Missionary Blog Watch

Photo courtesy of debaird

Some of you may have heard in the news about the riots in Dublin, Ireland this past weekend.  I won't go into all the details, but leave it to those who know the situation better than I.  A couple of our missionary families commented on it, and one was on the scene the day after.  That would be Matt and Hailey Kingsley at Kingsley Clan.  Read their thoughts and links to photos and news in their post Dublin Riots.

Also, visit HUBERnews and read their post Riots in Dublin.

For news stories on the riots, check out the Dublin riots listings from Google News.

Keep praying for Ireland.

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Comments - Missionary blog tip #5
March 8, 2006 09:10

Probably well over 95% of our missionary blogs use comments, so I'm probably preaching to the converted.  Of course, there's more to using comments than just having them available.

So first of all, do use comments.  Some of you aren't yet using them because you're not using software that allows them.  Some aren't using them because you've disabled them.  Comments are the heart and soul of blogs.  People love to know that they can interact with you.  There's lots of news to read on the internet - conversations are something better.

Some of you have disabled comments because of your concerns about junk comments, shall we say.  It's a valid concern.  People coming to your site may not understand that you don't necessarily endorse that online pharmacy or casino (or worse).  You need to have a way to quickly get rid of or avoid these comments, without spending all your time doing it.  And at this point, your blog is likely to gain traffic, not lose it - good and bad traffic.  What do you do?

The best thing to do is to go and get some blog software with good spam controls available.  The free WordPress, for example, has add-ons that can help filter junk comments without you even having to see them.  You can also have people log in to comment, or you can check comments before they're allowed on your site.  You can also automatically allow comments from people you've allowed before, and hold comments from new people.  You can close out the commenting on old posts.  There are lots of tools on these more heavy duty blog options, such as WordPress, Movable Type and TypePad.

In Blogger, you have limited control, but you can still use comment verification, and "word verification" which at least ensures your commenter is a real person.  It's not good to leave comments in limbo for too long if you can help it - think carefully before you choose to moderate comments.  It's easier in more heavy duty software, but still requires you to act.

Here's the other debate - how do you respond to comments?  Here's my suggestion.  First, respond to most comments with a comment of your own, on the same post (this is something I'm just starting to do myself).  Also, consider sending an email.  You may not be able to do that all the time, but remember some people will never return, or may never check back at that post.  An email may just start a new friendship.  I would make this second priority, depending on your time and what type of comment it is.  I don't do this often, but sometimes.  You can do other cool things with comments too.  On my personal blog, I show recent posts with comments (since I'm not a super-blogger that gets comments on every post!).  Check out Finding direction and look to the right.

One more thing - when you write a post, think about people who may comment.  Don't act like you know it all every time.  Ask for other people's opinions, leave room for discussion.  And don't get upset if no one comments.

In summary - it's worth it to take a little extra time to allow comments on your site.  Not only does it allow other people to have their say, it actually encourages them to read your blog more.

Many of you do this well, but here are a few examples:

Comings Communiqué

Jungle Pop

relevantblog

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More new missionary blogs in 2006!
March 15, 2006 09:02

Let me introduce you to some of our newest missionary blogs:

From the people who introduced you to the jet towel, we present SQJ Taipei!

Over 2 months in Madrid now, it's My Life (as I see it)

Find out what a real cheese hater is thinking about at Thoughts on life and the Kingdom of God

Boy, did they have snow.  Check out The Mattingly Times

We wish you could post pictures too - but the time will come.  Meantime, check out the text at Servant Style.

Eyes that really see - check it out at The Sims Family in Honduras

On the brink - just about to leave for Nigeria.  Go visit Esselinks (almost) in Nigeria.

Also, let me give you one short term blog - these guys are heading to Brazil - The official FOCUS Team Blog.  They're going in May to work with the Comings family.

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Bugs.
March 18, 2006 11:32

How about some bugs?  God got really creative when He made bugs, and most of us have only seen a handful of what's out there.  Some of us are glad we've only seen a handful.  But for those who want to see more...

First, video blogging has come to Bolivia, and the star is a very weird stinging caterpillar.  And, head on over to Jessica's bathroom to see her green friend.  And remember the spider she saw a few weeks ago?  Then read about one creepy crawly in the Dominican Republic.  Find out what the Burns are sharing their house with.

Finally, read about what they're *gulp* eating in Rwanda.

By the way, the photo above is of an African grass hopper.

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Medicine in Nigeria
March 27, 2006 09:44

Sometimes I miss the longer posts out there because I simply don't have time to read them all.  But for some reason I did sit down and read this one, and it was worth it.  Frank and Barbara Esselinks are in Nigeria for just a couple of months, doing medical work in Jos.  Read in this post their experiences with the Nigerian census, work at the hospital and especially what happened when a very sick 1 year old girl was brought to the hospital.  The post is called Hospital Life.

For more on the medical and cultural challenges in Nigeria, check out this post from Kids' Doc in Jos, entitled Resistance (Paul).  Again, a longer post and parts of it somewhat technical, but if you're interested in the details of dealing with HIV this will give you some insight.

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Video blogging week cometh
March 31, 2006 12:26

Mexico Movies has notified us that there's an important event coming up next week - Video Blogging Week 2006!  I thought this would be a good time to highlight some past missionary video blogs, partly just to show you that it can be done and that's it's being done more and more often!  Why not take the time to post your first video blog next week?  It doesn't take a lot of money and equipment.  If you have a digital camera that takes video, you're off to a great start...

The ultra-simple way - providing a link to a video file.  This was used by the Copelands to show us thier new baby (warning - it's a 5.82MB download)!  Also, Rogier Bos has short video posted - he wants to tell you about the video phoning capability of Skype.

Using YouTube, Amy gives us a tour of her flat in Madrid, Spain.  Also, the Burgins give us a glimpse of the life of a short term team in Bolivia.  Another example of YouTube - Meaghan's birthday.

Using audioblog.com, how about a sermon in Portuguese?  Or a family trip to the zoo?

Google video makes it easy to post and share a trip to Xochimilco, Mexico.

Finally, the blog dedicated to videoblogging - Mexico Movies.  They've uses QuickTime and the Internet Archive to bring you video.  Check out this video of a Mexican street performer.

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