Blogging - Its Uses and Impact Upon Society

[James Nored]

This discussion is dedicated to exploring all aspects of blogging. This includes tips on blogging and blog sites, the uses of blogging, how to use them effectively, and their impact upon society.

What can you share about blogging that would be interesting or helpful to this community?

[James Nored]

In its article on blogging, Wikipedia defines a blog in the following way: "A blog (a contraction of the term "Web log") is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs . . . ."

Do you have a blog? If so, why do you blog?

[James Nored]

In the book Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by social Technologies, author Charlene Li gives the following statistics on blogging.

Read Blogs - 25%
Comment on blogs - 14%
Write a blog - 11%
Watch user-generated video -29%
Upload user-generated visdeo - 8%
Listen to podcasts - 11%

Note that many more use blogs and other forms of online media than create content. We are a bunch of users! :):Many more actually read blogs than comment upon them.

Are you a user or creater of content?

[James Nored]

For those of you who learn better by books and want to learn about how to start and use blogs for you and/or your church, check The Blogging Church. This book came out in 2007. A year is a lifetime on the web, but I believe that it is still very useful.

[Lynn S. Nored]

James,
Below is a an interesting article on the impact of the Internet and the 'virtual' church.

http://digital.leadnet.org/2008/11/internet-is-cha.html« LifeChurch.tv iCampus Beta Test Today | Main | how to do ministry in an Internet campus »

November 17, 2008

Internet is changing the way we do church
In Alban Institute's Congregations magazine (Fall 2008, Number 4), Andrea Useem's article, "The New Connectivity: How Internet Innovations Are Changing the Way We Do Church," she examines the latest Internet innovations and how they are changing the landscape of religion and congregational life today. Here's a few excerpted highlights:

... To make sense of how technology and church intersect, it’s important to understand how the newest iterations of the Internet—collectively known as “Web 2.0”—dramatically expand our ability to connect with one another online. This new generation of Internet tools—including blogs, wikis, social networks, and video- and photo-sharing sites—has accelerated and enriched the online interaction ...
... most religious congregations continue to plan communications “based on a written culture when we’re in a digital age.” The result is a culture clash in which religious congregations are having debates—Should we be online? Do social networking sites have anything to offer?—that individuals in the wider society have already resolved.

The essential challenge for congregations is this: In a digital world where community is possible online, what is the relevance of a brick-and-mortar congregation? The Internet’s success springs from a powerful longing for community—the very same force that drives congregations.

... The good news here, says Campbell, is that congregational life and online life are not competing in a zero-sum game. [ed.note: emphasis mine] If people go online to connect with other believers or deepen their faith, this activity does not mean a net loss for the congregation that those individuals might have turned to had the Internet not been available.

... Mark Brown, the New Zealand-based pastor of the Anglican Church in Second Life, a community that meets in the virtual world of Second Life, has found similar patterns in his own community. Through a survey, he found that 17 percent of those who attend the Anglican Church in Second Life attended no other church service offline.

... “People are looking for relationships,” says Campbell. “They’re looking for places where they can care about people and feel cared for. They want a sense of connection, and not just on a Sunday. They want a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week connection to other people. They want an intimate community where they can be transparent with others and others can be transparent with them.”

The article is a very carefully researched and thoughtful reflection, and goes on to describe how Web 2.0 technologies allow people to organize themselves and to foster a "networked individualism", and explores other related topics; read the article in its entirety.

I find it reassuring to know that research has shown that an online congregation and a brick-and-mortar congregation serve different individuals, and that online tools can also help connect people more deeply and/or frequently in a traditional congregation. What do you think?

[The Alban Institute is a resource for American congregations that cross-fertilizes many perspectives. Alban has its roots in mainline Protestantism, works across a variety of denominations and traditions, and open to interfaith dialogue.]

-- DJ CHUANG, Director at Leadership Network

Posted by Leadership Network at 07:30 AM in Internet | Permalink