Leave It Behind > Brian Bailey

Getting Started

As the weblog buzz grows, more and more people are starting blogs. Most people want to start with a free blog as a low-risk experiment - which normally means Google's Blogger. There are a few great alternatives, though, particularly Microsoft's MSN Spaces.

The Wall Street Journal's Walter Mossberg recently compared the various alternatives and chose MSN Spaces as the best, easiest choice. His article is definitely worth checking out if you're about to make the leap!

One warning: starting with a free site makes perfect sense, but if you do choose to move your blog to another service down the road, the transition can be painful.

Other Voices > Tunnel Vision

Guest Post by Evan Erwin

I read a lot of blogs. I bet you do too. I think we all agree that there is a lot of good content out there just waiting to be discovered. There is also a lot of garbage out there. The distinction between good content and garbage is not quite as clear cut as one would imagine. Matter of fact, the distinction is merely a point of view. In the eye of the beholder, and all that.

I want to talk today about tunnel vision.

What is tunnel vision? The American Medical Depot describes it as "Loss of peripheral vision so that only objects directly ahead can be seen."

But the medical version of tunnel vision isn't what I'm here to talk about, as you probably guessed. I'm here to talk about what you absorb on a day to day basis, and how those choices impact your ways of thinking and your outlook on life.

For example, one of the staunch differences between conservatives and liberals is abortion. It is not tunnel vision to say you have an opinion about it, but it is tunnel vision to not seek out just why the "other side" believes what they do. Sometimes those lines of right and wrong are not only fuzzy, they disappear depending on the argument. We are all God's Children, as they say, but what of the line-blurring effects of a rape baby? A crack baby? A baby that is deformed or confirmed after many exhaustive tests to be brain damaged or, worse, brain dead?

And you thought this was going to be simple. And we've not yet begun on the biggest indicator of your own tunnel vision: Your blog subscription list.

It's no surprise that people drift toward others with the same interests. Whether it's religion, baseball, or stamp collecting, everyone likes to find people with the same passion as themselves. And when it comes to things like faith, passion is its middle name. So what can be done to broaden those horizons?

Listen. Learn. Read. Find blogs that you've never heard of, particularly those with a "slant" towards one "side" or another, and subscribe to them. See what those people, those on the "other side" are passionate about. What gets them upset? What gets them blogging? What drives their passion?

We fear what we do not understand. And with the power of blogs, there should be no topic that isn't written about to some degree. Businesses now blog to help customers understand their culture and approach. Passionate people blog about their interests and beliefs. So why are most only getting one-sided discussions?

In this blog-centric world that you and I live in (you are reading this blog, so that tells me a few things about yourself just by reading these words), subscriptions are everything. No one wants to be ignored, and everyone wants to put their two cents in toward whatever the hot topic of the day happens to be. It is simply more convenient to subscribe to your favorite author, one who puts the words into the ideals in your head. Far more convenient than trying to find an opposing viewpoint, that's for sure.

But it goes deeper than that. Talking about the Michael Jackson trial or the medical marijuana issue is one thing, but finding equally true and passionate voices on both sides of an issue is another. So with that said I'll leave you with a challenge: Find blogs are on the opposite end of your beliefs and ideals. Subscribe to them for a week. Listen to what they have to say and, even more importantly, what they don't say. I think you'll be surprised at how often each side "conveniently" leaves out details, facts, and points that the other may be jumping up and down about.

I'd like to tell you this challenge will change your outlook and revolutionize your life, but I won't. What I will promise is that you will be a better person, a more open person, and at the very least, a more educated person to defend your own passions.

There may be people out there we do not like, speaking to thousands who disagree with your own beliefs. But to find out why they are so passionate, and why there are so many, that is where transcendence happens: To see what you originally could not, to think about what you had not noticed, because your tunnel vision blurred your view.

