Catholic New Media Conference

The Post-CNMC Hangover

So you went to the Catholic New Media Conference in Boston. Had a good time?

I know you did. You made new friends, moved virtual friends into the Real Life column. You traveled, some of you, really far to get there, and then turned around two days later and traveled back home.

In between, you had tweet ups, and early calls, and rushing from one exciting session to the next. It was information overload!

We got pumped up for Christ! That’s what it’s about, of course. To arm us with tools for  evangelization, on the internet, yes, but really, in our lives. We leave the CNMC like any retreat: refreshed and on fire.

We look like this:

Screen Shot 2013-10-23 at 7.48.36 PM

And the truth is, we do leave renewed and ready to engage in the new evangelization.

But first, we have to get past this:

We’ve just started calling it the CNMC Hangover.

I think we should give a warning about this, but a little tiny part of me laughs and says: suck it up cupcake. It’ll pass quickly.

I promise.

Catholic New Media Conference 2013 Recap: Boston, redux!

CNMC logo

I always love the days that follow the CNMC, the Catholic New Media Celebration turned Conference now in its 7th event in six years!

Seven Six years! [edited: evidently I can’t count]

Impossible, and yet, here it is, or was. In other words, it’s over. Or a different way of looking at it, it’s beginning. You see, the CNMC has never been an end in itself but a springboard…to ideas…collaborations…relationships!

These first days home, as we unpack our bags are also an opportunity to unpack our feelings and thoughts about our experience. Social media is filled with reminiscences and jokes, lots of pictures, and banter with new friends.

I had an opportunity to present on blogging and engagement, and over the next few days will be posting my own response. But I thought it would be appropriate to provide a space to share those blog posts with the nice peeps who attended my session and said they’d stop by here.  So! Welcome! I invite you to share your blogs in the comments, and I’ll update the main entry. Maybe we’ll be able to gather a nice little collection 🙂

what do memes have to do with the CNMC?

Everything!

Well, maybe not everything, but this silly photoshop, courtesy of Ashley Collins from Peter and Paul Ministries comes pretty darn close. It picks up the spirit of goofiness and making friends. This explains the Charlie’s Steve’s Angels theme we have going on.

You see, the CNMC really is a celebration. Oh sure, we’ve been moving toward a more professional conference, providing as much instruction and best practices sharing as we can pack into limited time with limited resources. We’ve managed to get some of the most amazing people in new media to come and play together under one roof. And what happens when these dynamic, faithful Catholics come together never ceases to amaze me.

What happens is akin to a lightning strike.

Collaborations begin.

Creativity flows.

Friendships are forged.

We connect as the Body of Christ, and the Body of Christ is a beautiful thing.

So when we kneel together in Adoration, sit together in Mass, celebrate the Eucharist as a community, send silly Tweets, post crazy Facebook statuses, pass notes send texts during presentations, and invade restaurants with huge parties, it’s because we get the point of the celebration — to get to know each other, not as virtual friends and collaborators, because we are that, but as brothers and sisters in Christ, working together to spread the message, His message, to all the corners of the earth.

Because when we know this Love, it’s impossible to keep it for ourselves.

photo by Cliff Ravenscraft

Read what others have to say about their experiences at the Catholic New Media Conference 2012. Add your Recap to ours!