Introduction the second
25 March 2013
It’s been a long time since I was in the habit of regularly writing. It’s certainly been a long time since I’ve written and published anything regularly maybe three years. A lot has changed in that time. The world has changed, communication has changed, the internet has changed, blogging has changed, and I have changed.
I’m somewhat foggy with what I want to achieve with writing here on my blog. Part of me thinks it may help somewhat in dealing with the difficulties of life, learning to be more resilient. Part of me thinks that in some small way I might be part of changing an opinion, helping someone think that little bit more deeply about life and positively transforming their life in some way. More certainly, for me writing has always been about communicating opinions, starting conversations, and expressing ideas and frustrations.
I know I enjoy writing. I like playing with words. I love to create the perfect sounding piece of prose, or well wrangled rhetorical flourish. I also like to think. I think a lot, maybe too much. Writing for me is not the beginning of an idea but rather the crystallising of it. Sitting and writing, is about working out how to communicate an idea in the clearest, simplest, possible way to share with others.
But I do all this knowing that I don’t always get it right. I get angry. I get frustrated. Grammar, spelling and punctuation errors are ever present waiting to trip me up. I don’t always write in ways that I should. Sometimes hurt people. I have many flaws, we all do.
If I had a goal perhaps it would be this, to help myself and others along on this journey we call life, not as someone who has all the answers, but as a fellow traveler reflecting on experiences and the sometimes difficult world in which we find ourselves.
The stupidity of Steven Conroy and the Daily Telegraph
18 March 2013
See what I did there?
If you disagree with my title, your mind has probably already skipped to thinking how much you disagree with what I said. In fact, you might be tempted to skip down to the bottom of the page and just state your contrary opinion in the comments section without reading further. Perhaps your blood pressure has raised slightly...
On the flip side if you agree with my post’s title you’re probably experiencing feelings of smugness and perhaps even self-righteous congratulation and which will now shape how you understand and perceive what I’ve written...
My point is simple.
"The way in which an idea is communicated has an effect on how people respond."
If it’s overly simplistic and inflammatory, this has the effect of causing strong reactions, which push people deeper into already intrenched beliefs. This low brow approach appeals to people who think more simply, with others having neither the education, skills or impetus to read deeply on an issue. Rather they adopt what seems “right” and fits with how they already think about the world.
There are also other problems with this. The more inflammatory the tone, the more polarised the debate becomes. Instead of working toward ideas we have in common, we move away from a more centrist position and wind up adopting an extreme positions. In my experience (and upon reflection) I have found myself fighting for extreme positions, which when I’m thinking calmly and rationally, I don’t really agree with. This approach also stifles discussion, so rather than sitting round a table discussing things like adults we end up shouting one liners and ad-hominem arguments at each other across the playground.
Now of course now provocative headlines and commentary can be ok. Good examples of this include blogging and editorials where opinion is designed to spark discussion. Often I’ve seen that very effect here on my blog. But that’s a far cry from the front page of a newspaper where an Australian Senator is compared to a bunch of Military Dictators.
Important aside - While inflammatory opinion is generally unhelpful, I don’t think the media should be censored from printing such stuff. Part of living in a free and democratic society is that we allow people to express views we don’t agree with and even allow them to be presented in ways that are unhelpful.
What I do want to see is for the media (in this case the Daily Telegraph), take seriously the responsibility to present news in a fair and balanced manner and tone rather then seeking to push an unhelpful inflammatory agenda. Personally I think that reform and regulation of some sort is needed in the Media industry in Australia (more here), however I also agree the timeliness and manner in which Senator Conroy has gone about the issue of reform is counter productive and silly (I haven’t actually looked at the detail of what’s proposed).
However it’s one thing to do something unhelpful, naive, even stupid, but it’s another thing entirely to respond in an even stupider manner. As is so often the case, two wrongs don’t make a right. In this case the Telegraph has overreached in a childish, unhelpful and irresponsible way. They’d do better to sit down at the table with a cup of tea, talk calmly, and treat people like rational thinking adults.
UPDATE: It's also worth watching Media Watch's take on this from Monday.
tags blog, linkage, rant, stupid award, thinking
Does blogger even still work?
