Weblogs and Spirituality the Escalating Thesis

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icio.us, which enable users to publish, categorize, and share their bookmarks

Wikis

Enables users to create and edit the content of a Web site, leveraging the expertise of online users

Consumer Wikis enable users to comment on content, in addition to editing content

Wikipedia, a community Wiki encyclopedia, includes approximately 1.3 million English-language articles

Sources: (Bernoff, Li. 2008, et.al.)

Figure 1:

Web 2.0 Explained

Inherent in the user dynamics of the map completed by O'Reilly and Battelle are the catalyst of why social networking is such a fertile platform for spreading word of God's love and peace to the world. Ironically the foundations of social networking as defined by O'Reilly and Battelle are identical to the needs that churches fulfill. The "architecture of participation" that is mentioned by O'Reilly in his definition of Web 2.0 (Weinberger, 2007, 19) exactly parallels the needs that any church fulfill as well. In addition, the harnessing of collective intelligence is also a shared attribute. Focusing on the Core Competencies as shown in Figure 1, the parallels to the needs fellowship meet are clear. The parallels between the Web 2.0 platform and the fundamental unmet needs that Gods' church fulfills are also illustrated in how both have the potential to bring an entirely new level of participation. Social networks are in fact becoming the new church for many people globally, having become the new communities many rely on to stay connected to the outside world.

The greatest paradox of social networking is in fact the appearance of a high degree of connectedness and coherence, yet in reality, people have never been more disconnected and lacking in trust of each other and institutions. The framework of social networking presented in this section illustrates how blogs can't be considered in isolation anymore, especially when considering the combined effects of all social media strategies to further God's Word. The following sections discuss blog's popularity and the significant potential Christian blogging has, in conjunction with other areas of social networking.

Explaining Blogs' Popularity

There is today an insatiable desire to get to the truth. Traditional media is in many cases seen as suspect and biased at best. The emergence of blogs is a result of the combined effects of a declining level of credibility traditional media has, the increased trust in bloggers' embracing and in some cases challenging freedom of speech, and appreciation of how fast news can be communicated in this new medium.

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The combined effects of these three factors are leading to dramatic growth in blogs. Blogs have become the most pervasive means of self-expression today online.

While many see blogging as new and unique, in fact the concept of blogging has been around for thousands of years, beginning with St. Augustine's Confession (St. Augustine, 1992) and progressing through the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

The growth of blogs has expanded beyond the U.S. To now include 81 different languages, across 66 nations encompassing six continents. In addition, bloggers on average generate close to one million posts per day. The aggregated statistics from (Technorati, 2008, et.al.) shown in Figure 2 quantify the pervasiveness of this medium.

Figure 2: Technorati's Assessment of the Blogosphere (Technorati, 2008)

In order to be successful in bringing God's message to the world through blogging, the importance of this specific aspect of social networking must also be taken into account. Figure 3, How Internet Users Perceive Blogs as Sources of Information illustrates how critical it is for any Christian blogger to strive for accuracy, genuineness, honesty and candor in writing about what their relationship to the Lord means to them. 71% of Internet users contacted in the Technorati study cited (Technorati, 2008) state that they take blogs more seriously for their primary source of information. A surprising 49% of Internet users who responded to the survey also see blogs as a valid media source vs. traditional media.

With how important it is to present a Christian blog with accuracy, honesty and sincerity, Proverbs 17:27 provide insightful guidance in this regard, "A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered." It is critical for any Christian blogger to realize that staying in peace and under control is critical for their blog to be taken seriously. As can be seen from Figure 3, there is ample opportunity to gain the trust of Internet users searching for insights on how to improve their lives through a relationship with God.

Figure 3: How Internet Users Perceive Blogs as.....

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