Mormon Mentality - Thoughts and Asides by Peculiar People » Keeping Up (or Not) With LDS Blogs and Blogging

By danithew

Jun. 11th, 2008 at 7:38 am

I’ve been reforming my RSS reader a bit, trying to get it a little more under control, and consequently the topic of LDS blogs (and which ones I want to read) has been on my mind a little bit lately.

I used to try to keep up with all the Mormon blogs and then when that became impossible I wanted to try and keep up with all the ‘big’ Mormon blogs. Now that isn’t so possible either and it may not even be desirable.

The LDS blogging community has grown/expanded/changed substantially in recent years and no doubt it will continue to grow as blogging becomes more and more ubiquitous. There’s enough going on now that a person has no choice but to be selective. Within the LDS blogging community, one can choose to read or not read orthodox blogs, non-orthodox blogs, liberal blogs, conservative blogs, feminist blogs, mommy blogs, apologists, solo blogs, group blogs, history blogs, political commentary blogs, tech blogs, literary criticism blogs, evolution blogs, snark blogs, etc. and etc.

The LDS blogging circle keeps expanding and there are more and more niches being filled – often enough a particular niche is covered by multiple bloggers. Of course, the more the LDS blogging community grows and specializes itself, the more selective a reader has to be.

Some questions for our readership, if they are interested. What LDS blogs do you choose to read or not to read? What makes you want to read a particular LDS blog over others? What do you love, hate or feel indifferent about – in regards to LDS blogging? What do you want more of and what do you want to see less?

1. marta

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 7:52am

I want to see more annegb and less me.

2. Dan Ellsworth

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 12:07pm

I use Google Reader for RSS, but it’s not always the best tool; it has not been picking up BCC’s postings lately.

3. Susan M

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 12:09pm

I subscribe to a lot of solo blogs in my RSS reader. Cheryl, byethelbs, Madhousewife, Tracy M, Mo Mommy, and more.

Otherwise I check ldsblogs.org and just read posts based on their title. I often forget which posts I’ve read come from which blogs.

I feel mostly indifferent to the scholarly/lawyerly posts. The ones that are too long. I get bored easily.

4. Jon W

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 12:14pm

Ok I will answer this one.

What LDS blogs do you choose to read or not to read?
I read most of the bigger blogs, JI, BCC, T&S, Mormon Mentality, Mormon Maters, Mormon Times and some rare times FMH.

Smaller blogs like M&A,Adventures in Mormonism, Trash calls and a couple of others make my list, along with Banner Sword and Shield of course ;). Most of the time I catch interesting titles on the Bloggergates which I follow.

What makes you want to read a particular LDS blog over others?
I like to read things that are thought provoking. As someone with an academic interest in Church history blogs that cover that get my attention. But blogs that simply are able to cover many levels are also worth reading.

What do you love, hate or feel indifferent about – in regards to LDS blogging?
Hate: One issue commentators. I don’t want to read you go off on your pet ideas on every post. (GWB, Obama, blacks in the priesthood, gays and abortion are not interesting for every post folks)

What do you want more of and what do you want to see less?
More, solid discussions about LDS theology, history or even amusing or uplifting stories about life in general. Less politics, we get a little too wound up in matters like that.

final thought:
For me reading these blogs has given me a greater appreciation for the thoughts of our membership. They have modified my views on issues that I might not have been willing to do before.

My biggest enjoyment as a blogger and commentator is having meaningful respectful discussions which can include different ideas yet still cover a lot of interesting ground.

5. KyleM

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 12:15pm

I read MM and BCC every day. I visit T&S a few times a month. I visit feasting upon the word when I am preparing a lesson. I visit others when there is a link, but that is it.

The topics resonate with me. I don’t want a Meridian experience. My opinion is validated, or at least recognized, enough to keep comming back. I believe Devyn’s posts were the ones that first hooked me here. Contemporary Mormonism for those who aren’t afraid to think. I like the historical analysis and some of the other stuff at BCC. Faithfully challenging, not faith challenging, topics.

6. Amira

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 12:20pm

Dan, I had to add BCC to Google Reader again a few weeks ago. I haven’t had any problems since I did that.

7. Steve Evans

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 12:29pm

Yeah, we switched servers at BCC a few weeks ago. Add the RSS feed again and you’ll be fine, Dan.

KyleM, I like your last sentence a lot.

8. Ardis E. Parshall

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 12:32pm

I sample a lot of blogs, mostly from aggregators, based on title and past experience with the blog. I try to encourage smaller blogs by commenting or linking from my own, for what that’s worth. I keep trying new blogs with emphases that are not my natural habitat; whether I return a 4th or 5th time depends on whether anybody acknowledges my earlier comments. I suppose I read/comment for community more than for information.

