Infographic by Infolinks.
For SmartBlog on Social Media, Jesse Stanchak (@SBoSM) analyzes the 1965 TV classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and suggests the same reasons for its longevity and continued popularity can be applied to online content that’s intended to go viral:
· It has an amateur vibe.
· It has a strong point of view.
· It tackles a persistent problem.
· It builds on existing work.
· It makes its point quickly.
Also see our previous blogpost, “Infographic: Understanding Viral Content Marketing.”
Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you set your social media marketing strategy.
Christian Retailing (@ChristianRetail) reports that Christian publishers are getting better at targeting the covers of their books to the audiences for whom the content is intended.
“We have seen improvements from previous years” said Rick Hamm, announcing the above 3 winners of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s (@ecpa) Book Cover Awards, sponsored by Dickinson Press. Director of consumer research group Marshall Marketing and judging manager for the program, Hamm said this year's entries—the best in the competition’s 5-year history—had a clearer focus and better descriptions.
The ECPA | dp Book Cover Award is meant “to recognize the industry’s most effective book covers; i.e. those that best connect design components to their intended consumer.”
The judging criteria are based on research results drawn by Marshall Marketing to help Christian publishers “develop and design more on-target products” aiming at 4 book buyer “quadrants”:
· Loyalists – favor community, and status quo. They value rules, authority figures, routine, and stability. They prefer subdued images, simple designs with natural colors, and a straight forward message.
· Inclusives – favor community, but also change and progress. They are interested in diversity, health and well-being, ecology, cultural experiences and style. Inclusives favor bright colors, bold fonts, optimistic images, and prefer a sense of order.
· Pioneers – favor individualism, achievement and progress. They are the early adopters of just virtually everything. They love to test, experiment, and to take risks. Pioneers prefer intense images, highly stylized designs, innuendo, the exotic, the unique and symbolism.
· Individualists – are motivated by self-expression, fun, rewards, status and the status quo. They prefer easily digestible entertainment, mockery, and non-conformity. Individualists enjoy images of people having fun, images that are free-form or unique and images of materialism and/or consumption.
Do you agree the above covers are the most effective covers of 2011?
Parable Group—the marketing group of Parable Christian Stores (@ParableStores)—and Mardel (@Mardel_Inc) have now launched ebook sales and delivery, making the total number of Christian stores able to sell and deliver ebooks to customers in excess of 500 stores. In November, Berean Christian Stores (@BereanChristian), Signature Websites, Christian Supply, and Covenant Group launched ebook sales. ChristianBook.com (@Christianbook) already offers digital downloads.
Parable and Mardel launched in partnership with Ingram/Spring Arbor’s digital services division, joining Berean and Christian Supply. Signature Websites launched its ebook capabilities in a partnership with eChristian (@eChristianInc), formerly Christianaudio.com. Other independent bookstores sell ebooks in partnership with Google eBooks.
Ebook selling in brick-and-mortar stores is a main topic at CBA’s Next 2012: Meeting the Challenge, an event in cooperation with Atlanta’s AmericasMart (@AmericasMartATL) gift mart show Jan. 12-13.
Ebook sales in general continue to grow. For the first 10 months of 2011, ebook sales were up 131.1%, to $807.7 million.
As for physical books, according to Nielsen BookScan (@NielsenWire), sales of print books in the stores it covers totaled 12.0 million the week ending Nov. 27 and then jumped to 15.5 million units the week ending Dec. 4. The following week, units rose again, to 18.6 million, and increased 26% the week of Dec. 18, to 23.4 million.
Compared to the same week in 2010, unit sales the week of Dec. 18 were down 14%, with the closing of Borders and the growth of ebook sales likely the two biggest factors in the decline. During the last week, print backlist was doing better than frontlist, with backlist sales down 9% compared to a year ago and frontlist off 19%.
Let Somersault (@smrsault) help you navigate the churning waters of 21st century publishing. And remember to bookmark and use daily our SomersaultNOW online dashboard of news and information from more than 300 sources.
