Does Virtual Community Matter To You?

There have been several occasions at St Tim during the week on which the conversation turned to our blogs, and each time, a variation of the same question comes up:  "Should we even have these blogs?"  This question is usually prompted by the lack of comments that St Tim members post in response to our blog entries.  Our thought was that these blogs would become an online space where topics could be discussed during the week, but that just hasn't happened much, and so we're wondering why.

 This morning, as I was chewing on this question, I had a brilliant, once in a lifetime idea:  I could ask.  So, I'm asking...

Obviously, you won't be seeing this unless you're one of the people who stop by occasionally, but why, from your perspective, isn't there more interactivity on these blogs? 

What keeps you from posting comments? 

If you don't stop by that often, what keeps you away? 

What do you think keeps other people from being active in the discussions or from reading the blogs?

While we must always put the emphasis on in-person interaction over online interaction, we realize that some communities really enjoy and utilize online interactivity, and some just don't (which is fine), and that could well be the case here, but if that's not the case, and if these blogs could become a more lively part of our community life, we want to be sure we're helping and not hindering that outcome.  If online community just isn't of much interest here, then we want to take the time we're investing in that, and direct it towards something else.  Thanks for your input.

Posted on Mon, October 13, 2008 by Chris Branscome

11 comments (Add your own)

1. todd wrote:
I would say that to date, a majority of the blogs haven't necessarily required comments. They were thoughts or personal reflections that did not implicitly require a response. That is, unless you wanted a lot of AOL-ish "me-too" responses...ala Usenet in the early days.

I would respond, though, that I have thoroughly enjoyed the blogs and my only complaint is that the frequency of blog posts isn't more (even if I don't always write a me-too response ;)

Sun, October 19, 2008 @ 9:14 PM

2. PJ wrote:
Silence speaks volumes, doesn't it? I wonder the same thing - and I don't know the answer. My guess - if blogs like this were in front of me daily, or in front of others, there would be more comments and interest. To completely re-write Romans 10 - How can they comment unless they read? And how can they read unless they navigate their way to your blog? And how can they navigate their way to your blog unless they are reminded that it exists? How beautiful are the... (uh, sorry, my creativity just disappeared)

Anyway - maybe it's just not enough of a draw to get people to come and check it out.

Tue, October 21, 2008 @ 12:38 PM

3. Chris wrote:
Great parallel! I believe that at least part of it is due to the irregularity of our (or at least my) posting. If there's only a 10% chance that there will be a new post when someone comes to visit, why would anyone be motivated to visit? Of course, I've only had two responses to this post, and it's been up a week already. But then again, it was just today that you sent out an email to let people know.... so let's see how it goes.

Tue, October 21, 2008 @ 5:21 PM

4. Jules wrote:
I have read the blogs off and on, but have never responded before today. I often find the blogs to be thought provoking and I spend time personally reflecting on the ideas and issues presented. With that said, even though I know I am an educated, fairly well spoken and fairly well written person.....I often feel insecure in responding. I am still learning so much on my Christian journey that I am a novice in knowing biblical terminology/stories/verses/jargon to respond in an intelligent fashion. Even though I have not been a participant in these blogs, they have helped me to reflect and grow in my faith.

Tue, October 21, 2008 @ 8:44 PM

5. Amber wrote:
I enjoy reading the blogs, but I don't always remember to check for new ones. The only reason I did tonight is because I got the e-maiI from PJ. I don't know why I've never commented or why others don't comment more. For me, I guess I felt I didn't have anything of value to add to what had been written.

Tue, October 21, 2008 @ 9:39 PM

6. Rachel wrote:
I know that personally my reasons for not visiting/responding to blogs is threefold. Firstly, I'm on a computer all day @ work, & don't necessarily want to spend time on it at home. Secondly, I'm a private person & in general don't like opening up, especially to the world about my thoughts & opinions. Thirdly, I don't expect there to be a new blog & pretty much my internet usage at home consists solely of things that I check on a daily basis. So if I checked it more regularly, I'd be more likely to read it/respond. To be honest, the e-mail PJ sent with news of new blogs is the only reason I checked out the blogs.

Tue, October 21, 2008 @ 9:45 PM

7. Chris wrote:
Wow! Thanks for all of the responses!

I want to comment particularly on the notion of not having anything of value to add, or not knowing the jargon. First off, I should tell you that I'm a language geek, and I enjoy using big words or trying my best to craft sentences well, but that can sometimes make me sound like I know more than I actually do. And really, it's much easier to talk about something than it is to live it, and I have a LONG way to go in my journey as well. I can talk about concepts about how we SHOULD live, but God is still working on me and shaping me into a person who really does live that way all of the time.

Lastly, remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 - " When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."

And by the way, I only knew where that was found because I knew that Paul said something about "eloquence," so I looked up that word on www.biblegateway.com. Knowing how to use online tools also might make me seem to know more than I do!

Tue, October 21, 2008 @ 11:19 PM

8. Visitor wrote:
I am not a member of your church, but I do enjoy reading the blogs. My husband and I are currently trying to make a decision about where we would like to start attending. It will most likely be a long process because it will be hard to leave the church we are at now.

With all of that said, I love that these blogs are here because it allows me to feel connected to St. Timothy even if I am not able to worship there. I have not commented because I have not felt comfortable opening up when I don't really know who will be reading what I have to say. Now maybe I will. :)

Sun, October 26, 2008 @ 7:11 AM

9. Mary Canada wrote:
I agree with Todd and Rachel about having a comment and about being on the computer all day. I actually thought a blog was just to post your thoughts about a subject, not always needing a response. I post on several medical blogs and usually they are information to help others not anything that they need to comment on. Sometimes a blog is about something that has worked in my life that might help others with their pain or ways to deal with overcoming obstacles. Yes, as a christian we have those as well, but sometimes you don't need to comment only read. Lighten up and relax. Are you able to count the "hits"? That would be a good indicator of how useful this page is.

Sun, October 26, 2008 @ 8:26 PM

10. Chris wrote:
Hi Mary - we definitely do keep an eye on the hits that the blogs get, and yes, some blogs are merely for posting ideas, but others are very discussion oriented. The online community has become an important meeting place for ideas - and therefore a place for Christians to discuss God, ask questions, etc, though of course, virtual community is not a substitute for meeting face to face. Our goal with these blogs is for them to be more than just a place where people can come read a devotional of sorts, but to be a venue in which discussions can take place when people don't have the time for face to face meetings.

Sun, October 26, 2008 @ 9:08 PM

11. Verlyn wrote:
My problem is that my computer time is at work - therefore - my time it limited.
But I really enjoy reading them and feeling connected. I say keep it up.
One time, I got on - printed out all the blogs - took them to lunch and enjoyed reading through my lunch hour. This way I read them but really don't have the opportunity to write back.

Wed, October 29, 2008 @ 10:34 AM

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