Verizon Gives AT&T a One-two Punch: "I can hear you now!"

Now that Verizon has the iPhone, they're feeling pretty good about themselves. Sure some of the initial speed tests have been less than stellar. They don't care, and I, personally, love seeing in-your-face competition like this.  


And another


I love how they are going after AT&T without even addressing the speed issues people are talking about ("people" in this case being AT&T!) No, Verizon seems to be conceding the speed point, but addressing a more fundamental issue: What good is speed if your network doesn't work? Ouch!

From the comments I've been getting on Facebook, the ads are not that far from the truth. One person commented "AT&T only works if you stand by one of their towers. No good if they don't have a tower in your area. Verizon, I have found very few places I don't have coverage."

This speed test comparison doesn't bode well for the Verizon iPhone

Oooof!

Are you kidding me, Dallas?

Michael Hyatt Releases His Inner Fanboy

Following Michael Hyatt on Twitter was one of the social media decisions I've ever made. Mr. Hyatt is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and offers tons of valuable insights on social media and productivity. In his most recent blog post, he reveals his inner Apple fanboyism to such a degree that I felt compelled to respond. 

The post starts with the shocking claim that the Macbook Air is "the best computer" he has ever used. I have to admit, this made me want to read further, but let's examine what contributes to this being the best computer ever. Michael admits that the Air has it's limitations:

• Small hard drive (only 256 GB, but it is a solid state drive, so there's a trade for speed.)
• Only 4 GB of RAM(!) (Are you KIDDING me?) 
• 13" display

In addressing how these factor into his claim that this is "the best computer I have ever used," Mr. Hyatt explains, "I purchased the 13″ Air with 256GB flash drive, the 2.13GHz processor, and 4GBs of RAM. I also bought a G-Technology 320GB G-DRIVE slim Portable (i.e., external) USB Drive. It was only $99.95 and matched the fit and finish of the Air."

So the purchase of "best computer ever" had to start with the additional purchase of peripheral HDD capacity. Oooookay. In the very next paragraph he explains that although his music and photo collection is 172 GB, he doesn't really NEED access to all of those files. The final sentence  paragraph reveals Mr. Hyatt's adherence to the second tenant of Apple fanboyism "It has to be awesome because it looks so cool!" (The first tenant is "Apple made it, so it's inherently awesome.")

The lesson: Apple loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. The space limitations of the two HDD's you bought will teach you to value what's really important to your digital life. Besides that, what you lose in capacity, you gain in style. 

I'll admit the Air is a pretty cool little machine. I wouldn't turn one down if somebody decided to give me one. (Email me for shipping information.) I also want to add that I have total respect for Michael Hyatt; I just don't think I can get behind him on this one. 

Starbucks Could Learn a Valuable Lesson from... Gamers?

iTunes has been through this before. The Gap unsuccessfully navigated these treacherous waters. Starbucks has now ventured into the same depths.

What were they thinking rolling out a new logo in the age of Twitter?

The important lesson from all the negative tweets might sound outrageous, but let me make my case.

Even the people who live on the cutting-edge, the early adopters among us, are still highly resistant to change. Don't misread this. They like "new." But they are not so comfortable with change. There is a difference.

From Twitter user @DarrenLangley

Seemingly unrelated, but still significant evidence of this theory exists in the gaming community. One of, if not the most popular online game is Counter-Strike. At any given time there are between 60,000-80,000 people online playing Counter-Strike. The game was originally released in 1999. Now, a decade later, the game still tops the list of most-played online games. Countless newer alternatives have been released in the last decade including an updated version of Counter-Strike called Counter-Strike:Source. The updated version was released in 2004. The two games split the player base a bit, but they continue to both reside comfortably at the top of the charts each of them having over 50% more players than the next most popular game.

Why is this? Why can't anyone unseat this 12-year-old game? There are probably numerous factors going into this, but I believe one of the strongest draws of Counter-Strike is nostalgia and comfort. The players intimately know each map in the game. They have lived the last decade of their digital lives in this game, and the community is strong. Why would they ever want to change?

When you think about online gamers and people who live their lives on the web, we envision a community that craves the cutting edge. Could it be that those who crave the newest gadgets are not so willing to budge when they are asked to change? What should this teach us about how we approach change in our churches? Maybe that's a question we're afraid to ask honestly because we're afraid we wouldn't like the answer.

A Journey into the Unfamiliar

This fall my church is focusing in on discipleship. As leaders we're asking questions like "What does a disciple look like?" and "Is there a process by which we can lead people to become disciples? If so, how do we walk people through it?"


One thing we're discovering through is that discipleship pushes people into unfamiliar territory. Some people see it as a positive challenge, understanding that this will (hopefully) bring them closer to the Lord who loves them. Others are less eager to take on the challenge.


And that's to be expected. Jesus' call to follow him is not a simple action like following someone on Twitter. Look at John 6:53-68. When Jesus told the people to eat his flesh and drink his blood, "many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." When Jesus asked the 12 disciples if they wanted to leave too, Peter replied, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."  


Being a follower of Jesus is, by definition, a journey into the unfamiliar, but it's where we're supposed to be, because it is the journey that leads to life.

Do Numbers Really Matter in Ministry?

Photo by Flickr user Pshab. Used under
Creative Commons licence .

I am excited to be part of a team who admins several thriving Facebook pages such as The Bible page, and the Jesus Christ page. The team also manages several other pages which you should definitely check out. 


Recently, our team was discussing the importance of the number of "Likes" each page receives. Some team members liked tracking the numbers and setting goals; others weren't too keen on the idea. 


Personally, I like seeing the numbers. Are they the indicator of good things happening and souls being transformed? No.

But they are an indicator that something awesome is happening. Read through the book of Acts and note how many times Luke talks about people being added to the community of faith. In Acts 2:41 he even cites a specific number! 

The growth of the church in Acts was an indicator that God was doing something amazing with this little bunch of fishermen. Did the numbers tell the whole story? Of course not, otherwise Acts would be about 5 sentences long! 

These conversations are good for our team to stay grounded and focused on the higher prize: not lots of likes, but a single like from the One who matters most.