Twitter in chiesa per i nativi digitali

 

 

Da un articolo di  Mary Beth Adomaitis

 

It looks like even Pope Benedict XVI, of the Roman Catholic church, is getting on the social networking bandwagon with his recent release of the Vatican Facebook app. This application allows you to connect with your friends and with His Holiness through Catholic-oriented YouTube video messages, virtual postcards and digital images.

Using the Internet to Reach World's Youth

Technically called Pope2You, this Facebook application went live May 24, 2009 at the 43rd World Communications Day. The goal of the Vatican was to get the Pope's message, entitled "New Technologies, New Relationships: Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship," broadcast live over the Internet in a way that would reach millions more people, especially youth. The application is part of the global website Pope2You.net, which also went live on the same day. The website and its various applications are sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

There are many reasons why the Vatican chose to utilize Facebook over other social networks, such as MySpace, Friendster or even Twitter. The Pontiff's goal is to connect with the younger generation in terms and with technology that they know and understand. Since Facebook is the number one social network in the world, what better way to do this?

The Catholic church has also recently embraced the Internet, giving it its "blessing" and urging individuals to use the World Wide Web as a "force for unity." The church now believes that positive messages, such as the one provided by the Pope on World Communications Day, can and should be done through social networks such as Facebook. However, the church also warns Catholics that the Internet has its negative side or "faces of evil," and should be used with caution.

How to Get the Vatican Facebook App

A simple search on Facebook for "Pope2You" will bring you to this application. Just click on it and follow the instructions for download. You can also make this app part of your profile and invite all of your Facebook friends to use it as well. It is available in various languages including:

• English
• Spanish
• French
• Italian
• German

The Vatican Facebook app allows you to send a variety of Pontiff-related postcards, such as:

• Prayer for the Sick
• Greetings for the Feast of Pentecost (or other religious holy days as they approach)
• Various digital Papal images and messages

More About the Vatican and the Social Media

The Vatican Facebook app Pope2You is not the only interest group of this kind on this social network. A quick search will garner you various Vatican groups that you can join. The most common Facebook group is simply called "Vatican" and has more than 1,000 members. This global gathering provides a complete background of the Vatican and Vatican City, and members from all over the world can post their praises for the Pope. There are several other groups by the same name but with the same purpose on Facebook as well.

Twittering in Church

While most cell phones and other electronic devices are usually frowned upon in a place of worship, some churches are now allowing members of their congregation to tweet during sermons. Why? Because for the most part, they are Twittering about what is being preached, and spreading the word of God to those who follow them. Twittering is said to go on after church services -- kind of like a coffee hour -- as others respond with other tweets.

Don't Forget the iPhone

Besides Facebook, the Vatican is also reaching out to iPhone and iPod Touch users through H2Onews, a service geared toward spreading timely news of the church throughout the world. This news is brought to you through a collaboration between Vatican Radio and the Vatican Television Center. These services are all available in various translations.