According to the Pew Research Center's (@pewresearch) Internet & American Life Project (@pewinternet) new report, The Civic and Community Engagement of Religiously Active Americans, “some 40% of Americans are active in a church, religious, or spiritual organization. Compared with those who are not involved with such organizations, religiously active Americans are more trusting of others, are more optimistic about their impact on their community, think more highly of their community, are more involved in more organizations of all kinds, and devote more time to the groups to which they are active.”
When it comes to their technology profile, Americans who are members of religious groups are just as likely as others to use the Internet, have broadband at home, use cell phones, use text messaging, and use social networking sites and Twitter.
“Some analysts have been concerned that those who have active spiritual lives might not be as engaged with the secular world,” notes Jim Jansen, author of the report. “We see the opposite. Those who are religiously active are more likely to participate in all kinds of groups and more likely to feel good about their communities. Those who are active in religious groups seem to be joiners. They also are active users of technology.”
Observing the same report, Baptist Press (@baptistpress) offers these highlights:
· 9% of those actively involved in religious groups use Twitter, the same percentage as the general population.
· 46% of those in religious groups use social networking sites—almost identical to the 47% of all adults.
· 60% of both groups use text messaging.
· 79% of those actively involved in religious groups use the Internet while 76% of all adults do so.
Attendance is a factor in determining the percentage of churchgoers involved in social media and electronic communication.
· 54% of weekly churchgoers use Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn—a much smaller percentage than the 71% of monthly churchgoers and 65% of less frequent churchgoers who do so. Pew said the average age of weekly churchgoers could explain the disparity
· 9% of weekly churchgoers use Twitter (15% of monthly churchgoers and 14% of less frequent churchgoers do so).
· 26% of weekly churchgoers make donations online (35% of monthly churchgoers; 27% of less frequent churchgoers).
· 70% of weekly churchgoers who have a cell phone send or receive text messages (80% of monthly churchgoers; 77% of less frequent churchgoers).
· 36% of weekly churchgoers use their cell phone to access the Internet (51% of monthly churchgoers; 45% of less frequent churchgoers).
Also see our blogpost "Mississippi Is Most Religious USA State."
A major research study in 2007, reported in Leadership Journal (@Leadership_Jnl), concluded that Christians can be identified as belonging to one of 5 categories: Active, Professing, Liturgical, Private, and Cultural Christians.
Each group represents about one-fifth of those identifying themselves as Christian, with Active Christians most likely to have a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that affects their beliefs and inspires an active church life; Cultural Christians are least likely to align their beliefs or practices with biblical teachings, or attend church. Between the two is a range of beliefs, commitment levels, and public practice of the faith.
A summary lists them:
· Active Christians (19%): Committed churchgoers, often in positions of church leadership; believe salvation comes through Jesus Christ; Bible readers.
· Professing Christians (20%): Similar beliefs to Active Christians, but less committed to church attendance; focus more on personal relationship with God and Jesus, less on Bible reading or faith sharing.
· Liturgical Christians (16%): High level of spiritual activity; regular churchgoers, recognizing the authority of the church; predominantly Catholic and Lutheran.
· Private Christians (24%): Largest and youngest segment; believe in God and have spiritual interest, but not within the church context; only one-third attend church at all, almost none are church leaders.
· Cultural Christians (21%): God aware, but do not view Jesus as essential to salvation; affirm many ways to God; express little outward religious behavior.
To get a perspective on non-religious people, read USA TODAY's (@faith_reason) article, "For many, 'Losing My Religion' isn't just a song: It's life." And The Christian Post's (@ChristianPost) "Survey: Unchurched Do Not Ponder Life's Purpose, Afterlife."
Stay informed by bookmarking and daily using Somersault’s (@smrsault) SomersaultNOW online dashboard; especially the Religion News tab.
“Bless the Lord God of Israel because he has come to help and has delivered his people. He has raised up a mighty Savior for us in his servant David’s house, just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago. Because of our God’s deep compassion, the dawn from heaven will break upon us, to give light to those who are sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide us on the path of peace.” Luke 1:68-70 and 78-79 Common English Bible (CEB) (@CommonEngBible)
“Jesus spoke to the people again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12 Common English Bible (CEB) (@CommonEngBible)
Blessed Christmas!