Other Voices

I've written often about the wonderful ability of blogs to expose us to different perspectives. As we read other opinions and voices, we gain greater understanding and appreciation for those that don't think exactly like us. I know you voted for Nader, but you love Arrested Development too? Cool!

The best expression I have heard of this was Barack Obama's speech at last year's Democratic National Convention (free iTunes download). This is an incredible speech no matter your political preference.

How do we do this, though? How many of us will search out people who don't think like we do, and take the time to listen to what they have to say?

I thought I would try an experiment. I am opening up my blog to guest posts from people who have different opinions or beliefs; people who don't think like I do. One of the greatest dangers I see with blogs is how easy it is to subdivide ourselves into micro-communities of people who think, act, and look alike. I notice the warning signs when I see comments filled only with affirmation and agreement.

Obviously, a community of like-minded people is a wonderful thing, but it can also lead to stagnation if it impedes change and growth.

Who better to introduce this experiment than Evan Erwin. I came across Evan just over a year ago and we started an interesting conversation. He is a passionate, talented writer with a great family. He also has beliefs very different from my own. Look for Evan's post tomorrow.

If you'd like to be part of this conversation, let me know.

How Cool is That?

Lori and Ben got me some wonderful presents for Father's Day, including a new bike seat, cool clothes (Ben picked out a weekend shirt for me all by himself), and fun food. But the gift that dominated my weekend was truly brilliant - an iTunes gift card!

I can't recommend this enough for nearly any special occasion. It is so much fun to pick and choose your favorite songs and build your very own album for free. If the receiver is not schooled in technology, you can offer to burn a CD from his or her selections.

My favorite finds from the past?

Oh Sweet Nuthin' by Velvet Underground > I always dreamed of the Grateful Dead playing this song. I just discovered the next best thing - Phish did.

I Don't Care Anymore by Phil Collins > I remember reading a review of the album that said it sounded as if it was recorded inside a drum kit.

Head Over Heels by the Go-Go's > one of the happiest songs ever.

I Feel So Good and Read About Love by Richard Thompson > from our days in Chicago.

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley > a great interpretation of a Leonard Cohen classic.

Masters of War by Pearl Jam > Eddie sings Dylan.

As much as I love these songs, though, the experience all came down to a single song I have wanted for years. One of the best songs of the 90's can at last be purchased on iTunes...

Cannonball by The Breeders!

Thanks to the Ladder 49 Soundtrack, this song is finally available. I have already listened to it about 20 times and it's one of those few songs that is actually better than I remember it. I guarantee you that it is worth $0.99!

Traffic Patterns

I thought it would be interesting to look at the traffic for this site to see if there's a pattern. Sure enough, over the past year, the number of readers and visitors has remained very consistent. Here is the typical order, from highest to lowest.

Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Monday
Friday
Sunday
Saturday

What's funny is that this mirrors the pattern on our websites. I wouldn't be surprised if it's common on the web as a whole.

The takeaway? First, a very high percentage of web traffic is during working hours during the work week. Second, if I have a ground-breaking announcement to make, Saturday is probably not the best day.

More Tinderbox Goodness

Mark Bernstein quietly announced last week that the next version of Tinderbox will support OPML!

This is great news. OPML is a format for sharing outlines than is increasingly becoming a standard. In fact, there's a new OPML editor being developed right now that is getting quite a lot of attention. Being able to swap lists, blogrolls, and directories from one application to another is very handy. I look forward to Tinderbox's implementation.

Sunday Morning Sunday

We have received our wish...we do indeed live in interesting times.

Yes, Bono will be appearing on Meet the Press this Sunday, along with the Secretary of Defense. I have seen Bono give innumerable interviews, but I can't wait to see him sit down with Tim Russert for 30 minutes. Imagine the graphic designer sitting in his or her office, waiting for this week's assignment for the MTP graphic. "I get to use Bono? Not Frist, McCain, Biden, Rice, or Carville? Bono? Really?" I bet it was a nice change.

