ROOV is in Atlanta and Catalyst has started. Visit www.CatalystSpace.com to check it out! We are launching the beginning New and Improved ROOV today and are excited about the partnership with Catalyst! Catalyst has proven itself to be the leader in training and inspiring pastors and leaders across the nation. Needless to say… they are a ton of fun and we’re having a great time!

ROOV Nation – Hold on… cuz here we go!!

We told you it was coming and now it’s here! ROOV.com has officially launched its integration with Facebook.com.

Here’s what that means…

~ You don’t need another login for ROOV… Just use your Facebook login.
~ You don’t need to upload a picture… We’ll bring your Facebook photo over for you.
~ No need to find your friends… again… We’ll bring those over from Facebook as well!
~ Notifications…Yep, these will show up on Facebook.

Keep an eye out— There is more to come over the next couple of weeks!

Like we said before… this is not an application. It’s actually something completely new. Basically, we wanted to make ROOV easier to use, and since most of you guys already use Facebook we thought, “hmmm… why not integrate?” Now you can continue to use Facebook like always, but at the same time stay up on your latest ROOV activity.

Not currently using Facebook? That’s okay… just go to Facebook.com sign up for an account and then head back to ROOV to get going.

And there’s more???

Yep.

//Conversations
We have released the first of several weeks of improvements to the posting features on ROOV. We are making it easier to post quick updates about what you’re doing inside different ROOVs. (Don’t forget this will flow back to Facebook… so you don’t have to post in multiple places!)

//Gatherings
Build community online and move it offline… That’s our goal and we’re making it easier to accomplish. We are releasing the first phase of a new Gathering feature. You can now suggest an idea for a Gathering and once enough people show interest then you can make it happen. Now you can plan Gatherings that you know people want to attend.

Last thing…

//Causes
Next time you go to ROOV you won’t see Causes, but don’t worry that’s on purpose! We have merged Causes and ROOVs because they were basically the same thing. The Causes you were once in will now show up in your ROOVs.

So… Go to ROOV.com right now and link up your ROOV and Facebook accounts and get involved in the new and improved ROOV.

Thanks in advance for being patient with us… Pushing out big changes like this will be different, and we may have a few bugs to fix along the way!

Happy ROOV’n!

The next few months are tremendously exciting for us at ROOV.com and they should be even more exciting for you! ROOV will be undergoing a series of upgrades to make your life better!!

So… Here’s what you need to know in order to be ready for what’s coming first.

Facebook User: Well, you know all you need to know and when the time comes you will be ready!!

Non-Facebook User: We highly encourage you to consider becoming one. It will soon be an integral piece of the ROOV community.

Alright, alright you twisted my arm… Here’s another clue… We are NOT talking about a ROOV Facebook application.

More to come soon!

Wrecked for the Ordinary is an online magazine that recently did an article on ROOV.  Check it out below if you’re wondering what this thing is all about!

ROOV.com: Beyond Social Networking

by Mariah Secrest

Recently, Wrecked sat down with the creators to ask ten questions about who they are, what they do, and how you can get linked up.

Social networking is obviously hot right now. What does ROOV offer its community that the big ones like MySpace and Facebook don’t?

Facebook does what it does very well; no need to reinvent the wheel. Networking sites like Facebook offer their communities the opportunities to connect and stay in touch with their friends online, which is a huge need. ROOV does something different by connecting people in a church and city around shared interests and passions, items of substance that make a difference in every day life. Some users may know each other, others will not. Our hope is that ROOV will connect like minded people that don’t know each other and should!

A ROOV is what a user has done, is doing or wants to do - their passions. Users join as many ROOVs as they wish and begin to discuss and gather off line around their common passions. We believe that as users begin to congregate around these shared experiences, not only will true community begin to develop naturally, but the disconnect within the church as a whole will also lessen.

Can anyone join ROOV?

The goal of ROOV is to connect Christians who follow the Apostolic Creed.

How does ROOV facilitate community in the digital world?

Our generation loves technology. Being so connected virtually offers a lot of benefits, but at the same time virtual friendships can’t be substituted for real life community.

Our goal is to use the technology that is out there and that our world is looking for to actively engage people in conversations that are specifically built around common interests and passions.

We believe that ROOV is the place where the conversations begin, and conversations are where every great idea and movement is birthed. We facilitate the connections and then we encourage users to move the conversations off line and into real community.

How does ROOV facilitate face-to-face community?

ROOV has a Gathering function that brings people together around the things that they love (overseas missions, playing ultimate Frisbee, camping, do inner city outreach, etc.). Once conversations start, gatherings naturally develop.

There’s an approval process for ROOV. Is this for safety issues?

There isn’t an approval process for people on ROOV, but there is an approval process for a church. If a church is not currently in our database, then it will have to go through an approval process to confirm that it follows the Apostolic Creed.

What are some examples of ROOV groups?

Go on Overseas Missions, Go Hiking, Go Camping, Create Music, Leadership Development, Cultivate Community, Youth Ministry, Impact Africa, Do Inner City Outreach, Eat Sushi, etc.

Applications. You either love ‘em or hate ‘em. Does ROOV have any cool applications like the ability to donate a virtual double-fudge-mint-with-sprinkles ice-cream cone to your neighbor’s virtual pet?

We don’t have any superpokes or anything like that. We think that some other sites out there have done a good job at getting us what we want or don’t want. We’ll see what the future holds for ROOV.

How many people are currently involved in the ROOV network?

