Curation Of Information (for Evangelization)

[arfink]

[quote name='Papist' timestamp='1338467884' post='2438623']
This is a very tough question. To grab their attention or draw the reader in, I guess the topic/heading/etc. would have to appealing. The first thing that comes to mind about keeping the reader once he is drawn in is CHARITY and HONESTY. There are many places in the webz that catch my attention, but most don't keep me there b/c the lack of charity and honesty. And another thing I really loathe is sights that are mostly detailing why the other way of thinking/life/etc. is wrong rather than showing the good of theirs. I think it is most effective if the information is presented in a way of not trying to convince/convert/etc, but just give me the true facts and let me process it with myself. And have a mechanism to ask questions.
[/quote]

I'd like to think that you are right, but that already sounds alot like what Catholics are already doing online, and it's not really working that well.

[quote name='Innocent' timestamp='1338435591' post='2438422']
This is an interesting topic, Arfink. I remember reading an article a couple of years ago on how the layout of books has changed from being a linear flow of text to being a connected cluster of information chunks, comprising a mixture of text and graphics. (e.g., any modern Dorling Kindersley book.) Recently, ebooks have even started experimenting with embedding audio and video right into the book.

As necessary as it is to grab and hold the attention of the reader, or more accurately in these times, "information consumer," it might also be part of the Catholic witness to encourage people to be aware of how electronic media is influencing our attention spans and changing our abilities to think deeply.

Jonathan S. Hayward, an Orthodox Christian author, often addresses the issue of how the digital culture influences us,[url="http://jonathanscorner.com/"] through his writings, which are all available online for free on his website.[/url]
[/quote]

Of course modern media has changed the way we think. That's the whole reason why we need to change our approach. Obviously if we are aware of it ourselves then we can work to change our habits of thinking, but that does nothing to help the millions of people who have been unknowingly affected. In order to do any work to help them we must first reach them, and sadly that will mean using modern delivery methods if we want to have a prayer of being effective.

[Papist]

[quote name='arfink' timestamp='1338475525' post='2438663']
I'd like to think that you are right, but that already sounds alot like what Catholics are already doing online, and it's not really working that well.
[/quote]

What is it that is not working that well?

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

i get it, knowledge helps but it isn't true power, and i guess one way to prowess our evangelium iz to love the unloveable once or twice or even more in our lifetime and even better a random unloveable we have never met. at least for 1 dark night like the good samaritan. The unloveable sometimes if you can minister there wounds effectively are actually not unloveable but have just built a wall around there heart due to let down after let down and only the most daring can climb over that wall, and once your over that wall anything good can happen in faith.hope and love for that person.

Edited May 31, 2012 by Tab'le Du'Bah-Rye

[arfink]

Were you gonna change this topic title Cmom?

[quote name='Papist' timestamp='1338475964' post='2438666']
What is it that is not working that well?
[/quote]

Oh I don't know, like the fact that on sites like this one and others (mostly blogs, Catholic.com etc) we tend to attract only compatible Catholics and actively infuriate and drive away everybody else except for the occasional iron-stomached-weirdo like Kujo or JLOL.

[Groo the Wanderer]

mebbe distill the CCC into liquid form and inject it directly into the brain?

[arfink]

Another point I'd like to make about changing our pradaigm (not as Phatmass, but as Catholics)

We need to be using social media to spread our message. We must. Losing a culture war looks like this:
[img]https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Ny4aE3eBy0Y/T8jYw8Ui_BI/AAAAAAAAB6E/N5qQE6U9Jvc/s800/losing.png[/img]

Anyone can be using social media like Facebook or Google+ as a "curating tool" to collect and spread the information they want. The other side clearly understands this and uses it to their advantage. Catholics cannot really afford to leave this to others. You don't run a social media campaign with some not-for-profit organization. It's all individuals.

[Innocent]

Arfink, maybe you could experiment with taking the CCC/CCCC/YouCat and representing the ideas in it in the oatmeal format?






[b]Some of my observations regarding other people whom I've noticed whose creativity I think is pertinent to this topic:[/b]

1. Several young Catholics have set up YouTube channels trying to explain and clarify several issues of the faith through funny and creative, but thoughtful videos. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK3A23yVGAg"]Example[/url]

[url="http://www.lolsaints.com/"]2. LolSaints[/url] is another gallant effort I can think of.

