Jules: Claudia and I have had several one-on-one online meetings about an MHQ website so far, and we co-clerked a meeting at Bulls Head about our web presence a couple weeks ago.
We opened with silence, followed by lunch that I picked up from Big Rock Market on the way. Turkey Reubens! It was nice to eat and talk.
It was also really nice to meet in person, and Bulls Head worked out perfectly because it's right between us geographically, turning a 40 minute drive into 20-ish minutes each. Much easier!
I hope these notes are useful. I'm experimenting with ways to share what happened in meetings. They took about 4 hours to make. (about half of this was my opinion piece and the links at the end)
Is social media evil?
Jules: We started with the evergreen conversation on the morality of using social media.
Claudia really appreciated an article by New Public which I shared over email a couple days prior. It was a great starting point for our conversation!
Claudia expressed that the ideas felt familiar, and reminded her of her work creating community through a local magazine.
The truth is our digital woes are not just because Quakers are out of the loop. It's a mess out there!
Here's an opinion piece inspired by our conversation:
Facebook is like Wal-Mart
Jules: The mainstream platforms (I'm thinking of Facebook and Instagram, but this applies to any for-profit social media) are simply not designed to connect people in a way that nourishes genuine connection or communication. At the end of the day, these are places of commerce.
One way of thinking about it is that these platforms are like Wal-Mart. People go there seeking nourishment, sometimes because it's the only viable option. If we want to be in front of the most people possible, that's the place to be. But it's also a strange setting for ministry.
In theory, we could literally worship at Wal-Mart. I actually kind of like this idea as an act of witness. It's subversive and harmless and would probably get us more attention than any product we could put on the shelf. (Although ministry through product makes me think of Dr. Bronners soap)
Whatever we do, it's worth recognizing the limitations of the space. People are busy, there's nowhere to sit, and even if we sneak in worship and ministry, the space is not conducive to hospitality and refreshments.
But these limitations don't mean we should stay away. Commercial spaces are still inhabited by real people. Many of them are seeking more than what Wal-Mart could ever offer, but don't know where else to look. If we want to reach them, we don't need to compete with Quaker Oats. Creativity and simplicity and hospitality in a commercial space will catch the attention of those who are seeking it.
The question becomes not how do we reach the most people, but how do we show up authentically so that people looking for us can find us?
I also want to recognize that Wal-Mart is a long drive for many of us. And that just because somewhere has the most foot traffic doesn't mean it's the best place to share a message. There are other spaces - local grocery stores and public parks and libraries. There's more to say on this, but that's for another time.
If this interested you, I highly recommend this video:
Outlining the website.
Jules: This was the purpose for our meeting. The goal was to come up with what will go on the first version of the website, which we hope to have up by the end of May.
We recently both attended a squarespace tutorial (passcode 1X629@&C) hosted by Erin, who's been working with the Poughkeepsie communications group and designed their website. I was quite impressed with the flexibility of Squarespace and I think it's a good choice for us.
For now, the vision is that whatever we make should stay relevant without ongoing maintenance. This means no moving parts such as calendar or blog - we are making a static website documenting what Quakers are up to in the Mid Hudson Valley.
There's obviously stuff missing here. Part of this process will be talking to other Friends and learning about the life of our meetings. If you have something to add or would like to help, please reach out to myself: jules@greenspace.earth or Claudia: cjansorge@gmail.com and let us know!
Info/links to meetings
Catskill Meeting
Nine Partners Meeting
Cornwall Meeting
Bulls Head-Oswego Meeting
Poughkeepsie Meeting
New Paltz meeting
Hudson Meeting (?)
Current Quaker Witness in the Mid Hudson Valley
Rhinebeck Vigil
Greenhaven work
PK Free food fridge
MHQ: signmaking, no kings
What we donate to (?)
Ongoing meeting events
New Paltz Movie Night
Poughkeepsie has brunch after worship sometimes
Quaker Art/Media
"Quakers utterly deny all outward wars" sign at Bulls Head-Oswego meeting
A Peaceward video
NYC Quakers on war zine (?)
(This is the part Jules is most excited about. How can we uplift creative ministry?)
About Quakers
(This section may require deeper discernment.)
What worship is like
Brief history of Quakers in Hudson Valley
Simple statements of belief
Portraits of Friends (?)
Next steps:
Jules: We're going to keep working on this outline. Filling out the content for the site will require input and conversations with many Friends.
Next up is design. I'm going to start experimenting with Squarespace, and our next meeting will probably be talking about the aesthetic direction of the website. Here's a sketch of one direction I'm considering.
We will also be continuing our conversation about how to use social media effectively: considering how use mainstream platforms with authenticity, and also what other ways of sharing things online might be possible.