vision for the christian social graph
DESCRIPTION
Executive Director Andrew Sears outlines a "Vision for the Christian Social Graph".TRANSCRIPT
A Vision for theChristian Social Graph
Andrew SearsExecutive Director
Christian Social Graph VisionWhat if every Christian could connect with
the needs and resources to maximize their calling on earth?◦Missions: Mapping every need in the world to
Christians with resources to meet that need◦Discipleship: Mapping every Christian with
resources they need for growth◦Helping Christians meet the needs of non-
ChristiansWhy do thousands of people have this
same vision?◦It’s something that God is doing
What is the largest social network in the world?
No. Facebook is the largest online social network900 million
The Global Body of Christ isthe largest social network.2 billion Christians.
The problem is the Global Body of Christ is Disconnected!
What is the Christian Social Graph?
1. The Christian social graph is a social utility to connect Christians and resources
◦Similar to the Facebook Social graph, but more open and focused on mapping resources related to Christians
2. It will be how Christians contribute to the semantic web (Web 3.0)
◦Will build on standards like RDF, Schema.org and Facebook Open Graph API
3. It will define a set of data format standards and terms of use for sharing data
Christian Social Graph
Christian Social Graph
Volunteer Opportunities
Jobs
Organizations
Churches
PeopleClassifiedListing
Groups
Content
Event
Why is the Christian Social Graph Important
Creating it is too large a task for any one organization to create the Christian Social graph, so standards are needed
Christian data will remain splintered in inaccessible silos as it is now if we do not have standards
The Benefit: The Christian social graph could help connect every Christian with the needs and resources to maximize their calling on earth
The Problem of Splintering: Christian Jobs
Probably 20k-100k Christian jobs onlineChristian searching for a job would need to search…
◦Over 100 Christian jobs sites, most with less than 1% market share
◦Hundreds of thousands of church and parachurch websites with job postings on their sites
◦Secular job sites with Christian jobsUsability for Christian job seeker
◦Top 5 secular job sites combined probably have 80% market share
◦Top 5 Christian job sites combined have less than 20% market share
◦Results in secularization
The Problem of Secularizing: Volunteering1. If Christians cannot easily find opportunities in Christian
ministries, they will serve in secular ministries◦ Strong secular bias against Christian organizations exists on
secular sites◦ About 40% of volunteers are in FBOs, but the leading secular
volunteer site only list 3% of their opportunities as religious2. Christian volunteers provide hundreds of billions worth of
donated services each year◦ $100 billion x 40% = 40 billion◦ $100 billion x 3% = 3 billion
3. Lack of Christian volunteer directories with critical mass will result in secularization and a major loss of volunteer resources to ministries and churches
4. Goal is to avoid secularizing Christian resources while also avoiding creating a “Christian ghetto”
Why TechMission is Interested in the Christian Social Graph
TechMission has relationships with most of the organizations that could serve as potential data sources to the Christian social graph
TechMission is aggregating Volunteer Opportunities, Jobs and Organizations
TechMission has been engaged with most major secular counterpart initiatives (AllForGood, 211, etc.)
ChristianVolunteering.orgVolunteer Opportunities
◦6,171 Posted by users in past year◦4,925 through feeds (expect 10k by 2012)
Organization Profiles◦6,518 posted by users◦5,523 imported
Christian Jobs◦Expect 10-20k by Spring 2012
Provides widgets, apps for iPhone, Android and Facebook & automated rebranding
UrbanMinistry.org wiki has 160,000 items of creative commons content
Volunteer OpportunitiesChristian Sources
◦ ChristianVolunteering.org (50%)◦ ShortTermMissions.com (5%)◦ Meettheneed.org (1-5%)◦ MissionFinder.org (1%)◦ CatholicVolunteerNetwork.org (1%)◦ Denominational Sites (10%)◦ Missions Sites (10%)◦ Local Directories (5%)
Secular Sources◦ AllForGood.org (20%)◦ VolunteerMatch.org (5%)
Schema Examples◦ http://www.allforgood.org/spec◦ http://schema.org/Event
Readiness for Standard: ready
JobsChristian Sites
◦ ChristianJobs.com (5%)◦ Churchjobs.com (5%)◦ NeedsMet.com◦ 100 other Christian job sites (30%)◦ Individual organization job postings
Secular Sites◦ Indeed.com (80%)◦ SimplyHired.com (80%)
Schema Examples◦ http://schema.org/JobPosting◦ https://ads.indeed.com/jobroll/xmlfeed◦ https://
www.jobamatic.com/a/jbb/partner-dashboard-advanced-xml-api
Readiness for Standard: ready
OrganizationsChristian Sources
◦ChristianVolunteering.org◦National Christian Foundation◦Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability◦Ministry Spotlight
