Leave It Behind > Brian Bailey

The DB Choice

Here's something fun! I've received a lot of questions in the last few months about our choice of the PostgreSQL database over MySQL. This is a very popular debate and we thought it was time to lay our reasoning out for all to see.

Visit Leave It Behind > Code for the details.

The Book

Yes, the news is official. Terry Storch and I are writing a book together on blogging in the church! What an incredible thrill. I have dreamed of writing a book since I was in elementary school. The fact that I get to share the project with Terry and write on the two topics I am most passionate about, blogging and the local church, makes this even more special.

If you haven't listened to the podcast, which I highly recommend, you may be wondering how this all came to be. Believe it or not, the story begins when I invited Robert Scoble to visit Fellowship Church 18 months ago. His visit and follow-up post had a huge impact on me, personally and professionally. In the past year, we've crossed paths numerous times, both online and off, eventually leading to me being interviewed for his book with Shel Israel, Naked Conversations.

The day after the interview was posted online, I was contacted by the acquisitions editor that landed Scoble and Shel, Jim Minatel, who was interested in doing a book on church blogging. I thought it was a great idea and pulled in Terry for his mad skills and pastor's perspective.

We spent almost a month on the book proposal which moved through the Wiley system until it was officially approved in early August. Since then, we've been finalizing contracts and laying the groundwork for what we hope will be a terrific book, filled with vision and application, the why and how of blogging in the church.

Wait no more, today is the day!

That is right, today is the day to end all the questions.

You are just two clicks away from the big unveiling.

Your first click is here.

200 Club

According to the fantastic FeedBurner service, the Fellowship Church Blog passed 200 subscribers yesterday for the first time! Just like stocks, web stats seem to hit resistance at certain levels and the FC Blog had come close to 200 a few times, but suddenly reached 220 this week.

Since we're reaching much more of a mainstream technology audience with that site, we're thrilled to discover a growing adoption of blog tools. We'll soon have blogs for each of our campuses that should greatly increase the role of blogs in the Fellowship Church experience.

Word on the Street

There is a lot of buzz about what Terry Storch is going to be announcing soon. The man is the king of building up hype - check out this post for evidence.

What amazes me is that not a single person has asked me if I know what he's going to announce! I mean, I've known and worked with Terry for five years now and his office is right next door. You'd think I'd be a likely candidate for bribes or persuasion of some kind.

So, what's the answer? Yes, I know what the announcement is. And yes, it's very cool. In fact, I'll be announcing something soon as well, not that we're competitive or anything.

Check back tomorrow to see what everyone is talking about!

Free Speech

Read this awesome Scoble rant on free speech. The beauty of weblogs is that every person can add her own voice to the conversation. After a few people link to you and start talking about what you're saying, whether they agree or not, you'll soon show up in the search engines next to sites with thousands of readers. Want free speech? Get a blog of your own.

If this was a Green Acres episode, there would have definitely been a fife in the background. You can tell Scoble spent some time in the church because the man can preach when he wants to!

9 Year Old Boy

How are you doing?

Good.

How was school today?

Good.

How was your time at the library?

Good.

Did you have indoor recess (due to the unfortunate Texas heat)?

Yes.

How was your piano lesson?

Good.

Ben, I'm going to need something more than one-word answers.

Very good?

Classic.

France, Atlanta, and Places in Between

Once in awhile, someone posts a comment and it's like hearing from an old friend. That happened to me the other day when Katherine wrote some kind words about a recent post. For those of you who don't know, Katherine has written a great blog for a long time now, but it became even more fascinating in the last few months as she's documented her family's move from the States to southern France.

My wife and Katherine share so many similarities that the fact that she's now fulfilling Lori's lifelong dream is a little frightening. Our family has been enjoying learning the cultural differences and even simple things like charging for grocery bags at the store. Here's a great sample of her writing, even though it has little to do with France.

Speaking of wonderful female bloggers, don't forget to spend some quality time with Amy Loves Books. This post from last week is fantastic: Someplace I Have Never Been.

The Wonder Years

We watched one episode of The Wonder Years during the summer and I immediately remembered everything I loved about that show. As I was reminiscing about my childhood and the similarities with Kevin Arnold, I looked over at my son Ben and realized that he's Kevin, not me. I used to identify with Kevin, Paul, and Winnie, and now I see myself in the parents.

Ben started Fourth Grade (worthy of capitalization) last week and in September he'll turn 10, officially bringing his single-digit years to an end. It finally occurred to me that he is living his Wonder Years right now. As a parent, this is the real deal. No more tests and do-overs, hoping he'll forget our various time-out strategies and inconsistent discipline by the time he's an adult.

I remember 10 very well, as if it was only a couple of years ago. Ben spent much of the summer with a neighborhood friend who is also in his class this year. When I started adding up all that they have done together and how long they've known each other, I realized that he is making friends now that he will Google in 20 years to see what they did after college. Some of these friends may become prom dates, college roommates, part of a student body election ticket, or be in his wedding. There is even a girl who looks strangely like Winnie. She is the only female who has made the cut for birthday parties and his bi-weekly Writing Club. This weekend, she became his first official phone call, when she called to ask a homework question.

Next thing we know, there will be dances and driving lessons! I can only pray that we do everything possible to truly make these years wonderful. I have no doubt that everything we think is so important now is nothing compared to the years you spend with a living, breathing smile in your house.

Honey, Where's My Web Department?

One of the unanswered questions in my recent post about changes at Fellowship was what these new roles mean for the web team. The question of where the web department should be located within an organization is one every company and church faces. It's also one of the most common questions I get asked, so I thought I'd describe how we are structured at Fellowship.

Before Terry Storch, became the Uptown Campus Pastor, he was in charge of all technology at Fellowship, in addition to other areas such as HR. Technology was divided into two camps: Information Systems, led by Terry Chapman, which includes all desktop, server, software, and network management, and the Web, led by myself, with responsibility for our four websites. We also had a separate Communication department that handled all print, worship guide, and signage needs.

With the change, we started to ask ourselves where should the web department be located within the organization? Should it remain tied to technology or should it become part of communications?

The answer? The web team is now part of the communications team.

Why? Simply put, because web development is more about creativity and communication than about technology.

We had heard cautionary tales from numerous churches about combining the web and communications departments. To make it work, there has to be a large amount of open communication between groups that sometimes speak different languages. There also must be understanding that we share similar objectives, but we're painting on two very different canvases.

Our designers use Power Macs, Photoshop, Illustrator, and high-end printers and plotters to deliver creative work. We use PCs, text editors, Photoshop, PHP, databases, and servers to deliver creative work. We both make heavy use of technology, but the technology is only the tool.

The true benefit comes from two teams working together who share so many common projects. Communications and the web are two of the only departments whose work includes all four campuses, as well as Creative Pastors, Fellowship Connection, and Ed Young Ministries. We also now share a common leader, Troy Page, who has a great vision of what it takes to reach our culture. All of us will be challenged to take our work to the next level.

We're excited about this change and hope it helps Fellowship communicate more creatively and effectively the story of Christ and the local church.

Bonus points to the person who can name the title's pop culture reference.