Bono will be discussing politics, poverty, and the AIDS crisis. The urgent cause currently is to drawn attention to Live 8, a series of concerts and a very well done web campaign to pressure leaders of the G-8 countries to take steps to end extreme poverty at their upcoming meeting, specifically:

1. double the aid sent to the world's poorest countries,
2. fully cancel their debts,
3. change the trade laws so that they can build their own future.

Add your name to the list here.

The Switch Goes Live

Three months ago today, I wrote about Fellowship Church's switch from .NET to Open Source for our websites. Today, we release the first result of that transition.

Check out the new EdYoung.org!

This site is the online home of Ed's national radio and television ministry. The look is not radically different than the previous version, but behind the scenes, it is literally a brand-new site, incorporating nearly all of the tools I listed here.

1. The site is our first to be hosted with the fine folks at CoLo4Dallas.

2. It uses CSS for nearly every display element. My team became rather obsessive about this.

3. The site is built to fully support web standards, and almost every page's HTML validates 100%.

4. The load times throughout have been reduced by at least half. You could actually enjoy this site on a dial-up connection.

5. It is built to scale from a cell phone to the largest display and to your printer. Yes, we have actually surfed EdYoung.org from our cell phones!

6. Of course, the site use open source at its core, including PHP, Apache, Linux, and PostgreSQL.

We still use a site-in-a-box online store, that violates nearly every one of these things, but we hope to find or develop a replacement down the road.

Congratulations to Brad and Jeph who worked very hard to take this site to a whole new level. Each time they faced an opportunity to cut corners they insisted on doing it right. Your commitment to excellence shows!

Take a look around and let us know what you think!

I Love Amy

Amy Loves Books is one of my absolute favorite weblogs. A teacher, Christ-follower, and mother of two, she writes with great openness and honesty.

This past week, Amy has written extensively on public schools, homeschooling, No Child Left Behind, poverty and at-risk children. What is so refreshing is that these posts are not written from a political point of view but from her life. Two years ago, she and her family moved into Atlanta's inner-city where she teaches in, and her children attend, the local schools.

They [her students] are the least of these. They are hope-sick. I know that they feel like everyone in society is against them, because they come right out and articulate those feelings.

I am not saying that it is wrong for parents to send their kids to a high-achieving school, or a private school, or to home school. I am simply saying that if we, as a church and as the body of Christ, choose to educate our own children outside of public education, we need to be aware of the children left behind.

Amy's posts are such a fantastic example of the power of weblogs. Whether you are writing for yourself, your circle of friends and family, or hundreds or even thousands of curious strangers, there is amazing freedom in the ability to tell your own story, the way you want to tell it.

If you are a parent of school-aged children, don't miss these posts.

When Google Goes Bad

When Google added the AutoLink feature to the Google Toolbar, the move provoked a great deal of debate. I generally agreed with Jason Kottke's perspective on the controversy, namely that there are valid reasons to oppose the move, but much of the reaction missed how common this actually is on the web. Even our beloved pop-up blockers modify the site designer's original intent.

However, it's always interesting to see an intellectual debate through the prism of a real life example. Though unrelated to AutoLink, GMail also adds links to email messages, even if the links weren't provided by the sender. We had a funny encounter with this recently while sending out a newsletter to CreativePastors.com users. The email continued a sentence that referred to a new area of the site, but we accidentally left a space between Creative and Pastors.com. The phrase was not a link, but simply part of a title.

I think you see where this is going.

Sure enough, when we received the newsletter in one of our GMail test accounts, GMail was kind enough to turn that phrase into a link to Pastors.com! Though a fantastic site, the home of Rick Warren's messages and resources, we don't make a habit of linking to other ministry resource sites in our newsletters.

As I hinted above, one of our developers caught this small mistake before the newsletter was sent and no harm was done. But it is indeed a strange and eye-opening experience when your content is changed, even improved, by a helpful company when you'd rather they just leave it alone.