Secular Sources◦All For Good◦Guidestar.org◦CharityNavigator.org
Schema Examples◦http://www.allforgood.org/spec◦http://schema.org/Organization◦ Integrate data by EIN
Readiness for Standard: ready
How Secular Providers are LinkingOrganizations (by EIN)
◦Volunteer Match/AllforGood: Volunteering◦Network for Good: Donating◦Guidestar: Organization Database/990s◦Idealist: Jobs
Widgets/Facebook/Mobile Apps (Web Services APIs)◦Catalista Volunteer App (uses All for Good API)◦Create the Good◦Johnson & Johnson &You App (uses Volunteer
Match, Network for Good, Idealist and Guidestar APIs)
Secular Social Graph AggregatorsVolunteering: AllForGood.org
◦Aggregates 100,000 volunteer opportunities from 20 data providers
◦Provides volunteer search for Serve.gov portal◦Provides API key to 3rd party distributors: AARP,
AmeriCorps, Care2, HuffingtonPost, etc.Jobs: Indeed.com and Simplyhired.comOrganizations: Guidestar.org
How Christians Could Link UpChristianVolunteering.org
◦ Provide link to organization data on National Christian Foundation, ECFA and Guidestar
◦ Provide API, export or feed of dataOrganization Data Providers
◦ Provide link to ChristianVolunteering.org volunteer opportunities on based on EIN
◦ National Christian Foundation, ECFA & Guidestar◦ Provide API, export or feed of some data
Third Parties◦ Should have access to APIs or feeds of Christian data
similar to secular providers to create custom websites and apps
Links to National Christian Foundation Profile, Guidestar, ECFA
Roles in the Christian Social Graph
Aggregators
Christian Websites & Applications
ProgrammingConsultants
Data Sources
Global Standards & Aggregators
• Websites• System Integration• Mobile Apps• Facebook Apps• Widgets• Open Source Projects
• Schema.org• Semantic Web• Search Engines• Social Networks• Places/Maps• AllforGood• 211• Specialized Directories• National Aggregators
• 1,000’s of websites• Volunteer, Jobs, Orgs, etc.
• Regional Christian portals• Church management Systems• Christian social networks• Christian portals
Architectural Philosophy for Christian Social Graph Standards
Simplicity is top priority◦Most Christian data sources will struggle just to provide
RSS or CSV files (XML is too complex)◦Standard should define fields for flat file or RSS feed
Start with where there is a felt need that is solvable◦Volunteer Opportunities, organizations and jobs
Incentive to share will be similar to RSS in that sites will share data to drive traffic
Aggregators can then convert simple feeds to more public global standards & Web services◦Schema.org, RDF, AllForGood, 211
Christian Open Social Graph Standards
Data Format Spec◦ https://docs.google.com/a/techmission.org/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqF
Vmw4IVrQUdG1QVnRXVkFPcUVHcVR2MjZYU0JHU2c&hl=en_US#gid=0
◦Defines optional and require set of fields for each type of object (job, organization, etc.)
◦Preferred data format will likely be RSS, but may also use CSV
◦Encourages data providers to standardize where possible
Creates a template for standard terms of use agreement for sharing data◦Similar to API Terms for: AllforGood,
VolunteerMatch, Guidestar, Indeed.com, SimplyHired.com
Christian Social Graph Working GroupGroup to discuss and define open social
graph standards & sharing agreementsSeeking input from
◦Potential Data providers◦Potential developers utilizing the data◦Major Christian organizations with a vested
interest in a Christian social graph standardPlan to publicly announce and seek out
partners end of 2011/early 2012
Protecting Shared DataData providers need to share enough to be
useful to aggregatorsNeed to protect types of data that could result
in excessive spamNeed to provide incentive to share data by
driving trafficTechnical protection
◦Aggregators provide API keys tied to terms of use◦RSS feeds and CSV files from data providers in non-
public locations if not wanting to be fully publicLegal protection through terms of use and legal
agreements
Applications That Could Use the Christian Social Graph
Church management software◦TheCity
Christian Social NetworksCitywide Christian Portals/Social NetworksMegachurch Websites
◦Volunteer Opportunities, JobsParachurch websites
◦Volunteer OpportunitiesWidget & Open Source Module CreationFacebook AppsMobile AppsConsulting/System Integration
Law of Network Effects
Achieving Critical Mass
Viral Rate is % of Users that invite, post content, etc. adding value to your network times the value of those actions
Positive Feedback Loop when…
Examples: Facebook, Craigslist, eBay
Number of Users
Cost/
Valu
e
User Generated Value
Cost
Achieving Critical Mass
Scale of the Problem Assumptions
◦ There will be a Christian social graph 20 years from now◦ The scope of the problem is too large for any one organization
How much will it cost to develop parts of the Christian social graph to achieve critical mass?
