The just-released Pew Internet & American Life study of “Faith Online” reports that nearly two thirds of online Americans use the internet for religious or spiritual purposes. One third at least occasionally get news about religion online. And an uncounted number of those do so through a variety of religious blogs and blogs that monitor religion, from the "named" faith communities such as St. Blog’s Parish (Catholic), jBlog (Jewish) and the Bloggernacle (Mormon) to the more general blogs that collect and interpret signs of belief in American life.

In some communities, the religious blogs have outstripped the traditional religious print press. And on any number of issues, religious blogs and religiously-minded secular blogs outstrip the mainstream media by bringing nuances of theology and history to subjects covered by most “God beat” reporters as either innocous spirituality or dangerous fanaticism. Belief more often incorporates elements of both – which is perhaps the one conclusion most easily drawn from a survey of religion blogs.

So what do religion blogs mean to traditional media, religious and secular? Are they bringing belief more visibly into the public sphere? Do they threaten traditional religious hierachies? Are they contributing to the growth of new varieties of religious experience such as Paganism, or “alt.Christianity” for hipsters? Rescuscitating forgotten orthodoxies, such as catacomb Catholicism? Do they tend toward the politicization of religious beleif? How do belief blogs relate to the real world -- as lay ministry, as rebellion, as outsider critique? Are they a force for change within religious institutions? Journalistic institutions?

We’ll start with some of these questions and see where they take us, emphasizing subjects relevant to both religion bloggers and bloggers who sometimes write about religion. We’re not looking to define the role of religion on the web, but rather to explore its growth and try to imagine some of the implications, in this world and in the blogosphere.

Discussion leader: Jeffrey Sharlet.

# Posted by Dave Winer on 4/7/04; 7:08:22 PM - --

Important note: This page is here for archival purposes only. The links have been removed.

Several people have asked how they can make a finanical contribution to the success of BloggerCon. We do need money -- for refreshments, to hire a temp or two, to print badges, to pay for food, etc. Luckily we found an easy way for people to make a donation using a major credit card.

1. Go to this page, and fill in the form.

2. In part 3, the Gift Designation section, choose Harvard Law School from the first popup menu.

3. In the space where it says Other Designation, enter Berkman Center.

4. Under Additional Information, say "For BloggerCon." Here's a screen shot showing what a filled in form part 3 looks like.

5. After you've completed the transaction, send me an email, saying how much you've donated and whether or not you want your name to be mentioned on the Credits page.

The money will only be used for this conference, not for any other purpose.

# Posted by Dave Winer on 4/7/04; 6:25:16 PM - --

How can librarians, archivists, and other information professionals working in similar positions or settings use blogs in the course of their work?

Blogging is still new enough in this sphere that many information professionals don't know about weblogs, nor do managers, clients, and library users. How can librarians evaluate whether using this technology in their setting is appropriate, sell it to managers as a worthwhile activity, and market it to customers? What can a blog add to a library's Web presence? What can these information professionals do with a blog?

The issues librarians and similar information professionals face are not unique or only of interest to them. What can librarians learn from the blogosphere? What would blog readers want from their local library blog? What ideas or advice can bloggers outside of librarianship offer?

Discussion leader: Jessica Baumgart.

# Posted by Dave Winer on 4/7/04; 4:42:07 PM - --

We will have a reception on Saturday (April 17), at 6PM, immediately after the last session, lasting through 9PM, and possibly longer. We have a modest budget for snacks and refreshments.

There will be WiFi, so if you want to write up a report for your readers while the ideas are still fresh, you'll have a chance to do that. And we'll have time to organize dinners, and finish conversations.

So -- Saturday 6PM after the conference, a three-hour schmooze with snacks and WiFi.

# Posted by Dave Winer on 4/7/04; 2:48:03 PM - --

We'll begin with a song, and if there's a reverend in the house, a very brief convocation. If not perhaps an accordian demo.

Then I'll list the groundrules. It's a non-commercial conference. On the record, for attribution. Assume everyone's a blogger. No panels, no speeches, all discussion. The discussion leaders are journalists, the story is the room. Please stay on topic.

A brief summary of the sessions, and strategies for successful Conning.

How the Echo Chamber of BloggerDom works and how we'll work on it at BloggerCon.

How lunch works, dinner, party. Webcasts and IRC. How to spot a monitor. Where the bathrooms are.

Whatever else we didn't think of.

Let the schmoozing begin!

# Posted by Dave Winer on 4/7/04; 10:06:10 AM - --

The growth curve among personal bloggers continues to be steep. Are businesses keeping pace? Are they allowing, encouraging or enabling employees to write public blogs identified as coming from employees? If not, why not? Is it still too early or is this the way it's going to be?

It sometimes seems that businesses are just looking for reasons not to sanction blogging. They point to legal risks and paint nightmare scenarios: "Imagine a disgruntled employee who tells customers to poke their eyes out with our product..." But are those rationalizations for a deeper "pyschological" aversion to blogging? After all, blogging is about people talking in their own voice about what they care about, while business has come to take it for granted that success lies in "staying on message." Is this cultural divide getting in the way of business blogging? If so, how can we start to get over it? Does it require a larger change in how businesses think about themselves and their mission, or can business blogging be a first step in the course of corporate therapy?

As businesses allow blogging to occur on their premises, are we finding that the business blogging experience is different from the personal one? How does the fact that it is a business blog shape the blog itself? How does the blogger conform herself, knowingly or unknowingly, to the subtle pressures of blogging from and for a business?

We've seen emerge from the Howard Dean campaign a new type of campaign spokesperson: official bloggers who sort of speak for the candidate but sort of don't. Will businesses see value in a similar model for talking with their own customers?

And how about blogging inside of businesses, behind the corporate walls? Is it starting to happen? What does it look like? Is it going to be the wedge that makes customer-facing business blogging commonplace?

You're the panel. Tell us what you know and what you think. (And in the comments section of this blog entry, say what other questions you think we should address together.)

Discussion leader: David Weinberger.

# Posted by David Weinberger on 4/7/04; 9:40:54 AM - --