Introducing the Christian Web Trends Blog

Hi and welcome to OurChurch.Com’s new “Christian Web Trends” blog.  What’s a “blog” you may wonder?  I’ll get to that in a minute.  We’ll be using this format to talk about news and trends in communications technology and how that impacts Christian individuals and organizations.  Our goal is to help Christian individuals and organizations make better use of communications technology in their churches, schools, ministries, businesses, and personal lives.

Being a website design, hosting, and marketing company, our staff gets pretty amped up about cutting-edge Internet and tech stuff as it is.  We’re constantly reading news, articles, and other blogs to stay ahead of the curve in creating and improving web services.  So, blogging on the subject is just a natural next step, and one we’re really excited about.

What is a blog?
If you’re a blog veteran you may think answering that question is silly, but a Pew Research study from last year showed that 63% of Internet users don’t know what a blog is.  There are bound to be people for whom this is the first blog they’ve ever read.  That’s cool.  I’m glad to be the one to introduce you.

A blog, or web log, is simply an online journal.  Generally, one or more bloggers will post articles to the blog, and then readers have the opportunity to post comments.  Blogs can focus on a particular subject, or be about whatever interests the blogger.  Some blogs are read by millions of people, others are just read by a few friends and family members.

Why blog?
About a quarter of Internet users read blogs on a regular basis right now, and that number is growing exponentially.  Blogs are quickly becoming a regular source of information for many people.

Part of their appeal is the truly democratic nature of blogs.  There are no editors.  There is no censorship.  It used to be that if the TV networks and your local paper decided not to report a story, you probably wouldn’t ever hear about it.  Now, news often breaks through the blogosphere (the collective term used to describe all blogs) even before the cable news channels.  News, analysis, and perspectives that were not considered important enough to see the light of day in the old media, are published in blogs.

Blogs are democratic in their readership as well.  If a blog is boring, full of errors, or simply regurgitates information people can get from other, better sources, it will have little readership and little impact.  But if you write an interesting, insightful blog with a unique perspective, word will spread and you could have thousands of people reading your posts.

Christian Web Trends Blog
So what qualifies us to start a “Christian Web Trends Blog?” Well, the good thing is you don’t have to be qualified to start a blog. 😉 Seriously though, I genuinely believe God has blessed the staff at OCC with a unique perspective in the area of Christian communication that ought to be shared.  I think the breadth of services and experience we have will translate into a broad array of topics.  I’m hoping that the one-on-one contact we have with thousands of Christian webmasters who are also pastors, teachers, entrepreneurs, missionaries, and musicians will give our writing a personal feel. I think our staff’s own service as elders, Christian school board members, worship leaders, small group leaders, and Sunday school teachers will translate into practical advice you can use.

Right now our plan is to post a new article each week, but we may tweak the schedule as we go.  We’ll also comment on news and other articles we read.  Speaking of which…

If you have a website, magazine, or blog that’s related to Christians’ use of communication technology, please post a comment with a link to it.  If you’d like to suggest a topic for a future article, you can post that too.  And of course, we’d love to read your general comments and feedback.

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In His Service,
Paul Steinbrueck
OurChurch.Com

Paul Steinbrueck

Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com

Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.

An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.

Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.