Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of workshops on “social media.” And I always close with a slide with three simple bullets:
* ENGAGE
* MONITOR
* REPEAT

The terms and prescriptive are not at all incompatible between social media communicators (bloggers, non-profits, etc) and evangelists / Christians on the journey.

1) Engage — LOOK earnestly for opportunities to be in relationship, or at least conversation, with non-subscribers / non-members / non-believers. Meet them where they are; be vulnerable; encourage and exhort (gently on that exhort part).
2) Monitor — Bottom line: keep your listening ears on. Pay attention to all the tools available for telling you how you’re doing. On Google and other Internet channels, you can capture stats about how many are reading, how many you’re reaching, etc. Use GoogleAlerts etc to keep a handle on what people are saying about you (or your organization) online. For churches, Alban Inst. and others can help you find additional ways to capture (and learn from) measureable outcomes. You can’t grow; can’t get better, unless you can MEASURE how you’re doing with your present audience and what people are saying about you.
3) Repeat. Be willing to admit mistakes; be willing to make course corrections; then go ye boldly forward and . . . do it all again. Over and over — till you/we get it right.