3. Marc Barnes runs a highly visible and succesful Patheos blog titled [url="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/badcatholic/"]The Bad Catholic[/url]. He often posts graphics (which he's created, I assume) that deal with issues of the faith, and are very arresting. {[url="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/badcatholic/2012/05/your-move-obama.html"]An example of what I'm talking about[/url].}

[url="http://www.scificatholic.com/"]4. The Sci-Fi Catholic[/url]has a very conventional blog in terms of presentation, but thanks to his interest in Sci-Fi, it presents a unique opportunity to present the faith to an unconventional segment of the reading public on the internet.

[url="http://www.scifiwright.com/"]5. John C. Wright[/url] is a science-fiction author, a former atheist who converted to Catholicism recently. His blog, though in a conventional format, attracts a large following since it is a platform for him to engage in polemics, apologetics and debates with several readers, many of whom hold philosophical positions opposed to Catholicism.

6. [url="http://b-moviecat.blogspot.com"]The B-Movie Catechism[/url] is a blog with the subtitle, "One man's desperate attempt to reconcile his love of his Catholic faith with his passion for cult cinema and really, really bad movies," which is a perfectly accurate description of what goes on in the blog. [url="http://b-moviecat.blogspot.in/2012/05/outtakes.html"]A sample of the delights on board this blog.[/url]


Points 4 & 5 serve to indicate, I think, that even a conventional presentation of unusual subject matter is sufficiently attention-grabbing.


What so you think of my observations, Arfink? Are things like these along the direction of what you have in mind?

Edited June 1, 2012 by Innocent

[arfink]

[quote name='Innocent' timestamp='1338565599' post='2439389']
Arfink, maybe you could experiment with taking the CCC/CCCC/YouCat and representing the ideas in it in the oatmeal format?






[b]Some of my observations regarding other people whom I've noticed whose creativity I think is pertinent to this topic:[/b]

1. Several young Catholics have set up YouTube channels trying to explain and clarify several issues of the faith through funny and creative, but thoughtful videos. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK3A23yVGAg"]Example[/url]

[url="http://www.lolsaints.com/"]2. LolSaints[/url] is another gallant effort I can think of.

3. Marc Barnes runs a highly visible and succesful Patheos blog titled [url="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/badcatholic/"]The Bad Catholic[/url]. He often posts graphics (which he's created, I assume) that deal with issues of the faith, and are very arresting. {[url="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/badcatholic/2012/05/your-move-obama.html"]An example of what I'm talking about[/url].}

[url="http://www.scificatholic.com/"]4. The Sci-Fi Catholic[/url]has a very conventional blog in terms of presentation, but thanks to his interest in Sci-Fi, it presents a unique opportunity to present the faith to an unconventional segment of the reading public on the internet.

[url="http://www.scifiwright.com/"]5. John C. Wright[/url] is a science-fiction author, a former atheist who converted to Catholicism recently. His blog, though in a conventional format, attracts a large following since it is a platform for him to engage in polemics, apologetics and debates with several readers, many of whom hold philosophical positions opposed to Catholicism.

6. [url="http://b-moviecat.blogspot.com"]The B-Movie Catechism[/url] is a blog with the subtitle, "One man's desperate attempt to reconcile his love of his Catholic faith with his passion for cult cinema and really, really bad movies," which is a perfectly accurate description of what goes on in the blog. [url="http://b-moviecat.blogspot.in/2012/05/outtakes.html"]A sample of the delights on board this blog.[/url]


Points 4 & 5 serve to indicate, I think, that even a conventional presentation of unusual subject matter is sufficiently attention-grabbing.


What so you think of my observations, Arfink? Are things like these along the direction of what you have in mind?
[/quote]

Sorta. But something to note about blogs: they do not encourage the kind of interaction you'd expect with a curator. They are specifically authors. Very good ones, I might add. In the case of Bad Catholic, that's one I read every time he updates it, and it's very good. Unfortunately, the blog format seems to detract from it somewhat.

I guess I'm not entirely 100% sure of what I'm specifically looking for, especially since I'm not looking to merely consume someone else's work, but make something of my own. I guess.