Mormons Encouraged to Use New Media

As noted by Geoff at New Cool Thang, the Newsroom at LDS.org highlighted a recent talk by Elder Ballard encouraging graduating LDS students at BYU-Hawaii to participate in online conversations about the LDS Church. Here's the actual passage from Elder Ballard's talk:

Now, to you who are graduating today, along with the other students at this wonderful university, may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet, particularly the New Media, to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration. Most of you already know that if you have access to the Internet you can start a blog in minutes and begin sharing what you know to be true.

The whole talk is a must-read. It seems to reflect the good work that the LDS tech department has done beefing up the LDS.org site, especially the Newsroom, and in educating senior leaders about what can be done with new technology. It also shows that senior LDS leaders now have an appreciation for the power of "the New Media" to spread news and information, as well as propaganda and misinformation. And the prevalence of the latter (misinformation) related to the LDS Church is the basis Elder Ballard gave for encouraging LDS students (and, by extension, any member of the Church) to do their part in spreading accurate information about the Church through blogging, commenting at media sites when LDS topics are discussed, posting links to various LDS videos or features, etc. And let me tell you, folks, in a Church where one can make a serious argument that Correlation (the "no, you can't say that" people) is the strongest quorum of the Church, this vote of confidence in the rank-and-file membership of the Church is a real step forward. Elder Ballard might have titled his talk "Power to the People."

Also mentioned in the talk was the realization that interviews, speeches, and responses to journalists have much greater exposure and impact given online media sites and blogs. Elder Ballard gave the example of a six-second quote from a one-hour interview that made the evening news, but a 15-minute excerpt from the interview was posted at the network's website (and it still there). It's a Brave New Media World out there. Public relations for any organization is a lot tricker than it ever was, and for the Church -- with way too many folks who think their calling in life is to spread misinformation about the Church -- it is orders of magnitude more challenging.

Note: Other Bloggernacle coverage at Splendid Sun, Waters of Mormon, More Good Blog, Times & Seasons, and A Soft Answer.

There's also a contrary view at Sixteen Small Stones.

Comments

[Matt W.]

You raise a good point of bringing praise to the lds tech department. Kudos to Joel Dehlin and his for a job well done. He must come from a good family.

[Dave]

Yes, I'm very impressed at how the Newsroom has evolved to become a rapid-response resource for correcting errors in published media stories or other misinformation that zips around cyberspace.

[C Jones]

I made a comment on this blog a while back about not being completely comfortable with the idea of the Bloggernacle representing Mormonism. I didn't mean that as a criticism, but only that I didn't think that every category of Mormon was represented here.

But after the latest attacks on our faith by the likes of Larry O'Donnell, and the hundreds of comments on his post by people so uninformed as to be scary, I am so thankful for bloggers like you Dave, and Geoff J and JNS and all the other founders and participants who take time out of busy lives and keep the 'nacle going. I can't think of anyone who I would like to see represent us more than all of you.

[Geoff J]

Well dang. That's one of the nicest things someone has said about me in a long time C Jones. Thank you!

[Dr. B.]

I am glad to see Elder Ballard, my former mission president checked out my blogsite that I emailed him which has lots of posts on the CTM Mission Experience and agreed with me that Bookslinger was doing worthwhile work on his Flooding the Earth site. Elder Ballard who is heading up a new media campaign might have gotten something from Dehlin but our consultants are actually nonMormons who drive the campaign.

http://indybooks.blogspot.com/

[Dave]

Thanks for the nice words, C Jones. Actually, I agree that there might be some hesitation about the B'nacle as representing the Church -- some discussions are all over the map and there's, uh, more diversity of opinion in the B'nacle than is generally seen in an LDS ward or at General Conference. Still, as a collection of personal voices talking about Mormonism from a believing perspective, it seems well-suited to the new world of online communications.

Dr B., I gave you a link on my blogroll and threw in Bookslinger's blog for good measure. I'll have to figure out how to post those YouTube links -- everyone else seems to get it. Or maybe I'm "old new media" already.

[Bookslinger]

Dave, thanks for the link. I'm overwhelmed by Elder Ballard quoting me. And thanks to Dr. B, too. My emotions have run the gamut from wanting to turn cartwheels to cowering in fear and trembling. There's a lot more going on, and a lot of unseen ramifications, than any one of us can imagine. Such a confluence of events.

[Jim Cobabe]

"...diversity of opinion"!

The Bloggernacle is far too freewheeling to accurately represent the Church. Too much dominated by fringe thinkers who think theirs is the only legitimate voice. Something, some governing principle will have to be imposed, to establish order.

I don't know how Elder Ballard would propose to deal with this, but I think it has to happen.

[Dave]

So Jim, wouldn't you agree that "a collection of personal voices talking about Mormonism from a believing perspective" is a fair description? And since it is a radically decentralized online community with no clear boundaries, I doubt any sort of governing principle can be imposed. There's a weak sort of self-governance that happens via links and feedback, but I think that's all there can ever be given the nature of the medium.

[Jim Cobabe]

I think at least initially, I would leave off the "believing perspective" qualifier. Blog entries and comments serve a whole universe of interests and points of view. Certainly not all "Mormon"-related blogs do so from the "believing perspective".

I would stop short of such an endorsement for even the "inner circle" of Bloggernacle participants -- the most active, attracting the most attention. Some of them wander far and wide from the scope of "believing". Others of the lesser blogs serve private, personal agendas that would seem to have little to do with advancing the mission of the Church. Still others seem to compete in other areas that appear quite antithetical to advancement of the Gospel mission.

[Equality]

Cool! I am so glad to hear Elder Ballard supports me in my blogging efforts as a member of the church dedicated to the dissemination of truth (even the "not useful" ones). I agree that PR for the church is much more challenging now that folks are not able to spread misinformation with impunity (there is ever the watchful blogger at the ready to seize upon such efforts and expose them to the world).

[Dave]

Equality, your talent for doublespeak does not go unappreciated.

[Jim Cobabe]

QED

[Equality]

Dave,

Thanks!

[Seth R.]

Correction Jim, bloggernacle bloggers don't always approach things from an "orthodox" perspective. But they usually tend to come from a "believing" perspective. I know that for many orthodox Mormons "orthodox" and "believing" are synonyms, but we don't all feel that way.