web technology I plan to use is primarily WordPress Multiuser.  

I figured I'd blog about an idea I've thought about recently.  With my passion for the local church, specifically in Baltimore, I'm regularly thinking of possible ways to help churches in Baltimore work together to transform this city.  I really believe that it will take churches working together to create the type of change this city needs.

One idea I've tossed around is a website dedicated to aggregating news and information related to churches and ministries in Baltimore.  One step in helping churches work together would be to help churches get to know each other.  Reading about what's going on in other churches around Baltimore would hopefully help churches feel more connected to each other.  It could even prompt churches to help each other if there are clear opportunities in front of them. 

At this point I've pictured a website that is primarily a news page in blog format, but also pulled blog posts, news headlines and twitter posts from churches and church leaders in Baltimore.  The question that plagues me is whether or not churches and church leaders in Baltimore would care enough to follow and contribute to such a website.  But, such possibilities of failure never stopped me before so I'm going to check with my brother in-law who could actually get this rolling from the technology standpoint. 

By the way, if you want to steal this idea and implement it yourself, please do.  Just let me know how I can help.

Many aspects of leadership are written about, or taught about, from a very high-level perspective.  Things like vision-casting, communicating, coaching, equipping, encouraging, and managing can sometimes be hard to put into practice regularly.  This series of posts contains practical ideas you can implement to become a better leader.

Organization could be considered an aspect of leadership, but I'm really starting with this one because it is involved with every other aspect that I'll mention later.  Many leaders are okay with not being organized simply because it's not their "gift" and they aren't good at it.  Unless you have an assistant, you'll probably need to have decent organizational skills in order to increase your leadership capacity.

Here are some ideas to help you get organized:

• Read the book Getting Things Done:  The Art of Stress Free Productivity.  This book provides a system you can use to organize everything you have to do in a way that helps you not stress about it.  I don't use that system, but I use the principles.  I have places to store everything I need to do, and don't have to worry about "dropping the ball" if I use my system well.  (I put my system at the bottom for you extremely interested folks, all 2 of you).  One part of this system is – if you can do it in less than 2 minutes, do it.  If not, file it away for later.

• Control your technology and don't let it control you.  I'm pretty bad at this, but the idea is that you can turn off your email (work offline), completely silence your phone, and avoid other distractions for blocks of time to focus on specific things.  I learned this from the book Time Traps.

• If you're email inbox is part of your to-do list, be sure that you direct email that isn't work related to another folder, or place "to do" emails in a specific folder and don't mark them "read" until they're done (or you can check/uncheck them if your client has that feature).

• Store your "to do" items somewhere.  A moleskine, rememberthemilk.com, the task manager in your email client, your forearm, wherever you can access it regularly.

• Use a calendar.  That could be Outlook/iCal, Google Calendar, or a hard copy calendar that you write in.  Record all of your meetings, or other meetings/events you need to be aware of. 

• Create a filing system.  Unless you digitally scan in everything you come across, you'll need a filing system to store the hard copy things you want to save.  You could use a portable one but that would probably not suffice.

Bottom line, it's important to be organized in order to lead well.  People aren't interested in following disorganized leaders.  While it may simply be an area you aren't gifted in, it comes across as if you don't care enough to put in the work.  Organized people have a way of thinking disorganized people are lazy.  I'm not saying it's right, but it's reality.

My system:

I use rememberthemilk.com (RTM) for most of my tasks and projects.  I have separate "lists" for bills, personal, work-tasks, work-projects, study, and a couple random ones.  I put deadlines on most of them and RTM emails me when that deadline comes up.  In that way, I also use may email inbox.  If I can reply to an email in under a minute, I do it.  If I can't, I let it sit until I have time to work on it based on how I've prioritized everything I need to do.

I use a moleskine the same way I use RTM.  But, I primarily use the moleskine in meetings where I can't access RTM.  I'll leave some items in the moleskine without transferring them to RTM, knowing that I check the moleskine daily and items on there are a lower priority.

I have a filing system in my desk for anything and everything I want to save.  That could include staff documents, articles I like, project notes, pictures, documents, etc. 

I have a PDA-phone that syncs with my Outlook Calendar which helps me stay organized while I'm away from my computer.  It's great for reminding me to do things I would normally forget because I'm in the midst of something or away from my computer.  It's huge for me on Sunday mornings, when I need to remember to meet people or do things at various times throughout the morning. 

Everything I need to do is placed somewhere in that system, and I don't stress about it once it's there.  Adopt a system that works for you, but without a system you'll probably forget things, do things incorrectly or do them inefficiently.