Blog expectations

[MW]

I am interested to know how readers approach blogs. Do you consider them to be off the cuff thoughts which might later be modified, or do you see them as more serious reflections which should contain some degree of accountability? If you go to a blog and enjoy what you find, is it something you will visit regularly and become disappointed if not updated, or do you simply take it as it comes? If it is theological in nature, are you happy with simple reflections, or do you prefer everything to be footnoted? If it is the work of a minister, would you like to see sermons or sections thereof presented in writing, or do you think they should be left for audio files? If you saw Hebrew or Greek exegesis on a blog would you immediately be turned off it, or would you simply pass over that content and look for something that interests you? If writers from the past are posted, do you prefer quotations which well encapsulate thoughts or whole sections of writing so you can glean the context?

Thankyou in advance for your thoughts.

 

[bookslover]

Well, my three blogs consist of quotations from other people, so I try to include as much context as I can without making each quotation ponderously long. Of course, everyone has his own definition of "ponderously long," but I try to be conscientious about length.

The main purpose of including context, of course, is so that the person being quoted is not misunderstood, misrepresented, or mischaracterized. One must be honest when quoting, just as one must be honest in anything else one does.

Are you trying to decide what type of blog you want to start, Matthew?

 

[MW]

Are you trying to decide what type of blog you want to start, Matthew?

Thankyou, Richard, for your thoughts on quoting. It is probably more the case that I'm deciding whether to blog. If I were to write an essay or an article I would know what is expected, but I haven't a clue what the reader requires of a blog. Out of interest, do you feel compelled to provide personal info. on your blog, or are you content to be an impersonal blogger?

 

[py3ak]

It depends on the blog: each one has its own flavor.

Before I used a reader it was annoying if someone didn't update a blog: however, now that posts automatically appear in my Google Reader, it doesn't matter nearly so much, since I don't have to check back and I don't run any risk of missing posts.

I think the key thing is that blog posts can't be too long. Within a short compass it doesn't matter if there's some exegesis, some context, some technical discussion; but the visual format of most blogs, with a relatively narrow column of text does not lend itself to extended reading.

I wouldn't much care about personal information: the blog can be judged based on the quality of writing it contains without any knowledge of the author; if the posts contain points based on experience or sling mud then knowledge of the author is more important.

I don't see why sermons couldn't be presented, but my experience is that most sermons I've seen posted on blogs are extremely boring.

 

[JonathanHunt]

I would say that your blog may be what YOU wish it to be. As a Minister, you are rightly cautious about this matter. My seminary pres. and pastor from birth in effect told me not to blog at all.

I do, however, but I have modified this over the years. Now I tend to highlight news, issues or recommend books or sermons. I also use my blog to keep readers up to date on family news etc, and I occasionally use it to re-publish some old writings. What I really don't do any more is write personal opinion pieces about this or that.

May I give you an example of a minister's blog which provides much meat and a little light relief along the way:

Exiled Preacher

JH

 

[panta dokimazete]

Think of blogs as an informational "tip of the iceberg" - the post title should be informative enough to pique curiosity and the contents brief, interesting and as content rich in terms of leading the reader to additional, more in-depth information, as appropriate. That could be your own self generated information (ex: posting a sermon or article in google docs or on the PB and linking to them) or other web-ready content.

"Brevity is the soul of wit"

 

[a mere housewife]

I'm not sure what the target audience would be -- but if you are thinking of a blog that is read by the rabble :

If you go to a blog and enjoy what you find, is it something you will visit regularly and become disappointed if not updated, or do you simply take it as it comes?

If I enjoy something and want to keep up with it, I add it to my reader and receive the next post whenever it comes in. If it is updated too regularly I can't keep up with it as it comes in; but will often sit down and read through several posts at a time when I have some free time.

If it is theological in nature, are you happy with simple reflections, or do you prefer everything to be footnoted?

I'm sure my wants are much simpler in this area than most: I want to know basically where I could find out more, but don't care about the technicalities of an exact footnote. I prefer, and remember better, a general reference in the flow of reflections than something outside the reflections that I have to scroll down to see, etc.

If it is the work of a minister, would you like to see sermons or sections thereof presented in writing, or do you think they should be left for audio files?

I have both read and listened to sermons: the nice thing about having it in print is that I can go back more easily to reference; of course audio has an advantage in that you can listen as you do other things.

If you saw Hebrew or Greek exegesis on a blog would you immediately be turned off it, or would you simply pass over that content and look for something that interests you?

I would try to understand it before passing on

If writers from the past are posted, do you prefer quotations which well encapsulate thoughts or whole sections of writing so you can glean the context?

