Tag: Blogroll

Introducing: Dave Bailey’s Blog

My friend, colleague, and personal Yoda, Dave Bailey, has a new blog. Well. It’s the resurrection of an old blog.

This is an artist’s rendition of Dave’s face. It’s the closest we could get, because he is very shy.

He’s kept at it for about three weeks longer than he did last time, and there’s some gold there. Including these reflections from a recent visit to Hillsong.

A lull in blogworld…

All the people based blogs I read (except Al’s, Findo’s, Gav’s, and Gary’s, and to a lesser extent Arthur and Tamie, and Sophie, at the Fountainside, who tend to post on a more disciplined substantive regime anyway) appear to be going through the motions of blogging, or not at all,* at the moment. Come on people. Harden up. Drop us a bone. Especially those of us who use the internet to procrastinate.

The current state of affairs makes me sad.

Come on Ben. Simone. Izaac. Scott. Post something. Anything. GIVE ME CONTENT…

I’ll start taking note of all those articles that say blogging is dying otherwise.

* I realise and acknowledge the irony that I am a contributor to this general state of affairs…

Calling all blogs

Are you in my blogroll (it’s down the bottom of the page). If you’re not, you should be. And now’s your chance. If you are, then this post is for you too.

I’d like to be more Web 2.0 (which means more “social”) with this little corner of the web. And I’d like to include a little one or two sentence bio/description of your site in my list of links. But I’d like you to write them for me and leave them in the comments on this post.

I’ll also do nice things for you if you’re in it – like posting links to you from time to time and visiting your site. I’ll even comment there.

Apparently (in an article I read today) the one sentence bio (or 140 character bio) was the foundation on which such Web 2.0 luminaries like Facebook and Twitter were built on. So it is an exercise in webness for all of you.

As an incentive – if you don’t participate I’ll probably relegate you to some impossible to find corner of the site (I won’t remove you, because if you’re there already I like what you have to contribute).

Expanding (and relocating) the blogroll

So my loyal minions readers, I know some of you have been looking for the blogroll that used to rest snuggly in my sidebar. It’s gone from there. Very observant of you – though it turns out some of you have a routine of clicking from blog to blog that I have disturbed. I had put the list in the drop down menu (in that black bar up there ^)… but I don’t think anybody actually ever clicks that – in fact, quick survey:

Question 1. Do you use the menu bar up the top of the page?
a) I click that menu all the time. I love how it moves in and out – it’s like an accordion.
b) I once clicked it, thought it was nifty, but have never used it again
c) menu? what menu?

Question 2. Do you ever use the toolbar that floats on the bottom of the page (it’s white and called the “wibiya toolbar”)?
a) Sure do, I share your posts with all my friends and the whole world using the button it offers and love how I can subscribe to your feed and search your blog both at the top and bottom of the page.
b) It annoys me, floating there, looking at me…
c) Toolbar? Are you on drugs?

Anyway, I was trying to clean up my design the other day and decided to move the links from the menu bar that nobody ever clicks on to the footer that nobody ever scrolls to. But you should. It has pictures. And you can become a fan of St. Eutychus on Facebook (and then share funny things from the internet with your friends who will think you mildly annoying – though less annoying than intrusive spam and friend requests from people you don’t know). Anyway, the links are now there. Check them out. Ai.

Also, while I’m on the subject of links, I am adding some links to the blogroll there as we speak. Welcome to the following additions:

  • Al Bain – one of those Taswegians – Paradoxically Speaking is a good read with regular posts. Check it. Al was even kind enough to add me to his blogroll today.
  • Pete Whittle – tumblogs are beautiful. Pete’s is nice. He’s a fellow QTCer, he’s from Dalby, and he’s a muso.
  • Dave Bailey – told me today at college that he couldn’t figure me out, and told me the other day that my posts are too hard to sift through for the good stuff. Started a blog last week. We’ll see how he goes at filling it with content (his post on prayer in church (or a prayer in church) is a cracker).
  • JeffK is a QTC grad and a Pressy minister. I’ve met him a couple of times in the real world. He made me laugh.
  • PeterY has been blogging for a while, he’s also a muso, he’s from Lismore, in real life I had one of my favourite conversations of all time with him and Kutz on a mid year camp a few years back.
  • Gary has been commenting here lately – his comments are pretty on the ball (for a QTC grad and Pressy minister) and I’ve enjoyed having him around, and enjoyed his blog. Especially today’s post on how to conduct a funeral.
  • Stuart has also been commenting here for a while – and I particularly appreciated his comments on the church planting metaphor and country ministry stuff a few weeks ago.
  • Luke got here via Izaac’s blog I think – he doesn’t post that often, but his Google Reader shared items are worth following.

And, it’s quite remiss of me, but I haven’t previously had Mikey’s Boxed Sets or Christian Reflections on that blogroll (though I think they’re on the link page). That is now fixed.
Welcome to the blogroll boys – I don’t feel bad about the male domination of that list for two reasons:

a) I’m a male and more inclined to read stuff by males.
b) I have heaps of females on my blogroll already. Eight. That’s plenty.

Gold star design

Well. Not really. Though I do like the everything old is new again white look I’ve got going on now… if you’re a feed reader and haven’t checked it out – swing by.

You might also notice (though probably not – I never look there) that my sidebar (over on the far right now has a little thing called “Starred”. At the moment it just features posts I’ve personally given five stars. But you can join the fun.

All my posts have a star rating feature. Vote down my five starred ones and start giving out actual stars to good posts and those posts in the sidebar will change. We’re all about reader interaction here at St. Eutychus.

