03 February 2009

A Plea for Blog Etiquette

1. This is a Lutheran blog. You are welcome here to discuss theology even if you are not Lutheran; you are not welcome here to attack the Lutheran Church. If you're interested in that, please don't bother to post, and I'm not even sure why you'd visit.

2. I believe that blogs work best when they function like conversations. In the comments, please do NOT post numerous responses at once. If you post, don't post again until a post is answered. If you think I've forgotten, you can feel free to remind me. But do not inundate the entries with comments - that's the equivalent of not shutting up long enough for another person to get a word in edgewise.

3. Remember that blogging is something I do as a hobby. I have a more than full-time job in my parish. If you think I'm not responding in a timely manner, please recall that blogging is something I do when I can. It takes but a few minutes for me to dash off an initial thought; but to respond to every poster takes considerable time, and frankly, I don't have it.

4. The sorts of responses I'm most interested in are not those that necessarily agree with something I've written, but those that build up the readers in their faith and encourage them in their living out of our joyful life in union with Christ Jesus. Even if I DON'T get around to responding to such, I always appreciate reading them myself. For example, I love Sean's work of giving us Magdeburg in modern notation. But I didn't respond and say "thank you" as I should have; for that, Sean, forgive! And here's a belated "thanks!"

5 comments:

MG said...

Pr Weedon--

Hopefully nothing I have said seemed like an attack. It was not intended as such, and if it came across as such, I would like to know so that it doesn't happen gain.

I am sorry for posting multiple comments. The reason I did so is to keep the thoughts separate so that if you wanted to respond to them separately you could do so more easily. But I will try to be slower in how I post things.

I look forward to continuing to discuss with you in a friendly way, if you are still willing.

William Weedon said...

MG,

I, too, look forward to continuing the discussion, but if it can continue as discussion with time for back and forths, that would be most helpful. In other words, from the multitude of what was sent out last night, is there a SINGLE point at which you'd most like the discussion to go forward? That would be more helpful than expecting me to respond to all points all at once! :)

What seemed like an attack last night was the rapidity with which the responses flooded my inbox - giving no time to digest and respond before another was being lobbed! And they were responses to things I think from several days back.

I appreciate that you wanted them answered separately. But can you see that asking all those all at once would have required my entire evening and most of today to be spent in answering?

Anonymous said...

Keep up the great blog, Br. WIlliam! It is always my first stop each lunch hour . . . What a blessing!

Viekerhaus

Randy Asburry said...

Ah, the price of fame and popularity in the blogosphere! ;-) Don't let the turkeys get you down as your blog posts soar with the eagles of good and edifying blogs. As for commenting on all of the comments, I have noticed some blogs, particularly those related to news sites, often just let the comments pile up without necessarily responding. They're probably just interested in input rather than bona fide conversation. But, hey, I'm all for people learning to relax when it comes to this electronic-, cyber-communication business. Patience and waiting never hurt anyone. Besides, I'm still searching for that law carved in stone that says, "Thou shalt respond to my email/blog comment within 30 second, or else...." :-)

Dan @ Necessary Roughness said...

RE: Pr. Asburry

On NR, I don't want to look like I'm one of those people with the obsessive compulsive need to answer comments 30 seconds after they've submitted. I want to participate but not necessarily dominate a discussion. I hope nobody sees that as indifference and doesn't comment because of it. :)

If I had as many comments as Pr. Weedon I would seriously consider turning on threaded comments, but if "The God Whisperers are offensive" on WT is any indication, that's ugly too.