Week 11: Analyzing The Block Church App

This week I will be observing the Block Churches Facebook page. The Block Church’s Facebook Page is organized similarly to their website. They have their website laid out so the “About The Block” section is first, user/member reviews, certain videos such as their introduction video (same as the one posted on the website) as well as their sermons from previous weeks, they have upcoming events listed, and lastly are there general facebook posts (i.e events coming up, certain inspiring phrases ect.) Considering Facebook has a pretty restrictive format in terms of how companies & originations like the Block Church are able to portray their message, I would say that The Block Church does a great job.

One of the most impressive aspects of this Facebook page is how user friendly/interactive it is. The Facebook page offers members and visitors the opportunity to leave comments on the page, allowing them to discuss their experience with the block church while also leaving some kind of rating. This is something that the Block Church website does not have on it, so this gives perspective members a way to see how members actually feel about the church. The page provides links to the churches emails and telephone numbers, and allows users to directly message the company via Facebook itself. On the website it states that when you direct message the page the company “typically replies within a day”. This quick response rate is a great indicator of how connected the church is to the internet.

After reviewing both the Block Church website, as well as their Facebook page I have come to find that their relationship between church and technology can be seen as bridging. The reason I say this is because the whole purpose of “The block” is how people physically come together and participate in various events, like performing a skit or singing a song together. Obviously the website does a phenomenal job of staying up to date with their content, but you can only learn about the block from the website, you can’t “Be The Block” without physically going to the church and participating. This distinction is why I would say the two are bridged together, but are still separate.