Churches capitalize on online communication

We all know that business use public relations to promote their image to many different publics. Even celebrities use public relations to create a personal brand image. Increasingly, religious institutions have picked up on this trend and used it to their advantage.

As Americans increasingly turn to the Internet each day for almost any need, churches have revamped their traditional means of promoting their mission and its goals. Spreading the gospel has suddenly grown to a whole realm.

Only a few miles The University of Texas at Austin campus, The Austin Stone Community Church has proved to be a master at public relations. Known as the Austin Stone, the church has a Twitter and a Facebook. To watch videos of the church’s events, members can visit their vimeo site.

As if keeping up with the church on its social networking sites isn’t enough, The Austin Stone also posts its sermons online each week, via an iTunes podcast or an RSS feed. So even if Sunday plans interfere with attending services, you can get the sermon on the go. The church strives to provide the utmost level of convenience to promote the word of the gospel. With college students providing a large audience to the church because of the proximity to campus, the church has realized that utilizing technology keeps them in the know.

Austin Stone has not one blog, but seven. Blogss include God, Gospel, Mission, the pastor’s blog, the Missional Community Blog and the College Blog, among others. For the financially-minded members of the church, there is even a Money Matters Blog where tips about how to spend Gospel-centered finances wisely. You can find a full list of Austin Stone’s blogs here.

Each Friday, the Austin Stone also sends email updates for information about the upcoming week’s sermon and events.

Walt Wilson, Founder of Global Media Outreach for Christian 2.0, describes the move towards Internet outreach as “not a replacement, but a communication platform. We need to add it to everything we do as Christians. Technology is here to serve us.”

Skates And Stardom for Lysacek

Evan Lysacek’s reputation skyrocketed to worldwide fame during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics when he beat the defending champion of Russia to bring America gold. Lysacek currently competes on Dancing with the Stars, alongside partner Anna Trebunskaya. They are early favorites, but how is Lysacek using public relations tactics to secure beneficial self-promotion and publicity?

 To promote his partnership on Dancing with the Stars, he has his own separate blog on People magazine’s web site. In today’s update, he describes the excruciating pain of dancing on two broken toes. He insists that he will not let the injury thwart him in any way though. “”As for my toes, I’m not worried. I will tape them up and hit the floor with the same 100 percent effort I give in training,” says Lysacek. “I will not let them steal my thunder!” This optimistic tone sits well with readers that admire his dedication and enthusiasm.


To keep fans updated with his skating schedule, Lysacek updates a blog on his official website. He connects with the audiences by detailing the events of each exciting day. Lysacek also updates hisFacebook and Twitter page regularly with news about his Stars on Ice Tour.


With this many blogs, it’s as though Lysacek never leaves his whereabouts a mystery. As if cashing in on social media isn’t enough, Lysacek was also able to celebrate Evan Lysacek Day in Naperville, Illinois on March 26. What’s next?