Contact: Brady Stump, Oaktreeidea.com, 843-385-6013, bstump@oaktreeidea.com
PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C., Aug. 25 /Christian Newswire/ -- Social networking has now become a mainstay of the internet culture. Web users turn to these virtual communities to blog, chat, share pictures and network. But if you take a look at the social networking landscape as a whole, one might see some glaring omissions. For example, why hasn’t there been a network designed for Christians that want to make a positive difference in the world? Why hasn’t anyone incorporated “purpose driven” principles (popularized in the best selling book Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren) into the inner workings of one of these online communities?
Brady Stump, founder of Oaktreeidea.com (www.oaktreeidea.com), discovered this same omission in the social networking hierarchy and saw tremendous opportunity. A new site built on these positive & “purpose driven” principles could not only fill a niche, but make a real difference in the world.
“What sealed it for us was a Newsweek article that came out in early July,” says Stump. “It was called the Giving Back issue and featured an article on Rick Warren. He said something about mobilizing the faith sector to feed the hungry, stop poverty and improve literacy. So I figured the best way to do this would be to tap into the connectivity of the internet. We knew then that we had to build Oaktreeidea.com”
The first task for Stump was to re-shape his small online “hope exchange” (formerly Oaktree.org) into a “change the world” revolutionary. To do this, he would have to add more than just the typical “web 2.0” features such as member profiles, blogs, photo sharing, friend lists and forums. Stump and his skilled web development team from Bombay Creative infused both small wrinkles (like the addition of searchable “Goals in Life” lists to member profiles) and dynamic new social features to make Oaktreeidea.com stand apart from the crowd.
Two of these features that are new to the social networking world are Photo Rocket News and Impact Projects. Photo Rocket News is a cross between cable news networks and online photo sharing. This feature lets users act as the photo journalists and report pictorial stories from around the world. The idea is that through the impact of these compelling visual news clippings, the feature will create a lasting and positive social change for the subject being covered. Oaktreeidea.com envisions missionaries and churches using this tool to show the power of God's love and the dynamic work the church is performing in all corners of the world.
The other new social networking introduction is the Impact Project. Here, users will have the ability to create projects that solely focus on making a positive difference in the world. Projects range from community events, random acts of kindness, political change and church ministries. Project creators have the ability to update members with the project’s goals, “how to help” lists, message boards and a web tool called “megaphone.” This feature emails a link of the project directly to those added to the “megaphone” and also offers a place for their “signature of support.”
Stump is very happy with the final result of their re-launched website. “We feel that we have infused our Christian principles with a positive, difference making philosophy to create a site, not based solely on talk, but on actions.” With its unique features and visually appealing design, Oaktreeidea.com is well on its way to making that positive difference in the online world.
(DISCLAIMER: Rick Warren, author of Purpose Driven Life, is not associated with Oaktreeidea.com.)
