- Ecunet
Infobox_Company
company_name = Ecunet
company_
company_type = Non-profit communications
foundation =1985
industry =Internet & Communications
location =Baltimore ,Maryland , USA
homepage = [http://www.ecunet.org www.ecunet.org]Ecunet is a not-for-profit online network of Christian organizations, founded in 1985 and incorporated in 1987 as Ecunet, Inc., a charitable organization. Ecunet is short for Ecumenical Network.
From its beginning, Ecunet has used specialized computer software which allowed its members to create new discussion groups (called "meetings") and invite other members into the discussions. From 1985 until 2000, Ecunet used the Participate ('Parti') software as a platform for its online discussions. In the early 1990s, custom software, first known as Bizlink, and later as Convene, was developed as an offline reader/writer for the online Participate system. There is no longer a need for specialized software.
Ecunet has hosted thousands of discussions on church-related topics. They have enhanced the experiences of church pastors and lay persons across denominational lines. However, topics are not limited to religious subjects and so subjects such as pets, sports and many others have been shared. Subject matter is at the discretion of members and conferences are successful when other members join and participate. Ecunet has provided a support network across denominational and professional lines and without geographical limitations.
The North American churches supporting Ecunet over the years have been primarily, but not exclusively, Christian. There have also been discussions of issues of interest to
Roman Catholic s led by a Byzantine Catholic priest.Ecunet was created in the time before the Internet, and its original founders had a lively sense of excitement about the creative process they were sharing. [ [http://ecunet.org/history.html History describing the early days of Ecunet] ] There have been five Presidents of Ecunet, drawn from various North American Churches. [The Presidents of Ecunet, Inc., were:
David Lochhead ,United Church of Canada – deceased 1999
Curtis Ackley,United Church of Christ
Donel McClellan,United Church of Christ – deceased 2005
David Pozzi-Johnson,Evangelical Lutheran Church in America – deceased 2005
Paul Edison-Swift,Evangelical Lutheran Church in America , presently serving ]For one period of its life, Ecunet was housed at the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) denominational offices inLouisville, Kentucky .There are two kinds of membership: full membership, which requires an annual fee, and Ecunet Lite, which is free to the user, but is limited in features.
Ecunet has been housed on a variety of commercial computer systems. Recently it has been part of Faithgroups.com. In August 2007, Ecunet came under the auspices of Lightworks New Media, Inc. - a division of
Faith & Values Media .More information on the history of Ecunet, including membership information, can be found at Ecunet’s Web site.
External links
* [http://www.ecunet.org Ecunet main page]
* [http://www.faithandvaluesmedia.org Faith & Values Media]Notes
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