9. danithew

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 12:34pm

Thanks for all your comments.

As far as I know, BCC: posts have shown up in my Google Reader account without any problems. It’s a site I tend to visit on my own anyway, so I don’t think I would have missed much.

Just a note to Susan – I recently re-added Strange Pulse to my rss feeds. I’m hoping to confirm and re-confirm that it’s working. For some reason I tend to drift in and out of reading that blog, even though I love it … and I blame my RSS reader for that problem as I never intended to stop reading.

10. Lincoln Cannon

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 12:39pm

I use a combination of Google Reader and Google Blog Search to follow topics of interest across the entire spectrum of blogs. For example, I am particularly interested in posts that address a combination of Mormonism and science or technology. So I search for those terms in Google Blog Search, sort the results by date, click on the “RSS” link associated with the sorted results, and then copy the URL for the RSS data into Google Reader. From that point on, I get constant updates on posts related to both Mormonism and science or tech. I’ve found this to be a good way of keeping up with the expanding Bloggernacle (and beyond).

Here’s an example of the kinds of searches I use:

. . . and you can use the same process to generate similar RSS feeds for news and videos.

11. danithew

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 12:40pm

Part of the danger of an RSS reader (especially if subscribed to a lot of sites) is that I end up being on ‘autopilot’ and might not notice if a feed I care about stops submitting new posts.

I have to concur with what Steve said about liking that sentence “faithfully challenging, not faith challenging” – though that line can be a thin one to walk sometimes. Usually over time with a particular blogger, you can begin to tell the difference between the two. Or so I like to think.

12. M

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 12:49pm

I mostly wander. Traditionally, I don’t spend much time at LDS blogs, but I decided to become a more involved participant in the bloggernacle so I chose MM and FMH. From the looks of this thread, I should try BCC as well.

I like blogs that give full spectrum to the varying voices within the LDS church (and out of it). I love to learn from the various perspectives.

I like intellectually engaging material and open-mindedness. I like understanding.

Most of my online blogging and interfaith interactions have been with atheists and antagonists to religion, but also evangelicals. In response to non-theists, I have created my current blog (which is an apologist towards atheists with a distinctly LDS flavor, intended to show that one can be educated and have faith in God.) Naturally, I gravitate toward blogs that share my desire to perpetuate open-mindedness and address intellectually stimulating topics.

Lastly, I like authors who are respectful enough to others that, if the Spirit was intended, it can be felt upon reading. I like sincerity. I like faith. I like honesty. I like struggles. I like group effort. I love learning.

13. brandt

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 2:26pm

What LDS blogs do you choose to read or not to read?
I check my Mozilla RSS everyday on TS, BCC, FHM, MM, Mormon Mentality, the Temple Blog, Millenial Star. But I will usually only read the post if the title is interesting enough to me.

While I’m not all about the academia and scholarship (I just don’t consider myself that smart), the cultural things of Mormonism have always intrigued me. Whether it be the qwerky things we do, or “hot topic” issues of culture, I’m usually interested.

What makes you want to read a particular LDS blog over others?
Reputation. If they are consistently known for putting out good, interesting posts that conform to my idea of “interesting,” then I read it. Also, the amount of updates. If it hasn’t been updated in at least 4 days, I usually bump it down on the priority.

What do you love, hate or feel indifferent about – in regards to LDS blogging?
Love – Cultural issues and idiosyncrasies (sp)
Hate – Like KyleM said, I don’t like “faith challenging” topics. There is a very very distinct difference between faithfully challenging and faith challenging
Indifferent – Academia/Scholarship. I hope I don’t sound like an ignorant uneducated person, but many times I just don’t want to think that hard…

What do you want more of and what do you want to see less?
More – Theme blogs and bloglists that are updated and have a wide variety of themes.
Less – Topics that have been beat to a pulp. I guess I won’t know till I see them, but there are many that I just turn my brain off.

14. SingleSpeed

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 4:00pm

What LDS blogs do you choose to read or not to read?
I’ve got a whole slew in my google reader, but I don’t read most of them. I enjoy BCC, FMH, Segullah, ZD, and Mormon Matters. Generally, group blogs appear to be higher quality than solo blogs and provide more variety.

What makes you want to read a particular LDS blog over others?
Honesty & sincerity. History is interesting sometimes… but it’s hard to write a good historical post that doesn’t scare me off with its length. I like discussing LDS culture, the peculiarities and challenges. I like love the “You make the call” series that pops up.

