Godcasting - nice example of social media

Phayul.com is reporting that China is set to host its first major international forum on Buddhism since 1949 to complement President Hu Jintao's campaign to build a "harmonious society" and burnish China's tarnished image on religious freedom.

Observers said the forum in Hangzhou was a low-risk move that could help counter damage to Hu's and China's image caused by government crackdowns on journalists, Internet writers, civil rights campaigners and academics in the past year.

This highlights that, increasingly, houses of worship and individuals are using the Internet to reach their compatriots and those outside their communities, in a trend called "Godcasting."

Listen - religion is getting it. God.com is learning to adapt much faster that corporates are.

These podcasts connect church members, missionaries in foreign lands and travelers away from their congregations. They also offer people not affiliated with a congregation a peek inside.

In short, every evangelist, church or religious leader, even Pope Benedict XVI, could have the equivalent of his or her own radio show. Some of the pontiff's homilies have been recorded for podcasts.

A bit of Jesus for the road .... but not all the podcasts come from churches.

Brian Hardin, a Christian music producer in Spring Hill, Tenn., spends his free time putting online a Bible study program with listeners from Indiana to Islamabad, Pakistan.

Truthfully, I am always looking for new ways to use media and technology to facilitate information dissemination - God's kingdom is on it's way and it's a good example.

The cost and the ease to create and maintain a podcast make it an appealing delivery medium, particularly for people on the road - salesforces, field officers or anyone that needs up to date information.

Podcasting joins a media universe in which television, radio and magazines reach more people than internet users.

Nathan Moore, a former member of Belle Aire Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tenn says, "I saw many of the churches with larger budgets and a technical staff jump into podcasting as soon as it became popular."

However, I also observed numerous churches that did not have the resources nor the know-how to start a podcast. Consequently, I decided to start PodPoint to help bridge that gap, ultimately helping get the word of God out to more people."

The service is designed to allow ministries to easily own, manage and update their podcasts.

PodPoint.net has a select few churches using and testing the system before its official launch for any church or ministry in a few weeks.

Excellent idea.

Growing and strengthening Christianity through the latest technology is the mission of Atlanta-based Streaming Faith, the largest provider of Internet broadcast services to faith-based organizations worldwide.

More than 2 million people each month access its streaming video and audio broadcasts of programs and worship services from many of the nation's largest and most influential churches and ministries.

Streaming Faith allows ministries to deliver their message through its more than 1,500 live events each month on the Internet. The company is working on launching subscription podcasts for religious organizations, company officials say.

Now - let's take this idea and apply it to education or social development tracks. Religion is a small but growing trend but self development that will enable all to enjoy the Web 2.0 wave.