Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends
This is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, so I thought I’d take it easy today and throw out a question: What do you feel is lacking these days in the Christian blogosphere? What topics aren’t being covered? What needs aren’t being met? How can the long-form of blog posts be more effective and fruitful in a world of 140-character tweets and one-sentence status updates?
Or feel free to suggest some area where you feel Christians could make better use of the internet in general. Or celebrate some who already are.
Update: Although this is an older blog post; if you find yourself here, feel free to continue to leave a comment.
Thinking Out Loud 
I notice that dialogue happens more on Facebook in response to ‘What’s On Your Mind’.
A couple good sentences or a quote can stimulate many comments.
I have not observed the same volume of dialogue on Christian blogs.
Comment by Kevin Rogers — October 9, 2010 @ 9:59 am
Good point. I can remember reading years ago that the best way to frame a blog post is to end with a question. (Pete Wilson does this a lot.)
These days, some blogs cut off comments after only one or two; don’t allow them at all; or only post comments from a select group of regulars.
The potential is there for much more interaction, and blogs can keep that more focused than the Christian chat rooms I’ve seen, which seem to wander all over the place topically.
Comment by paulthinkingoutloud — October 9, 2010 @ 10:02 am
I noticed, within Anglicanism, that one article on the official “Journal” website had 7 comments, but the same article – being a bit controversial – which had been copied holus bolus to a conservative offshoot Anglican site had 17 comments.
The community fighting for it’s [new] life has far deeper engagement with content. The community that sees its purpose clearly will engage.
Comment by brian — October 9, 2010 @ 12:20 pm
You’re right. Responses and interaction are often driven by passion. I’ll read some excellent Christian blog posts, but never once consider clicking on the ‘comments’ button because I am not passionate about that particular topic. Other times, my finger is on the button before I’ve even finished reading what the author has to say, because it’s a topic about which I can’t restrain myself from joining.
I honestly feel I do my best work on other peoples’ blogs. This week however, I had three comments which never got posted, which was rather frustrating, because I honestly felt they added something needed to the discussion.
Your second last sentence is the one I like best. Some people are “hungry” for discussion. Those are the kind of people you want to hang with; the kind of blogs you want to subscribe to.
Comment by paulthinkingoutloud — October 9, 2010 @ 3:06 pm
Sometimes blogs seem like they have to have some type of solution. Occasionally we like to know that everyone is in this struggle together. That even in the struggle we can find peace and hope.
Comment by Mark — October 9, 2010 @ 1:24 pm
Excellent comment. Sometimes I think there is a genuine desire to want to move the ministry value of the blog up a notch or two. But sometimes the best thing you can say in response to something is, “I don’t know:” or “That’s an issue that has divided theologians for many years.”
The other thing is that where I think I can be helpful to someone, I often move that discussion off-the-blog. I get to see everyone’s e-mail address, and then I have the opportunity to decide to continue the discussion in a less public forum, out of the spotlight, so to speak.
I’m really thankful for bloggers who are truly transparent online; in discussing their parenting failures, their financial trials, their occupational insecurity or their spiritual weaknesses. Many of these are pastors, which makes the openness all that more refreshing.
Comment by paulthinkingoutloud — October 9, 2010 @ 3:02 pm