I always have far too many blogs on my radar than I can truly absorb, digest, and comment. No doubt that is true of many folks out there who have glutted themselves with news, information, and conversation. Which leads me to a lead-off question.
I posted a piece that at least I thought was interesting on theodicy yesterday. Kind of an old question from a slightly different angle. If I post something like that I notice that no one comments. Yet if I post something pithy about movies I hate or enjoy, it's like flies to sugar [not that my readers are flies, it's a relational metaphor 
]. This further raises a question that Chris Brady has been exploring here and here about the nature of blogging. I wonder if I am too much a generalist for much of the blog world that would be interested in the topics on which I post? I would ask the additional question of readers why do you read blogs and what are you looking for? What grabs your attention and holds it?
Jan Edmiston reflects on the plight of the dying church. Regardless of how you understand the statistical significance of old mainline churches fading away as the "greatest generation" sadly leaves us, it is an immensely painful situation for a lot of good pastors.
As many of you know Chris Tilling has had a few posts on his own grappling with science and theology here, here, and here. Worth a read for anyone, and especially anyone who is absolutely sure about their current understanding of the compatibility between evolution and creation.
There was an interesting study at the University of Houston which gives a far more scientific result as to the effectiveness of a hybrid course model versus a traditional course model. Rather than come to the standard conclusion of "no significant difference" the result was a better performance in the hybrid course. This is a risky kind of study that faculty with whom I have worked have always balked because of the nature of the control versus the experimental group in the model. I would like to see more faculty take this risk with the same kind of study to get some external validity data. That would do more in the filed of educational technology than the vast majority of other "studies" that have been done in the past. In other Higher education news, encouraging interfaith experiences is discussed at Inside Higher Education.
The Evangelical Philosophical Society posts an interview with Paul Copan, chair of philosophy and ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University, entitled, "Is Yahweh a Moral Monster?". The subject matter engages one of the arguments among new atheists along the lines of God is Not Great (HT to FQI for this one). While this piece is more or less descriptive of the foundations and character of the arguments, Copan's piece here is a little more nuanced.
Ryan at Rumblings discusses faith and doubt in the midst of religious tradition.
Identitymixed has the post title of the week: All Things Urine. If you don't have kids yet, this is the kind of stuff the books don't tell you!
Julie gives all husbands some rather sound advice on what the best things in life are for a wife, especially after being together for a while.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State includes news about a resolution that passed recently declaring Easter Week to be “Christian Heritage Week” in Alabama. Looks like they did not get the memo in civics class that Sally Kern missed as well.
Related posts:
"If I post something like that I notice that no one comments. Yet if I post something pithy about movies I hate or enjoy, it’s like flies to sugar "
Absolutely. The same thing happens with me as well. I have found, as you note, that if one blogs on the purpose of blogging it does tend to garner a fair amount of notice.
"If I post something like that I notice that no one comments. Yet if I post something pithy about movies I hate or enjoy, it’s like flies to sugar "
Absolutely. The same thing happens with me as well. I have found, as you note, that if one blogs on the purpose of blogging it does tend to garner a fair amount of notice.
It's weird, but it is teaching me something about the medium. I wonder if people blog less to share and sharpen thought (which is really what I am here to do) and more for the purpose of self-aggrandizement? We are a culture that is addicted to fame and reality TV is part of that. I am beginning to think that blogging is part of that phenomenon.
Now your brother challenged some of my thoughts on McCain and we had a somewhat heated disagreement. That's the kind of stuff I like. I like it when people force me to see something differently or to make me aware of my assumptions. But it happens so rarely on my own blog that I do wonder why people blog and read them at all?
It's weird, but it is teaching me something about the medium. I wonder if people blog less to share and sharpen thought (which is really what I am here to do) and more for the purpose of self-aggrandizement? We are a culture that is addicted to fame and reality TV is part of that. I am beginning to think that blogging is part of that phenomenon.
Now your brother challenged some of my thoughts on McCain and we had a somewhat heated disagreement. That's the kind of stuff I like. I like it when people force me to see something differently or to make me aware of my assumptions. But it happens so rarely on my own blog that I do wonder why people blog and read them at all?