While I’m on the subject of reader interaction – if anybody wants to supply some guest posts about anything that loosely meets the categories already existing – just let me know. Perhaps you’re a professional animator and you’d like to talk about drawing, perhaps you’re a person who designs cool stuff you think is worthy of featuring in the Curiosities column, perhaps you’d like to review books or you’ve found cool stuff around the web, perhaps you’re theologically minded and want to write some great arguments criticising atheism (or another batch of great articles), perhaps you’re my little sister and you already have an account and could post funny puns whenever you want…

Also, while I’m just shamelessly self promoting and writing a post with almost no purpose… are you on my blogroll? Am I on yours? If you’re not on mine and I read you (or I should) tell me. If I am on yours – check to see if it’s going to the old nathanintownsville address – that no longer works.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled fodder.

Joining the blogroll

Convicted as I am by the reminder that links are part of the rules for blogging I thought I should draw your attention to the fact that I have reinstated the blog roll to my front page.

I’d like to update it.

If you comment or read here, and have a blog, let me know. Chances are I already read it. But it’s buried in myriad other blogs in Google Reader. If you let me know, I’ll add you.

I’ve just added Izaac’s wife Sarah – who has started her own blog.

If you have a blogroll, and you’re reading this, and I’m not on it… add me. It’ll make me feel special. And if I get lots of traffic from you I might even mail you a Freddo.

The Links Effect

Are you missing my daily links posts? Me too. It means posting links requires heaps more effort on my part. But there’s so much good stuff out there.

Izaac* has been fighting the good fight – collating suggestions for a response to atheist university students who are postering campuses around Sydney.

Ben came out of the hip-hop closet and let us all know about his history as an MC in a hip-hop posse.

There’s a pretty interesting discussion happening as a follow up to my abortion post over at the Fountainside.

Simone* has pointed her readers to another blog (Jean in all honesty) which is discussing the use of childcare for Christian parents. I refrained from commenting there because I’m a guy, and not a parent, but Simone’s husband Andrew* has put up a post where us guys can feel comfortable chiming in.

CafeDave is a little blog about cafes and marketing – so you can see why I’d like it – Dave posted his responses to the Jesus All About Life campaign as reported by Steve Kryger’s (very helpful) Communicate Jesus and discussed by a pack of raving atheists on mumbrella – atheists who can’t seem to distinguish the activities of churches from “tax payer funded activities” simply because churches receive certain tax exemptions. Churches are not for profit community organisations – no not for profit community organisations pay tax, and plenty of them (my employer included) advertise.

Recent new reader/first time commenter Drew has a blog. It’s worth reading. I particularly like his insights into the use of a blog as a tool for getting things done – including getting things off one’s mind. I read quite a few of his posts last night while watching NCIS.

Ali has a biting insiders view on what’s wrong with legal writing – I must agree, having started a law degree and been told that it’s all about plain writing and then sitting through hours of lectures, reading case notes and hearing lawyers talk, I can completely understand the sentiment behind the quote she shared.

Tim* had a go at me for giving up fast food. I should have a go at him for giving up grammar. But he makes some interesting points.

Dan* used his gloriously designed blog to reflect on a recent lecture on Christian ethics and the reconciliation debtate in two parts.

Byron Smith – whose name sounds suspcisciously like Bryson Smith – has posted a really helpful reflection on parenting that covers one of those little topics I’m toying with as future post fodder – the idea that indoctrinating your child is abusive. It’s not. As a Christian it’s the most loving thing you can do for your child.

I’m thinking about writing quite a few pieces on parenting – and this is not any kind of announcement – but I’m also struck by Queensland’s new surrogacy laws. On one hand they open up great possibilities for offering to formally adopt children from those considering an abortion, and on the other, they turn “parenting” into a right and privelige for everybody – rather than a responsibility and natural outcome of being part of the archetypal family unit. I’m not a fan of that part, but it’s not enough of an objection for me to not be a fan of the whole thing. My inner pragmatist realises that gay couples – particularly women – can have children whenever they want already, and this is, on the whole, designed to protect their child, and the biological father.

And for those of you wondering which of my posts from the last few days I’d bother reading if I were you it would be these:

* Denotes people I know in the real world…

NB: The photo at the stop is completely unrelated to the post, it was just text heavy and I hadn’t posted it before. It’s from Lucinda. You should go there. I would have put up a photo of a can of Lynx, if I had one.

That is all.

Izaac thinks aloud…

Friend Izaac now has a blog. He has put a link to it in his gmail status so I assume that means it’s open for business.

You should check it out.

He’s funnier than me. But he’s a St George supporter so there’s a trade off.

On commenting on other blogs

Sometimes when I am a bit bored, or have some spare time up my sleeve, I choke up my browser by opening up people’s blogs and work my way through them commenting on the post at the top of the page. I don’t comment on every blog I open – but most of the comments I make in that vein are pretty vacuous and I don’t tend to return to continue the discussion or see if they’ve been replied to. But I do like you, all the people who write blogs I read. And I appreciate your efforts in distracting me from my sometimes mundane workplace existence. Here’s my blog link list from the left hand column of my page – if you’re a reader and I haven’t listed you – let me know. I have no doubt forgotten somebody…

Link list

If you happen to visit my site today you’ll notice I’ve finally added a “blogroll” a list of links to blogs I read. Starting with “personal blogs” from people I know in real life, or whose personal blogs I subscribe to.

Next up will be a list of links to useful sites and blogs I read. Exciting stuff. If you didn’t make the list and think you should – let me know.

The list is not ordered by anything in particular – I just added them as fast as I opened them from Google Reader.