Theses 5

Theses 4: Whether delivering information, opinions, perspectives, dissenting arguments or humorous asides, the human voice is typically open, natural, uncontrived.

Theses 5 builds on this: People reccognize each other as such from the sound of this voice.

This is the first concern for our "Internet Prescence".  What will encourage the visitor to "click around"? What signs can we give that this community is different?  What signs can we give that something valuable can be found not only in the physical gathering of this community,  but also in this "online representation?"  Many will not make it all the way in to the "Forum areas" or try out a Weblog post,  unless they are encouraged and perhaps even oriented to the idea that this Church intends to be active and energetic inthe online context as well as in person.

It seems that where Quentin Schultze's suspicions and fears about the "instrumental" emphases of online communication steer us wrong is to steer us away from the amount of investment we must make to make a mark in the online culture.  The warnings he sounds about information overload and the tendencies toward  instrumentalism over communication are valuable and legitimate,  but our task is to provide an alternative rather than to be conspicuous by our absence.  This is the mistake I see being repeated by the Church: the dragging of the organizational feet into the realm and conversartion of new media.  It took a long while for the Church to capture the efficiencies of print media (except for the few pioneers such as Martin Luther and others). 

People will recogiuze each other if they are given a chance to express something of their experience in the Church,  or explore some of their questions,  or frustrations.  Some of these can be made more private and confidential through the use of  INTRAnets vs the Public INTERnet sections.   The INTRAnet can be further segmented into smaller groups where further confidentiality can be observed.

The INTRAnet can be a place for staff,  for laypeople,  for ministry or mission groups,  for classes,  and certain pieces of their content can be "highlighted" and made accessible to the public,  for purposes of adding to the flavor of the community that the Church wishes to be communicated.

There must be multiple places and opportuinities for this "recognition of voice" on Church Web sites (if they are to move from being Websites to Web Ministries;  from "brochureware" to active voice and interaction.

© Copyright 2003 Dale Lature. Last update: 9/23/2003; 3:39:54 PM.