Episcopal Life Looks at the Blogs

From Episcopal Life:

They're like monks of old, scribing texts on Scripture and theology, prayer and meditation, church governance and liturgics -- topics that resonate with them and their experiences of faith in the current day.

They're bloggers -- writers of Internet weblogs ("blogs," for short) -- whose readers respond with comments for posting online.

Together they populate the "blogosphere," a communication environment that, spiritually speaking, includes content that comes as fresh air to some and rhetorical smog to others.

But an informal sampling of blogs shows that Episcopalians, for the most part, blog to build Christian community. Mainly, these blogs are virtual locations for gathering groups of people who love their church and express that love in diverse ways. A few writers may sow discord, yet most work to widen connections and collegiality that might otherwise remain untapped...

...Readers grow to trust a blogger's credibility based on the number of other bloggers producing worthwhile information who link to that blog, said Dave Kim, blogger and global sales intranet manager of Symantec Corporation, based in Cupertino, Calif. The more that other bloggers or trusted websites link to a blog, the more likely readers are to return there for information, he said, noting blog trust is similar to brand loyalty.

"Blogs in and of themselves are rarely reliable," Kim said in an interview conducted via online instant messaging. "They must have other sources — links to groups talking about the same issues. Over time, you grow to trust blogs for different reasons. Some group blogs you simply grow to rely on over time: i.e., reading Gizmodo.com for tech news"...

Jake's place got mentioned in the last line, and they got the link right. Thanks, Sean.

So, welcome to those visiting from Episcopal Life. Please make yourselves at home. And don't leave without checking out the comments. That's probably the most unique thing about Jake's place...we get lots of comments. The conversations which naturally unfold here are the heart of this community.

Feel free to join in the conversation. You don't have to sign up for anything, and can use whatever name fits your fancy at the moment. I promise we won't bite (unless you bite first...then watch out!).

J.