Advertising & Marketing?

My own denomination strongly discourages the use of television as a source of entertainment, yet endorses the use of the Internet. Several people believe this view is completely inconsisent. I've never really understood those who claim the Internet is the same as television until I re-read The Cluetrain Manifesto. You see, television is a completely passive medium, whereas the Internet has always been a method of communications for me since I started using it in the late 80s. Cluetrain decries the hijacking of the World Wide Web by the "clueless newbies" who see the web as merely a slow version of television. This is very evident in use of the Web in the corporate and the church world as a method of advertising.

This is relevant in the context of using the web to advertise the church because the church is all about interpersonal relationship and communicaton. "This the church, this is the steeple, open the door and see the way-cool animated graphics and multimedia sound presentations!" Too often we forget about the people. If church websites can be used as an adjunct or a helper for this interpersonal communication, then perhaps THAT is the way of of increasing my church's web presence.