WordPress Jetpack…Publicize

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On of the challenges in parish ministry is trying to keep members and non-members aware of the work your church is doing. So when the internet came along, church gradually went out and developed a website. At first it was to to tell people where they were located, the times they had mass or services, and the office phone number. Now churches us websites to share newsletters, announcements, readings, prayer request, and schedules…

As technology continued to evolve, having a website is not just enough. Now it is important to have a Facebook, Google+, and a Twitter presence as well. But to keep posting information to all 4 sites can be time consuming.

This is where WordPress Jetpack becomes a useful tool if you have a self-hosted or shared-hosted WordPress based website. It has an option called Publicize, which can be configured to send a posting to your favorite social media page.

To use Jetpack, you first need to download it as a plugin and activate it. Next you need to connect it to a WordPress.com account. If you don’t have one, it is easy to create a free account. Once the connection is made, click on the Jetpack tab on your dashboard and then the configure and the Publicize box. You are then walked through the process of connecting to your social media accounts.

There is a drawback with using Jetpack to post to social media sites. It doesn’t post your entire posting to your social media website. Instead, it creates a link to website with a partial copy of your text.  If you go to my Facebook site www.facebook.com/catholictechnogeek you will notice all my posts are links back to this website. My tweets on twitter (@catholictechnogeek) only have the title and a link back to my website.

Despite the drawback, it is a great way to get the same word out to your varies social media sites and attract attention to your main website.

 

 

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