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Email management: Inbox Zero and one-touch email

Email management: Inbox Zero and one-touch email

Blog, Social Media and the Internet
Email is the primary communication tool for the modern world. A nearly singular location where people know that they can reach you. Almost everyone has one and conceivably can be reached there. Emails pour into your inbox from everywhere, stores, newspapers, congregants, and coworkers. On any given day, we might receive hundreds of emails on a variety of subjects.  The challenge many of us face is how to actually deal with all of those inputs. That is where email Inbox Zero and one-touch email management is so essential. With these tools, we can make email work for us, instead of the other way around. Let’s start at the beginning. What is an inbox and what are inboxes for? An inbox is a place to store your captured items into a…
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How to Manage Your Congregation on Airtable

How to Manage Your Congregation on Airtable

Blog, Social Media and the Internet
One of the most powerful tools I've ever used in my rabbinate, in particular to manage my congregation is Airtable. I can navigate projects unlike ever before. The power of databases, which are not always accessible to us rabbis, is now in our hands. The ability to pull data together will change how you do you work. As an example, just to show you how real this can be, in 2018-2019, in my department, I hosted 168 events with over 2860+ encounters. I know this because I used Airtable. Each event was recorded and documented.  You can deliver reports to your board or teams in ways you haven't even considered yet. This is going to be an overview of what might be able to do with this incredible tool. [su_youtube…
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8 Passover Themed Social Media Posts

8 Passover Themed Social Media Posts

Blog, Social Media and the Internet
Passover is a big holiday and it is important to use good Passover themed social media posts to engage your audience. Along with Hanukkah, Passover is one of the most celebrated holidays in the Jewish year and that means there is a great opportunity to improve your or your institution's social media engagement.This is a nice time to remember that social media is a chance to provide meaning, value, and connection with your community.There are lots of iterations of these posts and I'm excited to see what you come up with!This is part of the Social Media Guide for Rabbis and Synagogues 1. Seder ReadingsEach family and community has its own personal choice for haggadot for their seders. One of Passover themed social media posts you can use is to share new readings…
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8 Purim Themed Social Media Posts

8 Purim Themed Social Media Posts

Blog, Social Media and the Internet
With Purim coming up, I wanted to offer you a few Purim themed social media posts that you can use! This holiday isn't as popular as Hanukkah, but that means there is a good opportunity to improve your or your institution's social media presence. Just like with most social media, this is a huge chance to provide meaning, value, and connection with your community. There are tons of iterations of these posts and I'm excited to see what you come up with! This is part of the Social Media Guide for Rabbis and Synagogues  1. Live streaming your Megillah reading and Purim Shpiel This requires absolutely no preparation, other than a place for a camera or a phone. That being said, making it clear to the people in the room…
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8 Hanukkah Themed Social Media Posts

8 Hanukkah Themed Social Media Posts

Blog, Social Media and the Internet
With Hanukkah coming up, I wanted to provide you with eight Hanukkah themed social media posts that you can use! This holiday, which garners a TON of attention, is a perfect opportunity to up your social media game. More importantly, it gives you a chance to provide some needed value to your followers and community.  There are tons of versions of these posts and I'm excited to see what you come up with! This is part of the Social Media Guide for Rabbis and Synagogues  1. How to “do” Hanukkah videos These are the low-hanging fruit of Hanukkah themed social media posts! They are useful and they provide clear value. In these videos, you can explain how to light candles, how to set up your menorah, or even how to cook your favorite…
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Two Secrets to Social Media for Rabbis

Two Secrets to Social Media for Rabbis

Blog, Social Media and the Internet
This post is going to tell you two secrets to social media for rabbis. Truly they aren't secrets though. They are: being social and bringing value. It is hard, sometimes, to reframe things we already know to new contexts. This is about understanding why we use social media and how we can best serve as rabbis, something we all want. This is part of the Social Media Guide for Rabbis and Synagogues  I'm going to tell you two secrets to social media for rabbis. Not everyone uses social media the same way. Some people use it as an escape. Others use it to delve deeper into something they care about. Some folks use it for cat pictures. All have import and are necessary for you to understand. For some of…
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Understanding Social Media Platforms

Understanding Social Media Platforms

Blog, Social Media and the Internet
  This is part of the Social Media Guide for Rabbis and Synagogues  In this post, I’m going to outline the various social media platforms and why they are relevant. For now, I’m going to look at these platforms from two different lenses, first, as a rabbi promoting our personal content, and second, as a synagogue. Of course, there are lots of other rabbis in other contexts, so you’ll have to check back as I update the guide. Before I go through the platforms, I want to HIGHLY ENCOURAGE you to go through the exercise of thinking about your goals and who you want to serve. You should check out this post if you haven’t already. Why? In order to be successful, you have to know what you want to…
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5 Reasons Social Media Matters for Rabbis and Synagogues

5 Reasons Social Media Matters for Rabbis and Synagogues

Blog, Social Media and the Internet
  This is part of the Social Media Guide for Rabbis and Synagogues  If you, as a rabbi and a leader, want to continue impacting your community, you must engage with social media. At this point, social media is a required tool for rabbis and synagogues. There are five really important points as to why this matters. 1. Social Media is effectively the modern state of the internet. The internet has begun to mature and social media is what it currently looks like and as a result, we need to approach it that way. In order to gain attention, which is the next reason why this matters, you need to be using modern tools. Simply, the vast majority of individuals are using social media, in all of its forms, to…
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How and Why I Taught Talmud on Facebook Live

How and Why I Taught Talmud on Facebook Live

Blog, Social Media and the Internet
One of the incredible tools we have online in order to reach our people is Facebook, in particular Facebook Live. Regardless of context, synagogue, day school, non-profit, or any other institution, there is a large proportion of our constituents on this platform. As a result, it is important to do the work to gain their attention. One way to do that is video, in particular, live video. That is where Facebook Live comes in. Before I get into how and why, I do want to say this: I asked permission of my class. I asked if they would feel comfortable with me posting and I tried to do it in a way that honored everyone’s wishes. Not everyone likes being online in the same way and it is important to…
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The Three Questions To Ask to Succeed on Social Media

The Three Questions To Ask to Succeed on Social Media

Blog, Social Media and the Internet
Social media, like anything else, is a tool for you and your organization to use. It is not an end unto itself. As a result, we need to be intentional about how we use it to best serve our audience and our organization. I believe this is applicable regardless if you are a day school, a synagogue, a non-profit, or any other institution. There are three major elements in thinking through a social media strategy, they are: Who: who you are serving and want to reach.What and Why: what are trying to accomplish and why that is.Value: what you are doing for them to make their lives better. Each have their own series of questions and I’m going to walk you through them. In this post, I’m going to give…
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