We read somewhere
that there are 80,000 new blogs created every day. Judging by the rate at which
the word is appearing in newspapers and magazines, not to mention on the Internet,
that number cannot be far off. What is a "blog"? The simple answer is that it is a weB LOG. The Internet has spawned a number of offspring, and the Blog is proving to be one of the most ubiquitous.
We read somewhere
that there are 80,000 new blogs created every day. Judging by the rate at which
the word is appearing in newspapers and magazines, not to mention on the Internet,
that number cannot be far off.
What does this mean for the church? The answer is again simple - an opportunity to engage people directly in a conversation about something they are passionate about.
Previously, if people wanted to put a comment up on a web site, they had to send that comment to a web master, the only person with the password that would allow changes to the site.
The blog bypasses the web master and allows anyone to place a comment directly on the blog site, a comment which is available now to anyone anywhere in the world.
Getting to be Friends with the Blog
Admittedly, last spring we did not know what a blog was. Now we have at least ten of them on the go at any one time.
Last summer we introduced a blog into the history course we teach on line. The result was quite spectacular. The ten participants not only placed their assignments up on the history blog as a comment, but began to engage each other in a conversation. This class, spread from Florida across four State and five Provinces started to chat with each other like they were in the same room. They supported one another and shared insights, not only into what the history course was about but what was going on in their lives.
If you want to
be overwhelmed, just type the name "blog" into a Google or Yahoo search.
I just did and the search yields one billion, one hundred million references.
More manageable, check out the blogs on the "Discussion Lounge" in the United Church's Wonder Café site. (http://www.wondercafe.ca/) There are some 72 topics, some with a number of comments, other with none, but most of them viewed (and read) by 20 to 60 people.
Creating Your Own Blog
It used to be you had to have access to a database on your server to put up a blog, and that costs an extra $10 per month. Now there is a simple solution. The Google people let you post your blog on their server for free. The good news - there is not even any advertising to distract.
Here's what you do. Go to
http://www.blogger.com/start
Just follow the instructions on the screen. You get to pick a blog format, enter an initial posting, and you are in business. You can create links to the blog on your church or personal web site. You will want to go into the "Settings" for your blog and review those.
In particular,
check out the "Comments" tab and indicate whether you will permit
anyone, only those registered as bloggers, or only people you authorize to add
comments. You can edit comments before they go up, or edit them after. You can
have an e-mail sent to you anytime someone adds a comment if you wish. You can
have your blog advertised on the Google blog index, or kept private. There are
almost no end of options. Review them carefully, and choose the set that meet
your needs.
The important thing is to keep your blog current. Add topics and questions. Respond to comments that people make. Most of all, enjoy the freedom of a whole new way to engage people about meaningful issues.
Let us know how you make out, and if you put up a blog, send us the URL web address. We would love to hear from you on our blog at www.congregationallife.com.
Congregational News February 2007 Vol. 13 No. 2