I prefer encapsulations at least initially; I think there is also a way with some blogs to put an encapsulation, and then add a 'more' tab for those who wish to see the quote entirely (I think you can do this with Wordpress).

 

[BJClark]

Rev. Winzer,


For me it depends on the blog.

I have friends who blog mostly about things going on in their own life..be it about themselves, their kids, or work..I have other friends who blog about those same type of things, yet also share what they have learned going through various trials in life..while others add their thoughts about what's going on in the world outside their family...such as politics or things in the news..

So, it really depends on what the blogger desires to blog about..if you desire to share your thoughts on various scripture verses, or biblical truths and how you have learned to apply them to your own life..then I would at least expect to see the verses that apply..

Or if you've read something and one section of a book jumped out to teach you something or that you disagreed with the conclusion the author came up with, then I'd expect that section of the book to be quoted..then I could form my own opinion on whether I agree or disagree with their conclusion as well...

Missionary blogs, I do expect they share some things they are going through personally, that show personal growth or personal struggles, as well as what's going on in the mission field..that way I can rejoice with them or pray more specifically for them personally and for the work they are doing..

And personally, I take things as they come, because I realize people have lives outside their blogs, at least I hope they do..so I don't get frustrated if things are not updated on a daily or weekly basis..

 

[TimV]

I got to several websites daily, and some forums, but the only blog I visit (if anyone has other conservative Calvinistic blogs they like post them!) is by Pastor Ron Gleason, a conservative SoCal PCA TE. He only updates it once per week or two, but that doesn't bother me since what he writes is so helpful.

So, to give you an example of one that at least I enjoy,

Christianity: Doctrine and Ethics

 

[Quickened]

If it is something that i really enjoy i will frequent it throughout the week. I really like it when its mixed up too. Not just a page of just one type of post (reflections, devotions, etc). It stays fresh that way.

Another thing i take into consideration is the activity. If there are a number of people commenting on a certain subject decent discussion can take place. Especially if there are a number of viewpoints. Anytime a blog or the posts that are related to the opening topic causes me to search through scripture I am generally blessed. Its usually iron sharpening iron. This is further edifying because i am rather new to the reformed faith (over 2 years).

Footnotes are generally good. Typically if i am typing an in-depth post i like to put scripture references in parenthesis if i am not quoting directly. I personally like to show that my thoughts come from God's word regarding certain things and I like to be very clear on where i got it and why. Not only may that help others understand my train of thought it sometimes leads others to go to that particular scripture and discuss it with me.

For me I dont see including Hebrew and Greek a bad thing. Although i have zero knowledge of it myself. So if it were in a basic form that i could understand it that would be cool. But in all honesty i probably would either skim through it or pass over it depending on how closely it is related to the article.

Basically in my view... people can talk about the hebrew meaning "this" or the greek meaning "that". But in all i would just be taking that persons word for it. What if they are mistaken and i believe them and take on their error? I would have to equally study both the hebrew and the greek just so i can know for sure if what they are saying is true. Languages can be complex and especially when we are dealing with something as complex as Theology.

So i may tackle Greek and/or Hebrew but i am committed in learning all the basics of Reformed theology. The more i learn the more i realize that i know nothing!

 

[JonathanHunt]

One other thing: I read all the blogs I follow through an RSS reader in Firefox, as many here do. This means that I run through what is available, read or delete the items as I go. Otherwise I would not have time to click through everyone's blogs.

 

[panta dokimazete]

I got to several websites daily, and some forums, but the only blog I visit (if anyone has other conservative Calvinistic blogs they like post them!) is by Pastor Ron Gleason, a conservative SoCal PCA TE. He only updates it once per week or two, but that doesn't bother me since what he writes is so helpful.

So, to give you an example of one that at least I enjoy,

Christianity: Doctrine and Ethics

wow - great stuff! added to my blogroll...

 

[Kim G]

I am interested to know how readers approach blogs. Do you consider them to be off the cuff thoughts which might later be modified, or do you see them as more serious reflections which should contain some degree of accountability?

It depends on the blog. I have a blog that lets my family know what's going on in my life. I might have a silly post one day, a serious post the next week, a two-sentence post if I don't have time to write. It just lets family and friends know what's going on. I subscribe to my friends' blogs that do the same thing. I expect those to be off the cuff.

However, if I don't know the person blogging, I do usually see the blog as the serious reflection of the writer. I have no other way to gauge what the writer means than by what he says.

If you go to a blog and enjoy what you find, is it something you will visit regularly and become disappointed if not updated, or do you simply take it as it comes?