What do you love, hate or feel indifferent about – in regards to LDS blogging?
I usually like the posts, but I get tired of the bickering that always follows in the comments. I most def do not come to LDS blogs to read two commenters getting at each other’s throats. I have a hard time reading T&S sometimes because so many of the commenters seem so headstrong and everyone just ends up arguing.

What do you want more of and what do you want to see less?
Less bickering from commenters. More posts where individuals just share their personal experiences and thoughts about mormonism. I don’t care about technical aspects of theology because i have nothing to contribute in that realm. But I want to know how others feel, perceive and react to mormonism because I know how I feel, perceive, and react to mormonism.

15. jjohnsen

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 5:35pm

Just a note to Susan – I recently re-added Strange Pulse to my rss feeds. Iâ€™m hoping to confirm and re-confirm that itâ€™s working. For some reason I tend to drift in and out of reading that blog, even though I love it â€¦ and I blame my RSS reader for that problem as I never intended to stop reading

I haven’t had any problems with the Strange Pulse feed recently. About a month ago it went all wonky and I was getting the same post showing up as new over and over, but I haven’t seen anything wrong since then.

What LDS blogs do you choose to read or not to read?

I read all of the bog ones. Mostly because they’re consistently updated. Even sites like Millennial Star that I rarely agree with are kept in my RSS reader, I like a variety of views.

What makes you want to read a particular LDS blog over others?

Variety in posts. I’d have dumped Times and Seasons long ago if it weren’t for Julie. Anyone else there seems to just be repeating themselves, and doesn’t really offer anything new.

What do you love, hate or feel indifferent about – in regards to LDS blogging?

I hate that Council of Fifty doesn’t update more often, and that all the contributors aren’t writing much. Maybe when the election gets closer.

What do you want more of and what do you want to see less?

More gay marriage and more blacks and the priesthood. And I’m not being sarcastic. I love any tiny bit of new insight people can offer on those two subject.

16. jjohnsen

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 5:42pm

Whoah, attack of the crappy tags.

17. Susan M

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 5:57pm

My web host has been having problems but they seem to be mostly resolved now. Crossing my fingers.

18. danithew

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 6:55pm

jjohnsen,

I think I fixed it. You simply forgot to close out one of your blockquotes at the beginning and then had an extra set at the end.

19. danithew

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 7:01pm

jjohnsen wrote:

“… Iâ€™d have dumped Times and Seasons long ago if it werenâ€™t for Julie. Anyone else there seems to just be repeating themselves, and doesnâ€™t really offer anything new.”

JJohnsen … there was a time (years ago) when Times and Seasons was my favorite LDS blog. I’m sad that it isn’t as good as it used to be. I’ll leave it at that.

20. jjohnsen

Wed, Jun 11, 2008 @ 7:13pm

Thanks danithew. Times and Season, along with FMH was my introduction to the bloggernacle. It was one of my favorite sites for a long time. I’m sad as well.

21. SilverRain

Thu, Jun 12, 2008 @ 7:03am

What LDS blogs do you choose to read or not to read?
I skim over posts more due to the title, not which blog it is on. I skip over most long posts. I just don’t have time or background to discuss historical or scholarly topics. I skip over most posts on big blogs because they are usually more about back-scratching than about actual discussion, and proffering a contrary opinion usually leads to being eaten alive, which is not very hospitable. There are certain individual blogs I read more often. I find the individual ones are more interesting, because they are not usually as gear towards impressing other people so much as they are about simply sharing their thoughts.

What makes you want to read a particular LDS blog over others?
Sincerity. I think it a rare thing that a blog post is sincere. Usually they seem to be about performance.

What do you love, hate or feel indifferent about – in regards to LDS blogging?
Love: personal application of spiritual doctrines
Hate: pseudointellectualism and self-promotion
Indifferent: historical discussions. They are interesting to skim over, but I don’t really think any history is unbiased, and it irritates me when people act as if it were. I don’t mind reading historical opinions when they are presented as opinions.

What do you want more of and what do you want to see less?
More spirituality, less arguing. Less pandering to politically and socially correct opinion. More willingness to rely on the testimony we all claim to possess. More talking about the things we do believe and less on the things we have issues with.

22. just me

Thu, Jun 12, 2008 @ 9:03am

My midyear resolution is to read the scriptures BEFORE I read any LDS-related blogs.

Seems to me I am spending a couple of hours a day (or more) keeping up on blogs, but somehow I’m not finding time to read the scriptures. that’s ironic and is probably not helping my spiritual development.

From now on i commit to spend at least as much time reading the scriptures as I do the blogs.
And I will read the scriptures first.

