Blue Boat of Youth and Young Adult MinistriesConnecting Beyond ConnectUU
I’m excited to announce that this fall we will transition away from the ConnectUU site towards new ways of connecting UU young adults. The features of ConnectUU are now available through other open source platforms that better integrate with websites and social media networks.
We want to make it easier for more UU young adults to engage with one another on the platforms they use every day. The online world evolves so rapidly today that, though ConnectUU was advanced for its time, the outdated and isolated framework can’t keep up with the pace of change in social media. During September-November 2012 both ConnectUU and its replacements will be live, and the transition is scheduled to be completed by December 1, 2012. None of the events currently on ConnectUU will be cancelled, but we are asking users please do not add any additional events or groups.
So what new platforms will be used?
For Events
Registration Form: A Google template event registration form has been created, using the same questions as were used in ConnectUU’s event registration and is free to use. The Google template will now allows event coordinators to edit and alter these questions.
Where is this located? You can link directly to the form here, or search “Unitarian Universalist Young Adult Conference Registration Form” in Google Docs Template Gallery. Click the “Use this template” button and a copy which you can edit will be automatically saved to your Google docs account
Do I need a Gmail email address to use this template? No, but you will need a Google account to edit a Google template, which can be created with any email address.
Who do I ask if I have technical problems? Google Docs Help has an expansive troubleshooting section to walk you through any technical issues you might face.
Event Calendar: You can also list your events and search for others on The Hub Calendar.
To have the calendar shared with you so that you can add your events, email yayadirector@uua.org. Or just email us with your event info and we’ll add it for you.
Both the Event Registration Template and the Event Calendar will soon be added to www.uua.org/youngadults.
>> Note: None of the events currently on ConnectUU will be cancelled, but please do not add any additional events or groups.
For Groups
Find other young adult and campus ministry groups and list your own on The Hub Map. If you manage an active group on ConnectUU, you can add your group to The Hub Map right now!
Groups are encouraged to list their website and/or Facebook group, as well as name and any connections with congregations and colleges, when relevant. The map is color coded to include and distinguish national, regional and local groups, so be sure you’re using the right color when you add your groups!
The Hub Map will be soon added to www.uua.org/youngadults.
>> Note: Groups active on ConnectUU who have not added their information to The Hub Map by the time of the transition will be added by the editors.
For Individuals
Are you a young adult leader? Talk with and learn from your peer leaders around the country with our monthly Young Adult Leaders Roundtable conference call. Contact yayadirector@uua.org with your information to join.
If you are on Facebook, you can connect with other UU young adults on the following Facebook pages administered by the UUA:
- The Hub: Young Adult UUs, for all UU young adults.
- CampusUUs, for all interested or involved in UU campus ministry.
- Youth and Young Adults of Color, A spiritual community for UU youth and young adults of to connect with each other, post information about UU and community events and to communicate with Rev. Dr. Monica Cummings. Monica is Program Associate for Ministry to Youth and Young Adults of Color.
The following Facebook groups are also great spaces to engage with other UU young adults, and are not administered by the UUA:
- UU Young Adult Growth Lab, an offshoot of the UU Growth Lab that hosts conversations about how to grow the numbers of young adults (18-35) in our congregations and in our denomination.
- Canadian Unitarian Universalist Young Adults, for Canadian Unitarian Universalists between the ages of 18 and 35 to connect with each other, spread news of YA events and keep in touch between events, by sharing stories and support.
- Continental Unitarian Universalist Young Adult Network, C*UUYAN is the Continental Unitarian Universalist Young Adult Network, an organization by and for Unitarian Universalist (UU) young adults (age 18-35, inclusive).
Be sure to search Facebook or your district/regional website to see if there’s a young adult Facebook group or page in your area!
And of course, check back regularly at Blue Boat for updates, stories and opportunities.
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Comments
4 Responses to “Connecting Beyond ConnectUU”Leave A Comment
I’m having a lot of trouble figuring out the best way to replace the connectUU payment option for events. Google docs doesn’t seem to like embedding code in the forms, and the best I’ve come up with is a link to paypal where people can type in their desired amount.
It’s a bit sloppy feeling. All the alternatives I’ve found require better webhosting than we currently have available and a fair amount of effort.
Are there any better options?
Hi Dylan,
We updated the Google template to include a payment section, where you should be able to embed your link to the Paypal page, which should provide the same level of functionality that ConnectUU had. Unfortunately, I think any more complex system would be costlier and less easy to use.
Let us know if you have any more questions at youngadults@uua.org.
-Carey
Thanks Carey! The check boxes are a great idea. I’d like to share the solution I’ve found to supplement this, as well.
In the upper right of the form editor, there’s a “More actions->Edit Confirmation” option.
In that page, I typed:
“Thank you for registering! We look forward to seeing you!
To pay immediately via PayPal, please click here: https://sites.google.com/site/pnwuuya/springconpaypal”
That page re-explains the sliding scale we use (as well as has our dates), and also has an embedded PayPal ‘pay now’ button.
The downside to this is you need some sort of hosted webspace for this very simple page. The upside is it’s fairly easy to do.