There are a little over 5,000 currently involved in ROOV.

What are some specific ways you’ve seen ROOV gatherings positively impact their communities?

There are so many to talk about… The Impact Africa ROOV put together an event that raised several thousand dollars for a ministry that works with widows in Uganda. The Inner City Outreach ROOV frequently has gatherings where ROOVers are getting together to serve. The Play Poker ROOV gathered around 50 people for a huge poker tournament that raised money for a microfinance projects overseas. The Ultimate Frisbee ROOV has weekly gatherings for games which has built community in local churches.

What’s on the horizon for ROOV?

There are several things in the works and we are definitely excited to see where it will take us!

For more on how to get involved with ROOV, check out Roov.com.

Hey everyone. You can all breathe a sigh of relief…ROOV is open all over the United States! Yup, it’s exciting. The thing is, while ROOV is just as tasty as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it can’t “spread” on its own…We need your help! (corny pun intended)

Spread ROOV

• Upload your address book. Don’t worry: You’ll have the option to choose which people in your address book you send it to.
• Tell your friends. Text, call, email, whatever you prefer!
• Change your status. You know… say something nice about ROOV on Facebook, Twitter, etc… Not that we would mention those on our site… Ahem… moving along.
• Post a link on any profiles, blogs or sites you have.
• Do Something Crazy. Just what it says!

We are always looking for new ways to spread ROOV and want your help. So…come up with the Craziest…Most unique…Funny…Out of the box…Totally rad way to spread ROOV and let us know about it. (Send pictures/videos and a story to growroov@roov.com.) We’ll put you on the blog…so long as it fits the above criteria!

Pilot ROOV

We’d love for your church to pilot ROOV and are happy to help you do that.

• If you are a pastor and would like to pilot ROOV in your church, please send an email to growroov@roov.com.

• If you are not a pastor but think your church would be interested in piloting ROOV, please send an email to growroov@roov.com.

Please include the name of your church, website and any other information you feel would be important.

Thanks everyone. Take care and enjoy ROOVin all across the country!

ROOV has launched in 50 major cities!
After 2 score, a decade and several years… ROOV has finally opened up in 50 major cities across the country (boom-shaka-laka!). This ideal of building a new wave of community has been unleashed but it can’t spread by itself. We need your help! Please log in and share ROOV with your address book and then text a friend. Visit ROOV.com

Also, take a minute to check out a few ROOV friends that have posted the big news!

Fermi Project
ChurchRelevance.com
Catalyst Blog

Improvement: PERUSE
You’ve given feedback… and we’ve listened! In an effort to make navigation easier on the site, the PERUSE button has been moved to the top left area of each page. The PERUSE page itself also has a link to show you more of the popular ROOVs that users are involved in.

Update: Local & National Conversations
The heartbeat of ROOV is to foster conversations amongst like-minded people that go to your church and live in your city. But it doesn’t stop there… We want you to be able to be a part of the “bigger picture.” Each ROOV & Cause page now contains 2 tabs where you can switch back and forth between local and national discussions that are taking place. So if you want to “Play Ultimate Frisbee” with those in your city…then post something to the LOCAL wall. If you’re looking for advice in regards to “Starting a Business”… then browse the NATIONAL wall and see what others have suggested.

Intentional Community!
Remember, while *building community* is a noble cause indeed… it’s one that requires us all to be intentional about engaging those that God has put around us. Share experiences and ask questions about the things that you’re pursuing in life. Form a gathering around these ambitions and build new relationships with others.

Hello ROOV nation!

We have missed you. Quite a bit has happened since the last blog entry and I figured it was about time to let everyone know.

The ROOV team just recently finished a month long stint visiting several different cities. ROOV officially launched Springfield, MO and Tulsa, Ok over the past month. That’s right. ROOV has grown beyond Dallas!

We had the awesome opportunity to speak at some really cool places along the way such as Evangel University and Oral Roberts University. We also were able to be a part of Sub 30, the young adults service at Guts Church in Tulsa. The ROOV Polaroid wall and the wall of cardboard/post it notes appeared in a few places as well. All this to say that things are going well in the ROOV world. We are so excited that you are a part and can’t wait to see what happens next.

And…speaking of what’s happening next…be on the watch for frequent updates and news because ROOV is quickly moving across the nation. More to come!

Boo-yah!

A big thanks going out to all of our amazing beta testers…

You have seen the bugs, experienced the slow page loads, and been nice to us the whole time! Along with the launch of the DFW area comes a faster, smarter, and less buggy ROOV.com. Now, we aren’t claiming to be perfect…just a bit better!

Dallas/Ft. Worth(DFW) is officially open to the public! SO…Spread the Word! Send a text message, phone a friend, or use the unlimited ROOV invites you now have! We don’t care how you do it, just do it!!

Boo-Yah!

‘Twas 2 score, 3 years and many months ago that a group of us set out to build ROOV.com. Well…kinda, maybe, sorta, not really…but it sure as heck feels that it took that long…ha!

So wondering just what exactly ROOV.com is all about?

ROOV is an online community that connects like-minded people of faith around their shared experiences and passions within their church and city.

We’re also dedicating this blog to you…that’s right…YOU! This is a place where you can interact with the “ROOV crew” on a first-hand basis. Feel free to share your thoughts, feedback and ideas with us. We’ll also keep you updated on new feature sets, any changes and some tips along the way to help you love ROOV even more!

Let the ROOVment begin!