Recently, the New York Times has published a very interesting story: In order to gain new members for their aging community, a group of Benedictine monks of Portsmouth Abbey in Portsmouth, R.I., have decided to incorporate new technologies –including, that’s right, a blog! Although at first using laptops, iPads and building a Facebook page sounds far from being the typical life for men who live isolated in an abbey, with their lives devoted to God and prayer, it all makes sense when one considers that part of their mission in life is spreading the Word of God. Why not doing it through the new technologies? “If this is the way the younger generation is looking things up and are communicating, then this is the place to be”, says Right Reverend Dom Caedmon Holmes, O.S.B., Elected Abbot of the abbey since 2007, to the New York Times.
There’s nothing controversial in the decision of these monks. In fact, the Pope himself has established a precedent, approving the use of the Internet for proclaiming the Gospel, and even encouraging priests to blog. The Vatican has its own YouTube channel, as well as Facebook and iPhone apps. Priests and monks have realized that if you have a message to share with the rest of the world, you must choose the right channel for communicating it.
Blogging is an effective way of reaching people all over the world. There are new frontiers, no boundaries, no limits! Virtually anyone can read a blog, from a computer located anywhere in the planet! This means that, with a good blog, you can become a world-famous author in few weeks. Just imagine how amazing it must be for those monks to receive encouraging messages, questions and reflections from people in different countries, who share their faith.
People who blog agree on the fact, that you don’t need a large following of readers in order to find satisfaction in this activity. Blogging allows people to express their thoughts and feelings, to share their sense of humor or complaints, to catch up with friends and family members who live far away. Enthusiastic writers find that regular blogging keeps away the awful ghost of writer’s block. At first, you might feel a little uncomfortable in front of your keyboard, but once you start blogging, it takes little time to realize you always have something to say!
There are many different kinds of blogs: personal blogs, company blogs, interactive journals, technical blogs about specific gadgets or products, thematic blogs (perfumes, brides, teddy bears, you name it, you get it!), travel blogs… the sky is the limit. Whatever is it that you want to share, from cooking recipes to the Word of God, you can publish it in a blog.
According to a recent post in the blog of the Portsmouth Abbey, since the New York Times published the article, their blog has received 25,000 blog visits. Their Facebooks subscriptions have risen an incredible 2000% percent, and they’ve had hundreds of new subscriptions to their newsletter. They are spreading their message! Blogging can be an excellent way for you to reach new potential customers, expand your online visibility, and a distinctive distinguishing factor between you and your competition by providing your clients with true genuine human communication and interaction (truly what’s missing from many businesses today). Why and What are YOU waiting to tell the world?