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life’s (@pewforum) Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population concludes that the number of Christians around the world has more than tripled in the last 100 years, from about 600 million in 1910 to more than 2 billion in 2010. But the world's overall population also has risen rapidly, from an estimated 1.8 billion in 1910 to 6.9 billion in 2010. As a result, Christians make up about the same portion of the world's population today (32%) as they did a century ago (35%). This apparent stability, however, masks a momentous shift.
Although Europe and the Americas still are home to a majority of the world's Christians (63%), that share is much lower than it was in 1910 (93%). And the proportion of Europeans and Americans who are Christian has dropped from 95% in 1910 to 76% in 2010 in Europe as a whole, and from 96% to 86% in the Americas as a whole. At the same time, Christianity has grown enormously in subSaharan Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, where there were relatively few Christians at the beginning of the 20th century.
Read this in full. See the interactive maps. Review the sortable data tables. Take the quiz.
Also see our previous post, "Poll: Religion, Faith Still Important to Most People Around the World."
What are the implications of this information on your publishing agenda? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Religion News Service (@ReligionNewsNow): “Report shows Christianity shifting to Africa.”
Baptist Press (@baptistpress): “Pew: Christianity has become global faith in past century.”
The Christian Post (@ChristianPost): “Christianity Is the World's Largest Religion, Says Pew Forum Survey.”
CBN (@CBNNews): “Christian Population Declining in Europe.”
CNN (@CNNbelief): “Christianity goes global as world's largest religion.”
In Religion Dispatches (@RDispatches) author Elizabeth Drescher (@edrescherphd) writes,”Over the past couple years, religionistas of all sorts have attempted to navigate a new media landscape in which old constructions of religious authority, identity, and practice are changing almost by the minute. This surely marks the beginning something of a Second Coming of religion in digitally-integrated form.”
...it seems worthwhile to take a look at some trends in social media that are reshaping religion and spirituality:
1. Social Prayer: Throughout 2011, the “Jesus Daily” Facebook page has outranked soccer superpowers and celebrity superstars like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber as the “most engaging” locale on Facebook. But it’s hardly spiritually lonely at the top for the inspiration and prayer page started by weight-loss doctor Aaron Tabor. The “Dios Es Bueno” (God is Good), “The Bible,” and “Joyce Mercer Ministries” pages all hang out in the top ten, and five more religious pages fill out the bottom half of the top twenty. In all, more than half of the top twenty most engaging pages—pages that move beyond mere broadcast messaging to share content that inspires participants to interact with one another—are religious.
While tracking Twitter trends is somewhat trickier, hashtagged memes like #prayer, #spirituality, #bible, #Jesus, #Buddha, #Allah, and so on are consistently robust, and event-related hashtags like #haroldcamping, #rapture, and #LDSconf mark Twitter as no less significant a site for religious expression, exploration, and engagement than Facebook. Indeed, religious participation on Twitter is sufficient to have captured the attention of Claire Diaz Ortiz, the network’s manager of “social innovation,” who is courting religious tweeters to encourage greater Twitter-specific social networking involvement...
2. Ministers-On-The-Go…
3. O Holy App…
4. Curate as Curator…
5. A Few New Commandments…
The new Common English Bible (http://CommonEnglishBible.com) is #10 on the CBA Bible Translation Best Seller list for the month of December. Since the list is based on actual unit sales in Christian retail stores in the United States through Oct. 29, 2011, the Common English Bible (Twitter @CommonEngBible – http://twitter.com/CommonEngBible) achieved this status after being in stores less than three months.
“We’re delighted the Common English Bible is receiving such early overwhelming support and acceptance,” says Paul Franklin, PhD, associate publisher. “We see this as confirming our decision to create an academically rigorous yet naturally understandable translation for 21st century English readers; a translation from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that’s built on common ground.”
