Social Media Isn't Just About On-Line Games

How many of us tut at the inordinate amount of time we see wasted on Facebook? Increasingly though the world of on-line media is changing to become more rooted in what some of us would prefer to call the real world.

Take the growth of hyper-local new sites. As print journalism struggles to survive, newer smaller community-driven news sources are springing up. Here are two most relevant to us (click the links to go to the sites):

Inside the M60 - news from the Manchester area inside the M60 (obviously!)

Saddleworth News - news from Saddleworth

The beauty of these on-line local sites is that much of the news comes from the people living in communities they cover. If you know something you think is interesting or important to other people in our area let the Saddleworth News team know - you'll get a credit for the story.

The real world is catching on that increasingly we have on-line lives as well as the day-to-day physical world we inhabit. The two worlds increasingly overlap as we learn to use on-line media as a tool to help, rather than something to be, at worst, terrified of, and at best, something seem as trivial and 'for the kids'.

The more we share our on-line lives as a church the more our sense of community grows - how many of us are friends on Facebook, or follow each other on Twitter I wonder?

So, I'll start, (I confess I'm not a lover of Facebook so don't expect me to play Farmville with you) I use Twitter - I'm @Crofty, my two blogs are here and here

Another well-known member of our congregation's blog is here , add your own on-line details in the comments at the bottom and join the on-line St-John's Community.

P.S. Did you see the Saddlworth News story on the demolition of Mumps Bridge...did you see who took the photos and put them on Twitter?