This document discusses how technology, especially social media, can be used to better engage Muslim communities. It notes that over 750 million people use Facebook and 175 million use Twitter. Most people now use mobile phones to access social media. The document then provides several ideas for how religious teachers and communities can use tools like social media, Google docs, audio uploads, QR codes, and polls to enhance engagement, gather community feedback, share content and information, and help people learn both online and offline.

1. How can we be using technology to better engage the ummah? Is it time to re-invent the wheel?

2. Social Media The world has been gripped by social media and the youth have taken communication to a new level. FACEBOOK = 750 million members 1/6 people in the world has a Facebook account 2010-2011 Facebook saw over 60% increase in users accesing via mobile devices. Indonesia 2nd largest population on FB. India 3rd, Turkey 5th. TWITTER = 175 Million members 75m New users in the year 2010-2011. 62% Increase in mobile users in 2010 230m Tweets processed each day. What does this mean??? A versatile and widely accessed platform to reach people. The platform of media chosen by youth today. PLEASE READ ON!

3. Internet & Mobile Learning We have already seen the percentages of people using social networks. 77% of the worlds population use a mobile phone. 91% of Americans use a mobile phone to access social media. Remember what the 2nd,3rd and 5th countries to use social media were? UK is the 2nd.

4. So what can we do? The following ideas are not a one size fits all. It may work for some and it may inspire you to do something different. These are a list of ideas put together by great and innovative teachers that have shared their ideas using social media. As a teacher, I have found many useful and developed many ideas to engage students using these examples. These ideas can be adapted and used to develop our method of dawah and teaching.

5. Giving a lecture? Use Twitter/FB/G+ to get opinions of listeners: Use http://twtpoll.com/ to create a poll that can be answered using mobile phones. Q&A at the end? ask members to tweet questions straight to a twitter account (Easier for sisters in some mosques) Use Twitter/FB to ask questions related to the next lecture. Set HW tasks and asks members to tweet findings/links of a topic before/after a lecture. Use Paper.li to create an online newspaper that members can contribute to using hashtags or RSS feeds

6. Giving a lecture? Create a Google form using Google Docs to produce a scavanger hunt. (in other words create an online quiz and asks members to research and fill in the answers. Use QR codes - See the slide about QR Codes!

7. Want to know community issues? Use Twitter to get opinions of community on issues: Again you could use twtpoll.com/ You could create a hashtag (#) about a topic and ask people to respond to your twitter account Use the community to find out current news locally (twt/FB/G+)

8. Want to share with the community? Use twitvid.com to send out videos that can be viewed on mobile phones Use Twitter/Facebook/Google+ to send out a daily hadith/ayah/historical event or short biography or information on a historical figure. Link lectures, recitation, ebooks and other documents to online file sharing services such as dropbox or HiDrive .

9. QR Codes You would have seen these around. Advertisers are using them to share information of products and services everywhere from bus stops to shops. Use QR codes on posters around the masjid Have a projector in your lectures? You could add a QR code on slides that listeners could follow up on by doing extra research. QR codes can link to a website Link QR Codes directly to online shared files on services like Dropbox or HiDrive .

10. QR Codes QR codes can also be used to show text not linked to the web. You could ask a question in your slide/lecture and reveal the answer using QR code. Add QR code to your monthy masjid newsletter to link to a website expanding on information and events. Link to a sound clip or other type of file. ( see sound slide ) QR can be used for much more check out this link to create them

11. Using Audio Upload ayah, lectures and audiobooks for others to listen to using podcasting websites such as Podbean , Dropbox , HiDrive etc . These websites have brilliant ways to help share your uploaded files to social networks, email or to embed into web pages. You could also create QR code linking directly to your files/sounds.

12. Online tools are free to use Google Docs - Office applications with online collaboration Working on creating something like a publication, a presentation or a book? Use good docs to create it online. You can use the collaborative tools to work on the document with several people at the same time. Create a Google Docs Form to get feedback from your online community on Twt/FB/G+

13. Thanks I honestly hope that you have found this useful. If so please share it with members of your community, your imam or sheikh. If you feel this needs improving or you have some ideas that you could add to it please email me or drop me a tweet @ either: @abou_ilyas or @ali_mulla A gain! Most of these ideas are not my own. But I know they are ideas that can be adapted and used to develop methods of dawah and teaching the deen. Jazak Allah khair