[1]ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)–A live “webcast” of the busiest day of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting drew 2,275 visitors during the day — a strong debut for convention participation through the Internet.
Also, for those who missed the June 9 sessions as they occurred in Salt Lake City, all the action from the floor continues to be available on the North American Mission Board’s web site, www.namb.net. A direct link is also available from www.sbc.net, the new Internet home of the SBC Executive Committee.
Of special interest is the full 31-minute presentation and debate of the amendment to the Baptist Faith & Message statement on the family, which is included as a separate item on the NAMB web site. The video presentation will allow those who have heard and read repeated references to the amendment through news media to hear the original discussion for themselves, according to Wayne Rhodes, NAMB’s internet director and webmaster.
Also available is the full text of the report and commentary on the amendment as presented to the convention by the special committee that made the recommendation.
NAMB’s report to the convention and SBC President Tom Eliff’s address also are available separately on the site.
The live broadcast and current archives of the event use “streaming video” technology, which allows complete full audio and three-frames-per-second video to be broadcast in real time.
Rhodes said some portions of the clips have been viewed by an average of 200 people daily since the convention. Feedback from several individuals who discovered the broadcast has been encouraging.
“They were extremely excited about it,” Rhodes said. “Several pastors told me they were actually projecting this up on a wall” for live viewing by church members.
The technology likely will be an integral part of the board’s Internet strategy, Rhodes said, including broadcast of key speakers and other NAMB video resources. Plans are also under way for live broadcast of all SBC sessions next year in Atlanta, according to Don Magee, director of information technology with the SBC Executive Committee.
Rhodes also noted an emerging strategy for NAMB’s two main web sites, www.namb.net and www.onmission.com. The original www.namb.net eventually will be targeted more to missionaries, pastors and other ministry professionals, while the new www.onmission.com site will be the primary stop for Southern Baptist laypeople. The www.namb.net site currently includes links for a wide array of NAMB sites covering specific ministry areas.