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HARTFORD (06/18/2007) -- The Connecticut Conference has introduced a new online discussion forum service on its website, ctucc.org. "Shine On!" offers visitors the ability to share their wisdom and insights with other members of Connecticut's United Church of Christ congregations, in a medium that allows more casual surfers the opportunity to see what others have written over time.
Like the Conference's email-based FIDO* service, users must sign up to use the service, though unregistered visitors may read others' messages. Found at www.ctucc.org/shineon/, Shine On offers a number of topic-based forums; the initial list includes:
Registrants will be required to provide a valid email address, and to reply to a confirmation email. "This allows us to prevent our forums from being abused by some automated spamming systems," said Eric Anderson, the Conference Minister of Technology Services, who administers the system. "It's important to know that there's a real person who wants to participate, and not a computer looking for a space to post free advertising."
UCC church members will be able to make and extend connections among members of different local churches. "We've had very good experiences with sharing questions and answers in the FIDO service," said Anderson. "The additional benefit here is the way that those answers can now be easily preserved for longer periods of time."
The FIDO service will continue to operate with the addition of Shine On! Most people check their email frequently, but they may visit a web site more sparingly. Among the features of the new service is the ability to search the forums for items of interest, and the ability to request an email be sent to a poster when someone else responds to it.
Connecticut visitors to the Conference's display area at General Synod can expect to receive a special "Sign On to Shine On!" sticker with the service's web site address on it. "It's a way," said Anderson, "to bring some of that Synod excitement home."
