Last December I mentioned that an upcoming feature of Life in Student Ministry would be a promotional tool for your ministry-related content. Well, it’s here, but it’s much bigger than I originally anticipated, so much so that I decided to make it a separate website: PlugRug.com.

How It Works
If you’re familiar with Digg, PlugRug works exactly the same way. Basically, you submit links that you think are great ministry tools, resources, podcasts, video clips, etc. Others see the “Upcoming Stories” and if they also like it, they’ll “plug it” by casting a vote for it. Conversely, people can also “sweep it under the rug” by burying it if they think it’s old news, irrelevant, or whatever. After a story becomes popular enough, it is promoted to the front page of the website for a period of time as one of best current ministry links on the web, as determined by people like you from around the world. It’s an innovative way to both share and discover new ministry ideas, resources, tools and material because recommendations are no longer based on just one person’s opinion. For a more detailed explanation on the site’s features and how it works, visit PlugRug’s About page.

Benefits For Content Creators
If you’re a blogger, podcaster, video creator, or someone who generates any kind of web content for ministry, a site like this can be an invaluable tool for you.

• Plug your content and generate traffic to your site, especially if it’s voted to the front page.
• Be discovered by potential new readers and subscribers.
• Connect with other content creators.
• Stay up-to-date on what others find valuable in your specific ministry niche.

You can also add a Plug Box to your site template to make it easy for visitors to see how popular a your specific article is on PlugRug and make it easy for them to vote for it, too. Check out a post on my site to see a live example. To add the Plug Box to your site, get the code from here.

Benefits For Ministry Workers
If you don’t create content, but want to find the best current ministry stuff online as recommended by other ministry workers, this site has the potential to be a goldmine for you. Not only can you find what others deem to be the best, coolest and most relevant material right now in a variety of categories, but you can add your comments and place your votes on upcoming stories to help others discover something cool that you found there.

It Needs You
The only way this tool will work is if a community of people embrace it: submitting material, plugging the good stuff, burying the lame stuff, and promoting the site to others. There’s incredible potential here to share and collaborate on ministry content from all over the web at one central location, but it will only be successful if people like you contribute and make it happen.

If you have a website, feel free to steal the PlugRug graphic above and post it on your site. If you podcast, I appreciate your mentions. Your email newsletters, your conversations with other people, your social bookmarking — however you spread the word, it’s appreciated.

Posted on March 17, 2008