As you may have gathered from the first and second posts just like this… I like tech tools that make life easier. I’m not a naturally organized person, so I have to fight to find tools that help. Here are some of the latest tools I’ve been using in ministry. Hope there’s something here that you find something here that’s interesting to you!
Right Inbox for Gmail – This is a gmail extension that allows you to send emails in advance or at a later time. I use it if I want to respond to an email right away but want the recipient to receive it the next day, or if I want to send a reminder, either to myself or someone else. I don’t use it very often, but when I do need to use it, it’s so helpful. The free version allows you to send 10 such “send later” emails per month.
Another email reminder service is Send Recurring, the free version allows you to send 100 emails. This is the service that we’ll be using to send the email reminders for communion servers (we plan to schedule them a year in advance, but then remind them the week before, in case plans change… a few minutes on Send Recurring and a year’s worth of reminders is done.)
The next three tech tools are for pastors to figure out how to podcast their sermons. It’s not hard (though I admit I’m trying to work out all of the kinks and make this system fluid.) For a great intro about how to do this, see this guide from MaryAnn McKibben Dana
iRecorder Pro– An inexpensive, but really handy tool to record sermons on your iPhone. My favorite feature of this is how easy it is to get the recordings from the phone to the computer (via IP address)
Media Human Audio Converter – Converts audio files painlessly. Free and simple.
Sermon Drop – This is the service that hosts the sermons. I recommend this one with caution. It’s simple and easy to use, but the support is not good, and I’ve run into a hiccup or two. I’d be curious to know if there are alternatives that are better…
There you have it! Yay techie tech…
For volume one of this series, see HERE
volume two is HERE