23. hawkgrrrl

Thu, Jun 12, 2008 @ 3:39pm

What LDS blogs do you choose to read or not to read? I always read MM (the other one-sorry!) daily, and I browse titles in ldsblogs.org and mormonblogs.org. I also like BCC a lot.

What makes you want to read a particular LDS blog over others? I think we find our posse a little bit based on our own approach. I like ones with a lot of different opinions (e.g. I prefer DAMU friendly, but I get tired of anti rants).

What do you love, hate or feel indifferent about – in regards to LDS blogging? LOVE – diverse opinions that stretch my thinking; oddly when someone comes after me I feel eerily on my game; HATE – whining, haters with the same 10 complaints about Mormonism ad nauseum, the ‘me too’ factor; INDIFFERENT – I can take or leave the personal (non topical) blogs. I like personal stories in the blogs & comments, but IMO the blog is the canvas and the comments are the painting.

What do you want more of and what do you want to see less? More faith-promoting yet questioning viewpoints, and I would like the lurkers to join in the discussion more. I love any inter-faith discussion also. I would like less feeling sorry for oneself and less giving and taking offense.

I am with “just me” and I just made that same commitment; I can only blog after I’ve read the scriptures each day AND I can only comment on posts at work if my email is clear.

24. ESO

Thu, Jun 12, 2008 @ 3:56pm

This has been such an interesting thread. It seems the aggregators are a major player–I know they are for me, too. I definitely click on titles that grab my attention, but I also look for specific writers or my pet topics.

I am with all those who (sheepishly) admit that length and tone can play a part in what I read–I am reading blogs largely for entertainment, so many scholarly and lengthy posts just get scanned.

25. DCcLemon

Thu, Jun 12, 2008 @ 4:06pm

I have a very hard time keeping up with any of the blogs. I usually read mormonmentality and mormonmommywars. I sometimes wonder if what I have to say has been said a million times elsewhere, but I just don’t know because I don’t have the ability to keep up with them all. I like this site because it feels inclusive. I like that people can disagree without being rude….with a few notable exceptions.

26. LDS Anarchist

Sat, Jun 14, 2008 @ 4:47am

What LDS blogs do you choose to read or not to read?
I pretty much only read my own, unless a commenter on my blog has a linked blog or there’s a referral link in the stats, then I’ll go and check out the source. So, I pretty much choose to read nothing outside of my own blog. Right now, though, is an exception as I’m bored and blog surfing, something I hardly ever do.

What makes you want to read a particular LDS blog over others? If a blog sticks to the scriptures, it gets the priority. If it talks of anarchy, it gets the priority. Otherwise, all blogs have an equal chance (or non-chance) of competing for my attention.

What do you love, hate or feel indifferent about – in regards to LDS blogging? I love open-minded posts and comments, in which no one gets offended and no one criticizes others, but all freely speak their mind. I love personal, not second-hand stories of spiritual manifestations and faith. I dislike (hate is such a strong word) censorship, sarcasm, mocking, intellectualism, cliques and spam. Oh, heck, the truth is I’m indifferent to it all. I hardly ever visit other blogs, anyway…

What do you want more of and what do you want to see less? I want to see more LDS Anarchism blogs, such as my own, the Mormon Worker, Quantum Saint and now Athena Minor. I want to see more plasma theology in LDS discussions, including blogs. I don’t really care about the other stuff I want to see less of, as I don’t see it anyway, since I normally don’t blog surf.

27. JA Benson

Sat, Jun 14, 2008 @ 12:13pm

What LDS blogs do you choose to read or not to read? Mormon Mentality and By Common Consent daily. I also regularly visit Nine Moons, Millennial Star, FMH and T&S.

What makes you want to read a particular LDS blog over others? By Common Consent often challenges and enriches my life intellectually. Mormon Mentality is more like friendly intelligent conversation. There are elements of MM and BCC in the others I visit. FMH is often entertainment, but it crosses my invisible line a lot. I started out with T&S and MS, but somehow T&S just got too lawyer(y) and a little dull. MS is coming back from what ever the problem it had in the past. Nine Moons is just a nicer, slower version of Mormon Mentality. Nine Moons is like living in the south.

What do you love, hate or feel indifferent about – in regards to LDS blogging? I love the diverse opinions. I like that most of us are sweet to one another most of the time. We just agree to disagree. We are like a functional family

What do you want more of and what do you want to see less? More annegb, I miss her. less political posts.

28. Charlie

Mon, Aug 11, 2008 @ 1:31pm

There is a new blog called “My way Fun Life” that pokes fun of all the funny things mormons do too… only… I think her stories are real, which make them more funny!!
check it out: mywayfunlife@blogspot.com