If I don't comment on the deeper posts, it's because I'm too stupid to do so. Well, that, and I was extremely ill yesterday.
If I don't comment on the deeper posts, it's because I'm too stupid to do so. Well, that, and I was extremely ill yesterday.
I know. Hope you are feeling better. I (and I really mean my whole family eventually) had a doozy of a flu like you were talking about this fall. Passed out and knocked my tooth off the metal trashcan. Not fun.
I know. Hope you are feeling better. I (and I really mean my whole family eventually) had a doozy of a flu like you were talking about this fall. Passed out and knocked my tooth off the metal trashcan. Not fun.
Drew,
You pointed out the lack or responses to your theodicy post and then mentioned how the not so deep posts get more responses and then you go on to ask "What grabs your attention and holds it?"
Speaking for myself, short posts are generally what grab my attention. When I get up in the morning and there are 40 new posts in Google Reader I quickly scan through them all. I will stop and read the shorter ones and scan through most of the rest that are longer. If I find one that is long but looks like it might be interesting then I will mark it so that I can come back to it later when I have more time. In the case of your theodicy post this is what I did. Unfortunately I don' always get back to the longer posts or by the time I do I feel too much time might have passed or the blog owner might have moved on (this is especially the case of the blogger posts rather frequently) so I don't end up commenting
I think with the longer more serious posts, sometimes it might be better to split them up and post them in parts and have some discussion take place and then posts the next part. I think this helps to keep the topic of discussion a lot more focused like a laser instead of broad like a shot gun (I remember in learning about preaching that some focused on this technique of making things more laser focused). I know when there is a long post sometimes I don't know where to begin commenting and so I just don't.
Also I find that when I'm looking at a long post it sometimes helps to have certain catchwords or provocative statements in bold that will catch my attention. That way it makes it easier to find out if I'm interested. I try this sometimes on my blog but I don't know how other people view it of if I go over board with it.
Anyway those are a couple of things that I think I will do in the future with my blog since I figure some people who read it probably have short attention spans like I do (I think I have ADD : )
Bryan
Drew,
You pointed out the lack or responses to your theodicy post and then mentioned how the not so deep posts get more responses and then you go on to ask "What grabs your attention and holds it?"
Speaking for myself, short posts are generally what grab my attention. When I get up in the morning and there are 40 new posts in Google Reader I quickly scan through them all. I will stop and read the shorter ones and scan through most of the rest that are longer. If I find one that is long but looks like it might be interesting then I will mark it so that I can come back to it later when I have more time. In the case of your theodicy post this is what I did. Unfortunately I don' always get back to the longer posts or by the time I do I feel too much time might have passed or the blog owner might have moved on (this is especially the case of the blogger posts rather frequently) so I don't end up commenting
I think with the longer more serious posts, sometimes it might be better to split them up and post them in parts and have some discussion take place and then posts the next part. I think this helps to keep the topic of discussion a lot more focused like a laser instead of broad like a shot gun (I remember in learning about preaching that some focused on this technique of making things more laser focused). I know when there is a long post sometimes I don't know where to begin commenting and so I just don't.
Also I find that when I'm looking at a long post it sometimes helps to have certain catchwords or provocative statements in bold that will catch my attention. That way it makes it easier to find out if I'm interested. I try this sometimes on my blog but I don't know how other people view it of if I go over board with it.
Anyway those are a couple of things that I think I will do in the future with my blog since I figure some people who read it probably have short attention spans like I do (I think I have ADD : )
Bryan
It's interesting because the medium is neither like a discussion forum or BBS, but what I am finding is that it's not really like a journal or a newspaper either. It is somewhere in between. It's like a medium for commentary, and not the best place to provoke a whole lot of original thought. Or, original thought that is just really toned down commentary. It is a peculiar and new kind of reading behavior though as it seems.
It's interesting because the medium is neither like a discussion forum or BBS, but what I am finding is that it's not really like a journal or a newspaper either. It is somewhere in between. It's like a medium for commentary, and not the best place to provoke a whole lot of original thought. Or, original thought that is just really toned down commentary. It is a peculiar and new kind of reading behavior though as it seems.
Venta de levitra….
Venta de levitra….