When is a blog dead?
Saturday, April 19, 2008
When I first started reading blogs a lot a few years ago, one of the blogs I visited most regularly was Generous Orthodoxy Think Tank. I appreciated its mission of trying to transcend the typical liberal/conservative divide in the church, and doing so within a broadly orthodox framework. But the Think Tank has been sputtering for a long time now. There have only been 7 posts since the beginning of the year, and the last one was on March 12th.
That leads me to a question: When is a blog dead?
With the Think Tank in particular, the question for me is when to remove it from the "I like these blogs" category on my right hand sidebar. I will read dozens of blogs over the course of a month, but I put those few ones there in my sidebar to say to readers, "Hey, these are some good blogs you should check out." Some of them are written by friends, while others are Methobloggers who tend to have exceptionally good content. And some, like the Christianity Today and Christian Century blogs, connect what we do with the broader Christian conversation. The Think Tank was in this latter category, which makes its demise all the more disappointing.
Sometimes the death of a blog is announced, as it was in the case of Shane Raynor's Wesley Blog. With the Think Tank, it seems to have died slowly from lack of time or interest on the part of the contributors. Regardless, I'll be taking it off my list of favorites. Can't recommend a blog that isn't really functional.
On a positive note, I've added some other blogs that I have found particularly interesting or useful:
-- Young Clergy Blog - the relatively new blog that is run by young clergy in the North Alabama Conference and addresses issues particularly relevant to young UM clergy.
-- John Meunier - a UM pastor in Indiana who posts on an interesting and diverse range of church-related topics.
-- Andy Rowell - a fellow Th.D colleague of mine here at Duke. Andy comes from an evangelical background and has served both as a pastor and a professor. His blog, Church Leadership Conversations, includes thoughts, reflections, and advice for church leaders or church leaders-in-training.
That leads me to a question: When is a blog dead?
With the Think Tank in particular, the question for me is when to remove it from the "I like these blogs" category on my right hand sidebar. I will read dozens of blogs over the course of a month, but I put those few ones there in my sidebar to say to readers, "Hey, these are some good blogs you should check out." Some of them are written by friends, while others are Methobloggers who tend to have exceptionally good content. And some, like the Christianity Today and Christian Century blogs, connect what we do with the broader Christian conversation. The Think Tank was in this latter category, which makes its demise all the more disappointing.
Sometimes the death of a blog is announced, as it was in the case of Shane Raynor's Wesley Blog. With the Think Tank, it seems to have died slowly from lack of time or interest on the part of the contributors. Regardless, I'll be taking it off my list of favorites. Can't recommend a blog that isn't really functional.
On a positive note, I've added some other blogs that I have found particularly interesting or useful:
-- Young Clergy Blog - the relatively new blog that is run by young clergy in the North Alabama Conference and addresses issues particularly relevant to young UM clergy.
-- John Meunier - a UM pastor in Indiana who posts on an interesting and diverse range of church-related topics.
-- Andy Rowell - a fellow Th.D colleague of mine here at Duke. Andy comes from an evangelical background and has served both as a pastor and a professor. His blog, Church Leadership Conversations, includes thoughts, reflections, and advice for church leaders or church leaders-in-training.
posted by Andrew C. Thompson at 12:43 PM
4 Comments:
Yeah, John Muenier has always been a good blogger, but he's really started to shine in the past few months. Good pick.
Yep, with you on GOTT's blog. I've been planning on removing it from my list too. Can't keep it on just because I like the idea of it if it isn't actually an active blog.
Andrew, thanks for the plug.
Many of you out there reading have outstanding blogs which are under-appreciated. Peace to you.
Andrew, your post raises the question of priorities for me. How seriously do we take blogging in light of our other academic priorities / pastoral responsibilities? Obviously the Generous Orthodoxy ThinkTank people have not given it a great degree of priority in their lives. Then again, people like
* Adam Hamilton - Seeing Gray
* Ben Witherington - Professor of New Testament at Asbury Seminary
* Scott Jones - Kansas West UMC Bishop Blogs and Columns
* Will Willimon - A Peculiar Prophet
do give it some attention. How much of a priority should our blogging be? How many people are really reading? Can anyone know its net long-term implications? Will blogging help us sell books in the future by getting our name out and building loyal fans? Or would we better off trying to get our coursework done and writing a book and beginning our teaching career as quickly as possible? Or, as many worry, will blogging about something controversial someday sink us in a job interview? Shouldn't we try to produce quality material yet not overestimate the impact we are happening? I recall the T-shirt that reads, "No one reads your blog."
Though I try to keep blogging as a secondary priority behind my family and studies, I think blogging helps me write more clearly, with more sensitivity, and with more confidence. It also helps me continue to build connections with others. It is one venue to exercise the teaching gift to those who are interested in listening.
grace and peace,
Andy Rowell
Th.D. Student
Duke Divinity School
Durham, NC
Blog: Church Leadership Conversations
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