Since blogs feed into my Google Reader, it doesn't matter when the blog is updated. However, if it is not updated with some degree of certainty (left for a month at a time), many blog readers will not come back. I've heard that it's better to post once a week (say, every Tuesday) with certainty than to post five times one week and none for the next two weeks.

If it is theological in nature, are you happy with simple reflections, or do you prefer everything to be footnoted?

It depends. Each blog is different. I like both.

If it is the work of a minister, would you like to see sermons or sections thereof presented in writing, or do you think they should be left for audio files?

I prefer the sections presented in writing for two reasons: 1) my computer's sound doesn't work, and 2) reading is a lot faster than listening to audio files.

If you saw Hebrew or Greek exegesis on a blog would you immediately be turned off it, or would you simply pass over that content and look for something that interests you?

I love languages, so I wouldn't be turned off. Decide who your audience is, and write for them.

 

[MW]

Thankyou to everyone for the input.

Can any point me to where I can easily obtain a "google reader?"

 

[a mere housewife]

You can sign up for gmail and google's other services here:

https://www.google.com/accounts/New...1d424e5005f9b567f6d65d030f2fead9167be7&type=2

 

[Pilgrim]

I am interested to know how readers approach blogs. Do you consider them to be off the cuff thoughts which might later be modified, or do you see them as more serious reflections which should contain some degree of accountability? If you go to a blog and enjoy what you find, is it something you will visit regularly and become disappointed if not updated, or do you simply take it as it comes? If it is theological in nature, are you happy with simple reflections, or do you prefer everything to be footnoted? If it is the work of a minister, would you like to see sermons or sections thereof presented in writing, or do you think they should be left for audio files? If you saw Hebrew or Greek exegesis on a blog would you immediately be turned off it, or would you simply pass over that content and look for something that interests you? If writers from the past are posted, do you prefer quotations which well encapsulate thoughts or whole sections of writing so you can glean the context?

Thankyou in advance for your thoughts.

These are good questions. I tend to prefer blogs that put some "meat" on the table. But I am not necessarily looking for theological journal level material, although I will file that kind of material away for later review if I can't read it right away. If the article is too long, I have a tendency to tune it out, especially if it's not related to something that I'm currently investigating. That's probably why I never have tended to read posts on Triablogue very often because some of the contributors on that blog have the habit of making posts that are several thousand words long.

If I find a blog to be interesting I will subscribe to it in a reader. I'll usually keep subscribed even if it is only updated sporadically. However, I'm likely to eventually unsubscribe from one that I consistently disagree with unless a very influential blog within my circles or one that I will periodically visit in order to engage in debate. There are only so many blogs that you can keep up with.

I tend to gravitate toward blogs and blog posts that address areas that are current interests of mine. For example, now that I am a Baptist, I don't view nearly as many Reformed blogs as I did a year or two ago, although there are several that I still keep an eye on.

On my blog, I just recently started posting entire articles from a book from 1900 entitled Baptist Why and Why Not that was published by the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. It remains to be seen what kind of response that will get. I don't know that I will be posting all 25 chapters either. All of them are interesting in understanding the organization of the Southern Baptist Convention at that time, but I think the chapters defending Baptist distinctives against Presbyterians, Campbellites, Methodists, etc. have much more relevance today than others that defend things like the use of denominational funds to publish newspapers, etc.

 

[Pergamum]

I think a blog must stay specific and have a specific reason for existence. Too many blogs are too long and their topics range too broadly.

I never read sermons on blogs. I never read anything more than a few paragraphs on blogs.

It must be concise and also be visually appealing.

 

[bookslover]

Are you trying to decide what type of blog you want to start, Matthew?

Thankyou, Richard, for your thoughts on quoting. It is probably more the case that I'm deciding whether to blog. If I were to write an essay or an article I would know what is expected, but I haven't a clue what the reader requires of a blog. Out of interest, do you feel compelled to provide personal info. on your blog, or are you content to be an impersonal blogger?

Being impersonal is fine with me. I'm not really out to promote myself on my blogs - which would spoil the whole point of having blogs where the purpose is to quote other people. Besides, there are legitimate security reasons to not put too much of yourself out there. Having said that, though, I think blogging is both fun and instructive - both for my millions of readers (yeah, right!) and for me. I enjoy doing it.

I'm still mulling the possibility of having a blog which carries my opinions (as opposed to quotes from others). But I haven't made up my mind yet.

 

[Wannabee]

I'm curious as to why someone would do a blog rather than a web site? If I do research then web sites are much more formal and credible, in my view, than a blog. But, since I only read blogs when they come up in research, or when someone links one, I suppose I'm a bit biased. I started a blog, but never did anything with it. So, everyone has read everything I ever posted there.