Christian Social Graph: $100-500 million◦ Christian social network: $100 million◦ Christian Volunteer Opportunity Directory: $10 million◦ Christian Jobs: $10 million◦ Christian Funding Directory: $10 million◦ Church Directory: $50 million◦ Small Group Directory: $50 million◦ Christian Wikipedia: $10 million◦ Christian YouTube: $10-50 million◦ Christian Events Directory: $10 million◦ Can lower costs by focusing on a metro area, country or region
Will Christians Online be like Christian Radio or Christian TV? Christian Radio
◦ Called “the major single innovation of the present missions era.” ◦ Christian Broadcast Network alone has reported 45 million
decisions to follow Jesus through their broadcasts. ◦ At its peak, religious broadcasts represented the single largest
component of transnational broadcasting Christian Television
◦ Gave us tele-evangelist and some really bad Christian TV◦ Negligible presence in television compared to Hollywood
If Christians remain splintered online in the social graph, the impact of Christians online is likely to be negligible like Christian TV
For More Information Visit: www.techmission.orgCall at 617-282-9798Request to join Email list
◦[email protected] ◦http://groups.google.com/a/techmission.org/gro
up/christiansocialgraph/subscribe?note=1Standard Specification:
https://docs.google.com/a/techmission.org/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqFVmw4IVrQUdG1QVnRXVkFPcUVHcVR2MjZYU0JHU2c&hl=en_US#gid=0
Appendix
ChurchesSources
◦ www.forministry.com◦ www.churchseek.net◦ www.netministries.org◦ http://www.infousa.com/Home/Home/99889/
S70623449919922 ◦ http://www.yearbookofchurches.org
Schema Examples◦ http://schema.org/Church◦ http://schema.org/CatholicChurch
Readiness for Standard: not ready◦ Scope of the problem is enormous◦ Even extremely resourced organizations can’t solve it◦ Need one major source to open up their data and probably
expand that through partnerships or web scrapping
Small GroupsChristian Sources
◦WorldWideOpenSecular Sources
◦Meetup.com◦Eventbrite.com
Schema Examples◦ http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/api/group/◦ http://schema.org/Event◦ http://www.meetup.com/meetup_api/
Readiness for Standard: not ready◦No significant directory of small group meetings
exists
EventsSecular Sources
◦Meetup.com◦Craigslist.org/cal◦Eventful.com◦Upcoming.org◦Eventbrite.com
Schema Examples◦http://schema.org/Event◦http://www.meetup.com/meetup_api/
Readiness for Standard: not ready◦No significant directory of Christian events exists
except a few locally
Content Christian Sources
◦ GodTube◦ Mission Wikis◦ UrbanMinistry.org◦ StrategicNetwork.org◦ Catholic.org
Sharing Models◦ Embedding/YouTube◦ RSS/Feeds◦ Creative Commons Licensing ◦ Services APIs: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:API/MediaWiki
◦ Semantic_web: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_web RDF, Sparql, dbpedia.org
Readiness for Standard: not ready◦ Few Christian organizations even using Creative commons
sharing, so not ready for automating sharing beyond RSS
Classified ListingChristian Sources
◦christianfishlist.com◦christslist.com◦Megachurch classifieds: rededicate.org/phpBB3
Secular Sources◦Craiglist.org
Readiness for Standard: not ready◦None have critical mass
How Nonprofits are likely to fit with Semantic Web Standards
RDF: data sharing format in XML
Sparql endpoints: AllforGood, GuidestarSparql: API standard for nonprofitsSchema.org: organizations, job postings events, volunteer opportunities
Aggregators: VolunteerMatch, AllforGood, Guidestar, ChristianVolunteering, Mobile Apps, Widgets, Web Portals, Thousands of Sites
Nonprofit Contracts/API Terms of Use
Schema.orgDefines schema of objects relevant to
nonprofits in RDF◦Organizations◦Job Posting◦Volunteer Opportunity◦Events
Will be used by all major search engines to improve search results◦Most experts say using Schema.org format
could increase click-throughs by 30%
Schema.org & MicroFormat Search Results
SPARQL EndpointsSPARQL Endpoints serve as the primary
repository for a source of data◦ Nonprofit Organizations in USA, Volunteer Opportunities
Provides standard API query interface◦ Two-way update capabilities coming soon
Similar to AllForGood API, but using semantic web standards
Will require nonprofit community in each country to agree to endpoint◦ Will probably want to interface with data.gov
Sample Endpoints◦ Data.gov, Data.gov.uk, Dbpedia, Freebase, World
Factbook,http://www.w3.org/wiki/SparqlEndpointshttp://www.w3.org/wiki/SPARQLhttp://www.w3.org/wiki/SPARQL/Extensions/Update
Schema.org: OrganizationProperty Expected Type DescriptionProperties from Thingdescription Text A short description of the item.image URL URL of an image of the item.name Text The name of the item.url URL URL of the item.Properties from Organizationaddress PostalAddress Physical address of the item.
