It’s funny how life has little moments that seem coincidental or accidental but have great value in learning what’s going on in the world around us. Serendipity I think it’s called. This morning I watched a show on TV that I don’t normally view, 100 Huntley Street – an evangelical religious broadcast – which follows the morning news from Edmonton on Global. Usually I change the channel but since I was catching up on my blog reading I was momentarily distracted. My ears perked up when they started describing their new YouTube channel. Religion and the web seem to be made for each other. Large potential audiences, low production costs, little to no censorship all make for a great medium to spread the word.
As they talked about their YouTube venture it was clear that their web people grasped the value and purpose of web based marketing. They slice up the TV broadcast into 5-7 minute segments, tag them with keywords, publish them to YouTube and then monitor the amount of traffic and comments each segment receives. They get it. Re-purposing content lowers costs of production. They already have a large audience and group of followers. More to the point though is how they make the content available to niche interests. This is a major difference between ‘broadcast/mass media’ looking for the lowest common denominator and the ‘narrow-cast/niche media’ of the web, tailoring the message to suit the viewer. Sometimes even allowing the individuals in the audience to fine-tune the message that comes to them making it even more relevant. This clear understanding of new marketing via the web sells products, spreads the word and has even made what was once a marginal regional politician President of the United States. Very powerful.
As a side note to this… many years ago I watched 100 Huntley Street under similar circumstances and listened while David Mainse condemned computers as being an instrument of the devil (or words to that effect). When he said that there were 6 bits in a byte (computer lingo) and its relationship to the number of the beast ‘666’, I changed the channel. Technically wrong and as such the rest of the piece became unreliable as far as I was concerned. For the non-geeks out there, a bit is a fundamental building block of computing as we know it and there are in fact 8 bits in a byte. I guess since then Mr Mainse has seen the light and embraced computing and the web as way to deliver his message. BTW: if I misremembered this show from twenty or so years ago – I apologize and look forward to any correction if so provided.
Dean
BRASSmedia Canada 
” . . . .This clear understanding of new marketing via the web sells products, spreads the word and has even made what was once a marginal regional politician President of the United States. Very powerful. . . .”
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That’s exactly what the 100 Huntley program is: commodification of religion. Faith has now become a commodity to be consumed along with anointing oil and prayer cloths and all manner of gimcracks and whirligigs.
There’s a story about kicking the money changers out of the temple but you wouldn’t believe it watching today’s brand of
preachers.
Very often what does happen is that the person becomes more important than the Message and it’s all Pastor Bob says . . ., or Brother Tim believes . . . .
Just in the last few days, the 100 Huntley Street telecast and its organisation have been hit by a possible Ponzi scheme involving some of those on air personalities. If it is true and they were knowingly complicit, then that ought to be the end of the telecast and Crossroads Christian Communications.
If the sons were duped into being “finders” for the Ponzi scheme, then they will have to live with that shame for the rest of their days. More’s the pity.
Either way, they got OFF MESSAGE. That’s their great failing.
David Mainse has been of the air for a number of years and it was in part because of his exaggerations and outright lies about such things as same sex marriage and other controversies.
Frankly, I think the whole enterprise–beause that’s what it sounds like now–is like a train wreck in slow motion. So hard to turn away.
Please Note: The opinions expressed by commenters in no way reflect those of Dean Owen or BRASSmedia.
FYI . . . it wasn’t my intent to slam David Mainse or 100 Huntley Street and their various people and operations. My interest was in how they are using the internet and new media to connect with their audience and how effective it can be – regardless of the message.
In the interest of fair-play and open dialogue – I’ve decided to approve this comment.
Dean