LifeWay Downloads: Can We Talk, Men are Like Waffles, and Freedom from Busyness

This week we were able to release three products I've been working on for our digital download products! I'm excited about the progress we're making with get products out and released. We're beginning to establish quite a number of products in various age groups for various uses including individual study, group use, and piece to help with sermons or worship. I continue to be amazed at the support that the leaders here at LifeWay are giving to the downloadable products. Can We Talk

Priscilla Shirer leads the "Can We Talk" Bible Study through seven sessions In this study, you will respond to a variety of biblical passages, prompted by thought-provoking questions, and develop a Christ-focused view on important issues and experience a closer walk with their Creator. Priscilla uses a unique, four-step teaching method to truly engage the Bible in her own way to pull you in deeper. The downloadables are offered as both an individual use, personal file size and a standard definition file for use within a small group. You can purchase the videos here. Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti

I first heard about this study from my wife, who absolutely loved the concept. The title says it all, as Bill and Pam explore the differences between men and women. The Farrels want to be able to help spouses understand how men and women think differently and deal with life and emotions differently. The study is a great series that can help a couple truly better understand one another and I'm honestly excited that we're being able to make it available for download so couples can view it together. The downloadables are offered as both an individual use, personal file size and a standard definition file for use within a small group. You can purchase the videos here. Freedom From Busyness

The very first downloadable product I worked on fore LifeWay was Mike Zigarelli's Influencing Like Jesus. Mike is a genuinely nice guy, and I've loved working with him in the few interactions we've had. With that, I'm excited to be able to release his older study, Freedom from Busyness as a downloadable as well. The five sessions are offered as both an individual use, personal file size and a standard definition file for use within a small group. You can purchase the videos here.

Open Access: Choosing a Title

In this Open Access video, Dale McKleskey talks about the importance of choosing the right title for a product, and some of the processes that we go through to do so. Dale not only hits on the Open Access project's study, Going Beyond, but also some of LifeWay's past studies by Beth Moore. [kyte.tv appKey=MarbachViewerEmbedded&embedId=47244421&uri=channels/30228/156826]

LifeWay Conversations, beth moore, videoAaron LinneJune 24, 2008Priscilla Shirer, dale mckleskey, open accessComment

LifeWay's Open Access Project

For the past few weeks, I've gotten to be a part of the planning for a "secret" LifeWay project called Open Access. I'm incredibly excited about the potential that this project has for us, as it is going to do a lot to develop an online community for us. I'm looking forward to the continued movement towards transparency and development of employee personalities here at LifeWay and this is a major step in that direction. The Open Access line of projects will be products that allow customers to access our materials while we are working on them. Participants who purchase the product will get a rough draft of the study and literally get to see it mere weeks after the author turns it in to us. This will allow the participants to give us feedback about the ideas and concepts in the study, as well as share any personal stories that might be applicable to the study. All of the feedback will be read, and turned to constructive criticism for the author and editors to choose how to implement. The participants will also be able to communicate with each other via an online forum, so we can see how the group as a whole react to the study and how they interact with each other. LifeWay employees will, of course, interact there as well. The first product that we're doing with Open Access is a new Priscilla Shirer study... that doesn't even have a name yet! I believe there are meetings next week to finalize the name; hopefully we'll be able to announce it soon. The Open Access project will have a blog as well, here. The blog will talk more about the development process than the actual product, and we hope to utilize it to give people a behind-the-scenes look at how a study is crafted here in the offices. As a part of that, I'll get to interview various employees throughout the next few months about what they're working on for the study. The first of these video conversations is/was with Jennifer McCaman (our project manager) introducing what Open Access is and what we hope to accomplish: [kyte.tv appKey=MarbachViewerEmbedded&embedId=22245474&uri=channels/30228/143907]

LifeWay Conversations, life of linne, videoAaron LinneMay 30, 2008Priscilla Shirer, jennifer mccaman, open accessComment

What's Really Happening with Twitter

in a meeting for a new project at LifeWay yesterday, we discussed the idea of using twitter during the project experience. at first, the team thought I was joking. they laughed about how twitter is just for people to do constant life-updates, like "i'm going to the bathroom now." there's a distinct seperation between those who have not used twitter, those who use twitter, and those who embrace twitter. twitter has become an asynchronous, world-wide chat room. i remember when i was younger logging into AOL chat rooms and trying to find neat people to talk with. it was a desperate attempt at entertainment and hopes of new friendships... but it was all with random strangers and now lating ties. with twitter I'm able to, instead, engage in conversation with people I know whether they are online at that time or not. and any of my friends get to see what i'm talking about and chime in too. and - here's the kicker... I get to see the conversations and thoughts (and maybe even talk to) people that I have no business talking to. as work and life continue to become more social and networked, things like twitter allows us to peek into the lives of people/topics/politics/companies that we want to be associated with. twitter turns our sphere of influence into an open hall for the world to hear and for us to hear others. one giant conversation piece. i believe that work is becoming more and more intertwined with entertainment, with our social lives, our identities, and our dreams. how many times have you heard "i'd love to work at..." or seen pictures or cool offices or thought about how to improve your own work place? I know that there are many people who would love to work for LifeWay, and I am blessed to be a part of the talent that's employed there. I know our competitors would love to know how we work. I know there are people who will do everything they can to find out what our VBS themes are going to be early so they can be the one to break the news. I know that people want all the details about the next Beth Moore or Priscilla Schrier study and will follow any blog (or twitter account) that might drop some hint about it. And that's a good thing. It means that people are finding people, places, jobs and products to get passionate about. It means that we don't have to accept the spoon-fed media of network television and ClearChannel music. it means there are people out there talking about the alternatives... and that people are listening. and this new/secret project I'm working on at LifeWay that will (tenatively) launch at the very end of this month? we're going to use twitter. UPDATE: my personal twitter account is here.

business, culture, life of linne, lifewayAaron LinneMay 8, 2008Priscilla Shirer, twitter Comments