aggregateRating AggregateRating The overall rating, based on a collection of reviews or ratings, of the item.
contactPoints ContactPoint A contact point for a person or organization.
email Text Email address.employees Person People working for this organization.
events Event Upcoming or past events associated with this place or organization.
faxNumber Text The fax number.
founders Person A person who founded this organization.
foundingDate Date The date that this organization was founded.
interactionCount Text
A count of a specific user interactions with this item—for example, 20 UserLikes, 5 UserComments, or 300 UserDownloads. The user interaction type should be one of the sub types of UserInteraction.
location Place or PostalAddress The location of the event or organization.members Person or Organization A member of this organization.reviews Review Review of the item.telephone Text The telephone number.
More specific types: Corporation, EducationalOrganization, GovernmentOrganization, LocalBusiness, NGO, PerformingGroup, SportsTeam
Schema.org: Job PostingNeed Volunteer Opportunity
Property Expected Type DescriptionProperties from Thingdescription Text A short description of the item.image URL URL of an image of the item.name Text The name of the item.url URL URL of the item.Properties from JobPostingbaseSalary Number The base salary of the job.benefits Text Description of benefits associated with the job.datePosted Date Publication date for the job posting.educationRequirements Text Educational background needed for the position.
employmentType Text Type of employment (e.g. full-time, part-time, contract, temporary, seasonal, internship).
experienceRequirements Text Description of skills and experience needed for the position.hiringOrganization Organization Organization offering the job position.incentives Text Description of bonus and commission compensation aspects of the job.industry Text The industry associated with the job position.jobLocation Place A (typically single) geographic location associated with the job position.
occupationalCategory Text Category or categories describing the job. Use BLS O*NET-SOC taxonomy: http://www.onetcenter.org/taxonomy.html. Ideally includes textual label and formal code, with the property repeated for each applicable value.
qualifications Text Specific qualifications required for this role.responsibilities Text Responsibilities associated with this role.
salaryCurrency Text The currency (coded using ISO 4217, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_4217 used for the main salary information in this job posting.
skills Text Skills required to fulfill this role.
specialCommitments Text Any special commitments associated with this job posting. Valid entries include VeteranCommit, MilitarySpouseCommit, etc.
title Text The title of the job.workHours Text The typical working hours for this job (e.g. 1st shift, night shift, 8am-5pm).
Schema.org: EventProperty Expected Type DescriptionProperties from Thingdescription Text A short description of the item.image URL URL of an image of the item.name Text The name of the item.url URL URL of the item.Properties from Eventattendees Person or Organization A person attending the event.
duration Duration The duration of the item (movie, audio recording, event, etc.) in ISO 8601 date format.
endDate Date The end date and time of the event (in ISO 8601 date format).
location Place or PostalAddress The location of the event or organization.
offers Offer An offer to sell this item—for example, an offer to sell a product, the DVD of a movie, or tickets to an event.
performers Person or Organization The main performer or performers of the event—for example, a presenter, musician, or actor.
startDate Date The start date and time of the event (in ISO 8601 date format).
subEvents Event Events that are a part of this event. For example, a conference event includes many presentations, each are subEvents of the conference.
superEvent Event An event that this event is a part of. For example, a collection of individual music performances might each have a music festival as their superEvent.