The best seller achievement comes at the same time the completion of the Common English Bible after four years of translation work was named one of the top 10 religion stories of 2011 as decided by leading religion journalists in the 30th annual Religion Newswriters Association survey.
The Common English Bible is a collaboration of 120 Bible scholars and editors, 77 reading group leaders, and more than 500 average readers from around the world. The translators – from 24 denominations in American, African, Asian, European, and Latino communities – represent such academic institutions as Asbury Theological Seminary, Azusa Pacific University, Bethel Seminary, Denver Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, Seattle Pacific University, Wheaton College, Yale University, and many others.
The Common English Bible is written in contemporary idiom at the same reading level as the newspaper USA TODAY—using language that’s comfortable and accessible for today’s English readers. More than half-a-million copies of the Bible are already in print, including an edition with the Apocrypha. The Common English Bible is available online and in 20 digital formats. A Reference Bible edition and a Daily Companion devotional edition are now also available. Additionally, in 2012, Church/Pew Bibles, Gift and Award Bibles, Large Print Bibles, and Children’s Bible editions will be in stores, joining the existing Thinline Bibles, Compact Thin Bibles, and Pocket-Size Bibles, bringing the total variety of Common English Bible stock-keeping units (SKUs) to more than 40.
More than 140 international bloggers are currently participating in the three-month long “Thank You-Come Again-I Promise” blog tour (from November 2011 through January 2012). The tour’s Twitter hashtag is #CEBtour. The complete tour schedule, and information about joining the tour, is available at CommonEnglishBible.com/CEB/blogtour.
Visit CommonEnglishBible.com to see comparison translations, learn about the translators, get free downloads, and more.
The Common English Bible is sponsored by the Common English Bible Committee, an alliance of five publishers that serve the general market, as well as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (Chalice Press), Presbyterian Church (USA) (Westminster John Knox Press), Episcopal Church (Church Publishing, Inc.), United Church of Christ (The Pilgrim Press), and The United Methodist Church (Abingdon Press).
For a media review copy of the Common English Bible and to schedule an interview with Paul Franklyn, please contact Audra Jennings, ajennings@tbbmedia.com at 1.800.927.1517.
“Tergiversate” – pronounced “ter-JIV-er-sate,” (“to change repeatedly one’s attitude or opinions with respect to a cause, subject, etc.; equivocate”) – is Dictionary.com’s (@dictionarycom) 2011 Word of the Year. The Huffington Post (@HuffPostBooks) observes: “So we could say that, in 2011, the stock market tergiversated; or that the public tergiversated about Occupy Wall Street.”
Shelf Awareness (@ShelfAwareness) reports that Jay Schwartz, Dictionary.com’s head of content, said, “We’re taking a stand on this choice. We think that it’s immensely rewarding to find existing words that capture a precise experience, and this year, tumult has been the norm rather than the exception. There are contested public spaces around the world, where people are demonstrating in one direction or another. Opinions and circumstances have been oscillating so much.”
This year’s verbal shortlist included “occupy,” “austerity,” “jobs” (both the noun and the person), “zugzwang,” and “insidious.”
Oxford Dictionaries (@OxfordWords) declared its Word of the Year 2011 to be “squeezed middle” (“the section of society regarded as particularly affected by inflation, wage freezes, and cuts in public spending during a time of economic difficulty, consisting principally of those on low or middle incomes”).
Other words and phrases considered by OED included Arab Spring, hacktivism, phone hacking, sodcasting, bunga bunga, crowdfunding, facepalm, and fracking,
Also see OED’s “What Makes a Word of the Year?”
Merriam-Webster’s (@MerriamWebster) word last year, as listed in its archive, was “austerity.” In 2011, Merriam-Webster lists the words that “spiked in lookups” each month because of events in the news (such as “vitriol” in January, “inclement” in February, and “prefecture” in March). For its 2011 word of the year, Merriam-Webster selected “pragmatic.”
Wikipedia chronicles a history of words of the year as selected by the American Dialect Society (@americandialect) (#woty11). ADS will chose its 2001 Word of the Year at its annual meeting in January in Portland, Oregon. Last year’s word was “app.”