Richard's Blog

Make this your homepage... if ever there was a so-called time-saver more guaranteed to be a distraction than the internet then I ain't found one yet.

I tried keeping up my twittering over my holiday...

Odd as it may sound, it's a big hit website with one simple idea: you tell it what you're doing right now and anyone who wants to can follow you. It links in with other so-called"social websites" - I've got mine set to update Facebook.

Why on earth anyone would want to know what I'm doing at any given time may be beyond you (and me too), but it was an interesting experiment in how it feels to consciously project oneself on a "public" canvas. And it's one that increasingly defines how we're living and relating to one another.

The rise of social websites (like twitter and facebook) raises a whole new set of social etiquette quandries - such as "if someone wants to become my 'friend' on facebook or wants me to 'follow them' on twitter, how/when do I say 'No'?".

I really enjoyed this piece, therefore, on 43Folders blog entitled: Social Networks: The Case for a "Pause" Button... here's a snippet:

You can pause your newspaper delivery, and the newspaper never complains. Unfortunately most people online haven’t figured out that they’re just another publisher in a crowded space. Which is kind of a shame, because I think accepting that mantle of “publisher” might improve many peoples’ contributions as well as add a useful layer or two to their epidermis.

It's a great (slightly tongue-in-cheek) article, but with a really good sting in the tail (itself, originally published via twitter):

Thanks to my brother for this link to a great bit of web-satire - it works even if you aren't familiar with the current vogue for the "Web 2.0 look".

Would love to know how far most people read before realising it's a fake?

The application to church life hardly needs saying... but it certainly needs watching out for - glossy, professional and slick doesn't mean anything much on its own. 

...not ours (we don't turn them out that quickly!), but for the church plant led by great friends of All Souls (and previous members here) Andrew and Emma Stewart-Darling.

Stour Valley Vineyard is a 'satellite' of West Suffolk Vineyard (the Vineyard movement is a network of churches that have a lot in common with the"style and approach" of All Souls) and their