The monitor screen 'real estate' sitting on your desk is a valuable commodity.
screensaving programs are no longer designed merely to prevent an unchanging picture
burning itself into the coating of the monitor tube. In any case, with modern monitors, this is no
longer a problem. So screensavers have evolved in many directions, often to enliven the
working environment, sometimes to advertise products.
What screensavers are available
See You Again is a commercial advertizing screensaver, and
My Cork Board is an example of
a secular highly customizable screensaver for personal fun use. Its basic service is free, though
the more sophisticated add-ons must be paid for. It is a remarkable example of what is now possible with screensaver technology.
Download.com
and
Screensaverz offer a
wide range of free and innovative screensavers of every possible type, which showcase just how much is
now possible in this field: games, special effects, sound, and much more. There are also screensavers
aimed at Christian users, such as the
Back to the Bible
calendar saver, the
Jesus File screensaver,
Wondrous Works
and many others listed at
Dmoz and
Google. screensavers can be used
as specific prayer helps - see example from
AWM.
There's a valuable free utility which allows easy switching between your screensavers:
Stardust Screen Saver Control.
Not evangelistic
But most of these are designed to be a blessing to Christians! It's the
99 percent problem.
The challenge is - can we use screensavers for evangelism?
Obviously, non-Christians are very unlikely to download and install a screensaver
which is directly evangelistic, or which directly promotes an evangelistic website.
An evangelistic strategy: "intriguing the lost with conversation starters"
Instead, it seems that the best strategy is to make screensavers available for Christians themselves to use in their
secular workplaces, which other workers will casually notice from time to time.
We suggest that in most cultures and work environments, it is not be wise to
use 'in-your-face' preachy slogans/Bible verses. An approach which tries to
'intrigue the lost' and create conversation starters is likely to be the best. Such a screensaver can display:
- interesting secular quotes which raise issues about life, relationships, anything - conversation starters and thought provokers
- cartoons or humor which do the same
- puzzles and quizzes, jokes, eye-catching graphics
- contents of a screensaver will ideally rotate through a series of screens, and perhaps even vary on different days or weeks
The purpose of such evangelistic screensavers is to create natural openings and discussion points for the
Christian user and office colleauges. The screensaver may also display an easily-remembered URL of an appropriate evangelistic
or local church website for people to remember and look at later.
Free evangelistic screensaver
Church Savers are using this 'conversation starter' strategy, offering a highly-recommended screensaver in two versions:
- free for personal use.
- customized to promote a church or organization, so that all the church members can use the screensaver at
work and at home. This is a pay-for option.
It's a quick download, easy to install or uninstall.
Try it now!
Christian companies selling new PCs could easily pre-install this screensaver, and the program
could be easily included in Christian CDs containing software or other presentations.
screensavers for non-Christians to use
Non-Christians are unlikely to download and use a screensaver which is blatantly
evangelistic, or even the thought-provoking Churchsavers one. However, a fun saver which
reminds them to revisit a
community or secular-topic 'Bridge' site could be useful.
Jacob's Creek, a secular company, is using some important strategies to bring people back to their site.
The techniques they use are analysed in this
ConsumerMarketing study
with 11 key tips on creating a screensaver that communicates.
Other ideas
Do you have any ideas for screensavers like these? Have you made one? Know any good resource links? Want to discuss the idea?
Please
email us. Are there other strategies for evangelistic screensavers -
perhaps using a
games approach? What about something for children?
Let's think 'outside the envelope'.
There must also be some interesting challenges and technical solutions for such projects.
Maybe there is a need for an email discussion list on the topic for Christian screensaver designers?
We can host one if there is a demand.
Desktop wallpaper for evangelism
It is also possible to install custom pictures, graphics, or even interactive tools as desktop wallpaper. (Windows users can install any
appropriately sized graphic as wallpaper, merely by right-clicking it.) There may be less evangelistic potential for desktop wallpapers, unless they offer specific features of interest to a non-Christian,
because they are usually only visible to the computer user for short periods - unless he or she deliberately leaves all windows minimized and does not have a large number of desktop program icons.
The evangelistic sites
Power to Change/Women Today Magazine offer an
interactive desktop for download.
It must be installed in conjunction with the freeware program ActivBax, a 7mb download. It has a dual function, also operating as a screensaver.
Evangelistic site VitaNovis offers three desktop wallpapers
which promote the site. They are offered for Windows and Mac, with a choice of screen resolution sizes.
Christian wallpaper graphics (and one screensaver) are available for free download from
Free Christian Images.
Some of these desktop graphics are appropriate for desktop use in a secular work setting,
though a screensaver seems the more visible solution. Of course, it is possible to use both!
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