Blog entries - October 2007

Things to Think About Before You Launch Your Web Project

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 23:46:53 +0100

I could hear the frustration in her voice as we talked. The head of a non-profit, she was upset about her Website. It hadn't been updated in a year, and she desperately needed to get control of it. She had fundraising product to sell, supporters to keep updated, and prospective member information to distribute.

Unfortunately, time and again, all of my questions were answered with, "I don't know." After twenty minutes, it became clear that she didn't know who owned her domainRead More...

Online Multimedia Bible Studies

Jason Barker — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 17:23:30 +0100

I will be unable to write a normal blog post this week because I am frantically working to complete my new - and completely free - Orthodox multimedia Bible study, Life Together: An Interactive Study of 1 Corinthians. This study launches on Thursday, November 1st.

I encourageyou to look at my other Bible studies at www.orthodoxyouth.org . I create these studies - which contain modern commentaries, patristic commentaries, life application articles, articles about Orthodox ChristianRead More...

Creating an Audio Program: Interfaces

Jason Barker — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:06:52 +0100

In the first post in this series on creating GET WISDOM: The Orthodox Bible Study Program for Teens , I wrote about the criteria I used in selectinga microphone, and the advantages and disadvantages in the microphone I use (the Heil PR40 ). In this post I'll discuss choosing an interface.

Unless you are using a high-quality USB microphone to record your podcast (like the Rode Podcaster ), you will need an interface to connect a professional microphone to your computer (this is assumRead More...

Facing the Vacuum: Orthodox Media?

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 21:56:00 +0100

A few years back, I had the opportunity to deliver my standard presentation on Jihad to a Greek Orthodox Sunday school class. Towards the end of the presentation, I started fielding questions. A few of the ladies in the class were really interested in the role of the Middle East in fulfilling Biblical prophecy. I was taken aback by the questions. I knew the ladies were cradle Orthodox, but the tone and content of the questions betrayed both a knowledge of, and a belief in, the DispensatioRead More...

More resources on stem cells

Seraphim Dankaert — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 17:22:29 +0100

This week's episode of Come Receive the Light includes an interview with Fr. John Breck, an Orthodox priest and theologian who has published more on stem cell research than any other prominent Orthodox ethicist.

This topic couldn't be more timely. A simple Google search produced about 5,075 recent news articles dealing with some aspect of stem cell research. It's obviously time for us, as Orthodox Christians, to examine and discuss the scientific and moral realities Read More...

Creating an Audio Program: Mics

Jason Barker — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:48:54 +0100

I've decided to write a short series of articles describing how I create GET WISDOM! The Orthodox Bible Study Program for Teens . There are a tremendous number of priests laypersons working in Orthodox ministries who could provide superb content

for radio programs and podcasts. For those interested in creating such programming, I hope you might be able to learn a little about audio production from the learning experiences through which I've gone (and continue to go).

&nRead More...

RSS: Just More Techno Jargon or a Really Useful Tool?

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 00:51:24 +0100

Techies love acronyms. So much so, in fact, that we often sound like we're speaking a foreign language to normal humans. That's too bad, because a lot of times the acronyms obscure information about really, really useful tools.

One of those tools is RSS, short for Real Simple Syndication. What is that? As the name implies, it is actually a simple concept. Users can get your headlines and article intro-text delivered to them on an automatic basis.

&nRead More...

What's on this week?

Seraphim Dankaert — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:34:33 +0100

We've got all kinds of great new programs for you this week. Here's a handy summary of what you can hear, when you can hear it and how to make the most of MyOCN.net!

This week on The ARK and RUDDER: "Come Receive the Light": Major John Thomas discusses his experience in Iraq and the broader issue of war and peace in Orthodoxy. Listen @ 11 AM & 7 PM , every day except Tues & Thurs."Special Moments in Orthodoxy": Metropolitan Kallistos Ware contRead More...

New features on MyOCN.net

Seraphim Dankaert — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 15:20:27 +0100

A lot is happening here at MyOCN.net. Here are three of the most exciting new features you can use to grow in your walk with Christ.

Dynamis Minute

You may have already heard one of our new features on The ARK and RUDDER. We're playing very short reflections from the creators of DYNAMIS, a popular daily devotional produced by members of the St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral in Wichita, Kansas.

You can listen to the audio files on demand AND reRead More...

Giving Increases Happiness

Jason Barker — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:02:39 +0100

The Dallas Morning News linked to an article about a University of Oregon study in the new field of neureconomics

which concluded that donating money to a charity activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure . The findings are not restricted only to financial giving, but also to virtuous living. Manya Brachear writes:

Paul Zak, director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University, told me the findings speak not only Read More...

Going Dynamic

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 01:47:05 +0100

As an Orthodox Parish Webmaster, 2006 marked the year that I wanted to take the parish's Web presence into the 21st Century. First I did a Bulletin Board/Discussion Forum . Then I did a large-scale

www.ststephenoca.com/cpg148/">photo gallery. In the Fall of 2006, the next stop for the Web presence of the Orthodox Church of St. Stephen the Protomartyr was to go dynamic.

Before continuing, let's define two critical terms. Static HTML is generated by a program like FroRead More...

A media alternative?

Seraphim Dankaert — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 20:37:50 +0100

Jason's most recent blog post has got me thinking. When it comes to the potential size of Orthodox media outreach, demographics are indeed tyrannous. But so too is our preconceived idea of genre.

Here's what I mean: I've been talking to priests and listeners

all over the country. Most of them are interested in OCN's programming and our ability to give them their own radio station for one reason: Because it will offer a great forum for teaching programs. TheRead More...

Popularity and Orthodox Media

Jason Barker — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:48:40 +0100

A blog about classical music recently looked at the long-standing claim that classical music is dying (i.e., that its listenership is disappearing, and thus the music is becoming an unsustainable artform). The writer makes

a cogent point:

Basically: people who say classical music is dying are doing so, in large part, because they donâ€™t think that classical music generates enough of a bandwagon effect...A lot of this arises from a comparison with pop, and Read More...