{"id":5770,"date":"2011-07-31T16:23:02","date_gmt":"2011-07-31T20:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/deaconsbench\/?p=5770"},"modified":"2016-09-30T17:40:13","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T21:40:13","slug":"an-all-star-lineup-for-the-church-and-new-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/deaconsbench\/2011\/07\/an-all-star-lineup-for-the-church-and-new-media\/","title":{"rendered":"An all-star lineup for "The Church and New Media""},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Looking for some sizzling reading at the beach this summer?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Break out the Coppertone and break open \u201cThe Church and New Media.\u201d\u00a0 Okay: it\u2019s not Danielle Steele or John Grisham, but this new book by blogger Brandon Vogt<\/a><\/strong> is a fascinating and \u2014 dare I say it? \u2014 provocative piece of work, though in this case \u201cprovocative\u201d means \u201cprovoking thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

To look at how the church does \u2014 and more often, does not \u2014 communicate in the 21st century, Vogt has assembled nothing less than an all-star cast of writers, bishops, bloggers and assorted chin-scratchers.\u00a0 Consider this: the book is framed with a forward written by Cardinal (and blogger) Sean O\u2019Malley, and an afterword by Archbishop (and blogger) Timothy Dolan. \u00a0 There are chapters by Fr. Robert Barron, Mark Shea, and Lisa Hendey, among others.\u00a0 Along the way, readers get a vivid and revealing glimpse at how social communication in the church is carried out these days \u2014 with everything from Kindle to Facebook to podcasts thrown into the mix.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of practical insight, along with some kernels of honest-to-God wisdom.\u00a0 Fr. Dwight Longenecker notes:<\/p>\n

Clear communication is always passionate. The beauty of the blog is that a writer can say whatever he wants in whatever way he wants to say it. The blogger can speak from the heart, and a blog is best when he does so. Remember, the word \u201centhusiasm\u201d comes from the words en theos, meaning \u201cGod within.\u201c Writing with a fire in your heart and a love for your topic means that you will find yourself living out Blessed John Henry Newman\u2019s motto: \u201cHeart speaks to heart.\u201c<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There are some close up looks at popular bloggers, and some helpful advice on how to get a blog up and running.<\/p>\n

As Mark Shea observes:<\/p>\n

As you continue to blog, keep a little list in the back of your mind of other bloggers who might be interested in a given piece you\u2019ve written and send them a link suggesting they might like it. The more your blog is present to the public consciousness, the more chances readers have to say: \u201cIt\u2019s that guy again. I liked his piece on \u2018Prayer and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,\u2018 so I think I\u2019ll check out his new piece on \u2018Underwater Basket Weaving and the Second Coming.\u2018 \u201dThe trick is to realize that readers develop loyalty to writers, not topics. If they come to like you, they\u2019ll read whatever you choose to write about, because they like you.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For what it\u2019s worth, I liked Mark\u2019s advice about dealing with combox hogs, too:<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t nanny the conversations too much or else people will give up trying to talk if you jump on them all the time. On the other hand, do keep your finger (lightly) on the pulse so that conversations don\u2019t spin out of control and trolls don\u2019t suck all the oxygen out of the room with their domineering personalities that force quieter (and more profound and interesting) souls back into the shadows. That\u2019s more or less a skill learned by practice, like learning to ride a bike. But it can be done.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There\u2019s much more, too \u2014 Pope Benedict makes an appearance or two \u2014 and a lot to feed the brain and tickle the fancy of anyone who spends any time in the \u201cdigital continent\u201d of blogging.<\/p>\n

Sweetening it all is this little coda to the book, which explains where all royalties will go:<\/p>\n

Practicing the Catholic social theme of solidarity, 100 percent of the royalties from this book are going toward establishing school computer labs throughout the Archdiocese of Mombasa, Kenya. Besides providing the computer hardware and software for children in poor, rural areas, the kids will be trained in computer- literacy skills. For scores of children, this book will be a ticket to the \u201cdigital continent.\u201c<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It doesn\u2019t get much better than that.<\/p>\n

Check out the book\u2019s website<\/a><\/strong> for more information and to find out how you can buy the book.\u00a0 It\u2019s a worthwhile investment \u2014 in every sense.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Looking for some sizzling reading at the beach this summer? Break out the Coppertone and break open \u201cThe Church and New Media.\u201d\u00a0 Okay: it\u2019s not Danielle Steele or John Grisham, but this new book by blogger Brandon Vogt is a fascinating and \u2014 dare I say it? \u2014 provocative piece of work, though in this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,9],"tags":[11166,171],"class_list":["post-5770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogging","category-books","tag-blogging","tag-brandon-vogt"],"yoast_head":"\nAn all-star lineup for "The Church and New Media"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Looking for some sizzling reading at the beach this summer? 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