Transcript Blogging Workshop BLOGGING AND MINISTRY FALL 2012 By J. Lauren Mondala Circulation & Public Services Librarian The United Library.

Blogging Workshop
BLOGGING AND MINISTRY
FALL 2012
By J. Lauren Mondala
Circulation & Public Services Librarian
The United Library
What is a blog?
 "Blog" is an abbreviated version of "weblog."
 Web sites that maintain an ongoing chronicle of
information.
 A blog features diary-type commentary and links to
articles on other Web sites, usually presented as a list
of entries in reverse chronological order.
 Blogs come in all shapes and sizes-from the very
personal to business and politics.
http://codex.wordpress.org/Introduction_to_Blogging
What is a blog?
http://commoncraft.com A video for people who wonder why blogs are such a big deal.
Blogs vs. Websites
Blogs
Websites
 Made-up primarily of
 Made-up of
articles called posts.
 Posts can be organized
by topics or tags.
 Most blogs have an
expectation of
interaction with the
readers.
informational pages.
 Variety of purposes
(.com, .org, .gov, .edu)
 Interaction is not always
an expectation.
 Can contain or link to
blogs.
Blogs and ministry?
 Help people find your church online.
 Another platform for social interaction and
community building.
 Display and publicize mission work.
 Spotlight, recruit and promote youth groups.
 Meeting your members where they are.
Blogs and ministry?
 Various blogs about the mission and ministry of
the Episcopal Church

Panorama blogs of the Episcopal
Churhttp://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/panorama-blogsepiscopal-churchch
 John Meunier’s blog about Wesleyan theology, being
a United Methodist pastor

http://johnmeunier.wordpress.com/
 Scott Hodge, lead pastor of The Orchard Community
in Aurora, Illinois

http://www.iamscotthodge.com/
Getting Started
Platforms
 Wordpress
 Self-hosted Wordpress
 Blogger
 Tumblr
Planning
 What specific audience do you intend to reach with
your blog?
Distance Members?
 Local Members?
 Young Adults?
 Youth Groups?
 Other congregations?

 Write a mission statement
Planning
 How will your reach your readers?
 How will your readers communicate with you?
Will they be able to post comments?
 Will you mediate the comments?
 The importance of commenting back.

Content
 Post regularly
 Post original content
 Invite guest posts
Content
 Site your sources


If you are linking to another’s blog or website, it is good practice to
display the entire source of the link in some fashion.
For more information on linking, see Stanford University Library’s
article on fair use here. (http://fairuse.stanford.edu/)
 Be mindful of copyright material


Legally, publishing something to the web is exactly like publishing it
to print.
Even though your blog may be a non-for-profit, fair use guidelines do
not apply if your content is published publicly on the internet.
Content Extras
 Widgets or plug-ins
 Slideshows
 Current weather reports
 Facebook like button
 Facebook/Twitter share buttons
 Contact form
 A ‘pin it’ pinterst button
 Google analytics
 Flikr or instagram
 Automatically send a shout out about a new blog post on
Facebook as well
Images
 Slideshow widgets
 Take your own photos
 Always get permission from individuals to post their
picture
 Draw your own images
 Public domain pictures
Creative Commons Licenses
 Flickr , only use work with artists permission.
*Cite your sources*

WordPress
 http://wordpress.com/
 http://learn.wordpress.com/get-acquainted/
 http://blogworkshoptest.wordpress.com/
 http://www.jlaurenmondala.com/
Blogger
 Need a Google account
 www.blogger.com
 http://youtu.be/rA4s3wN_vK8
 http://blogworkshoptestjlm.blogspot.com/
RSS and Readers
•RSS is short for Really Simple Syndication.
•A RSS Reader is a software program that will
gather up all of your RSS feeds so that you can scan
the latest headlines all in one place.
•Web based
•Desktop
•Netvibes example
•Google Reader Example
Annotated Bibliography
 Bailey, Brian. The Blogging Church: Sharing the
Story of Your Church Through Blogs. San Francisco,
CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007.

This 2007 practical handbook tackles several frequently asked
questions by new ministry bloggers. Chapters explore why a
church might blog, understanding the difference between a
technology tool and toy in addition to helpful advice on
marketing and building online communities that really
connect with the brick and mortar church. Several
blogging pastors as well as popular bloggers contribute.
Annotated Bibliography
 Rice, Jesse. The Church of Facebook: How the
hyperconnected are redefining community.
Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2009.
“Jesse Rice believes that Facebook offers a profound look at
our deepest needs. Join Jesse as he explores social
networking and its impact on culture and the church.
Filled with fresh perspectives and provocative questions, The
Church of Facebook encourages us to pursue authentic
relationships with God and those around us”. - Publisher,
David C. Cook
Annotated Bibliography
 Vogt, Brandon. The Church and New Media:
Blogging converts, online activists, and bishops who
tweets. Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 2011.
“…We're experiencing the most explosive communication
shift since the printing press. What does this mean for the
Church? How can Christians harness these new tools to reach
out, to teach, to cultivate community, to change the world?
Following Pope Benedict's call to set sail on the digital
continent, The Church and New Media explores the
benefits and dangers of New Media, while guiding Christians
through this new digital landscape”.-Publisher
Annotated Bibliography
 Stephenson, Mark M. Web-Empowered Ministry: Connecting with
people through websites, social media, and more. Nashville, TN:
Abington Press, 2011.
“For [Mark] Stephenson, the internet may be used effectively to
conduct and expand ministry...Starting by debunking ten
popular and oft-heard excuses as to why churches don’t have
web ministries, Stephenson challenges, encourages, and
empowers church staffs and laity to embark on something new
for the sake of the effectiveness and scope of the gospel
message.
The specifics of just how such a ministry will be implemented
will of course vary from place to place. For any and all,
Stephenson’s guidelines, tips, cautions, and insights will prove
enormously instructive and helpful”.
-Patricia Farris, Ministry Matters
Articles & Resources
 Daniel, Lillian. "Church netiquette." Christian Century 126, no. 13 (June 30,
2009): 26-28. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 17,
2012).
 Rand, Lenora. "The church on Facebook: why we need virtual community."
Christian Century 126, no. 13 (June 30, 2009): 22-23. ATLA Religion Database
with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed October 17, 2012).
 Vogt, B 2011, 'IT DEEPENS FELLOWSHIP', Christianity Today, 55, 12, pp. 5455, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 17 October 2012.
 http://biz.leoraw.com/conduct-blog-workshop/