09 January 2010
And more importantly does anyone read this blog?
tags blog, shameless self promotion
5 shamefully bad CDs I've bought
22 February 2009
- Celine Dion - Best of
- Maria Carey – Best of
- Spice Girls – Their first Album
- Michael Bolton – Single
- Avril Lavigne - Album
tags blog, shameless self promotion
671 posts and counting
13 February 2009
I've finished the process of stitching this blog and my old blog together. It's a relatively new feature on blogger but a really useful one. You can now read all I've ever written dating back to 2006 when I started blogging as supportMIKE.
- I've also updated and fixed broken links between the two blogs.
- I've been over the 170 or so posts from my old blog and tagged them and done a little tidying of spelling etc.
- I've fiddled with my template a bit and enlarged the regular size text to make it easier to read.
- I've also updated my interests and reworked my blogger profile.
It's time to change
11 February 2009
Drum roll please. I've finally got round relaunching my blog as promised. You'll notice a whole new look. I've been fiddling with this template for a while now. I think I'm almost happy although I'm not settled on the tabs in the bar. Feedback is always appreciated.
I'm not sure if or when I'll come back to paid church ministry stuff in the long term. There are possibilities around but that will be for 2010. As I've stated previously my current job search is for a regular style job. In the mean time I intend to keep blogging and ranting about all the stuff I usually do.
Enjoy the new look post supportMIKE... during the twilight years.
*EDIT* I have also stitched my old blog to this blog. I'll fix all the links over the next few days.
Let's play nice ok?
Anonymous comments annoy me. It's no big secret.
Generally people on this blog keep their comments constructive but there are always a few that slip through. I try very hard to have a thick skin. Some of the harshest comments on this blog have stood because people used their name, but similar things said anonymously I have deleted.
Making anonymous comments isn't usually a constructive exercise. I liken it to walking into a party wearing a ski mask and proceeding insult the host and fellow guests in a loud voice. Responding to anonymous comments is also frustrating. I don't know who you are or your background. It may be simple misunderstanding or maybe I have actually offended you and should apologise. I also don't know whether you are a Christian or not*. There are any number of alternative options available to the anonymous commenter
- Use a pseudonym.
- Send me an email or facebook me.
- Talk to me face to face.
- Finally, not read my blog.
So let's all play nice ok?
*These sorts of simple things can make a difference as some posts are written from within a (admittedly my) Christian world view.
supportMIKE blog statistics*
01 January 2009
2008 looks something like this;
Total hits for the 2008 year 30,640
Total hits since I installed the statistics counter in June 2006 101,700
Thanks for reading and Happy New Year.
*You of course can look at these for yourself anytime.
tags blog, linkage, review, shameless self promotion
5 New Year Resolutions
31 December 2008
- Get to bed earlier
- Find a job
- Be a good parent
- Keep blogging
- Get a car that goes
tags blog, shameless self promotion, thinking
2008 reviewed blog style
Here's the year in review as seen through the eyes of my blog. Enjoy.
January (9 posts) - Tasmanian Leadership Convention, Yamba Maclean Mission and my bro lost his crappy job. Things were looking like pumping for 2008 FOCUS work.
February (12 posts) - I bought Mark Driscoll's book I still haven't finished reading it. We made the move to Jane, I crashed my bike and still have the scars. Most significantly I probably made the hardest decision in my life so far goodbye FOCUS.
March (5 posts) - Dark Times. I posted very little this month in fact a record low for this blog. Looking back there is very little substance to any of these posts. I was feeling really really crap. On a positive note I revived my ipod.
April (15 posts) - The month started poorly. I blogged about the problem of pornography not once but twice. I followed this topic all year. I began my series of posts on bad fashion now one of the most Googled set of posts on my blog. Christine and I also took a nice holiday up the east coast of Tassie.
May (16 posts) - I bought that car. Laura arrived from the US of A. I blogged about divorce (and offended a anonymous regular reader). I also blogged about porn again. This was the month I preached a fairly average sermon at Tuesday Crossroads and really began the battle to organise the the MTS Tasmania Conference.
June (18 posts) - We did some beer tasting with Laura before she departed. I posted a couple of rants one on hybrid cars (Which I still standby). For some reason I posted stacks of pictures some of them quite good. I should add my good friend Benny got hitched in poo paddock. I also think my friend Adam from Jane began reading my blog. He has become one of the people I hold in my mind as I write. Oh and in a very subtle way we announced we were having a baby.
July (14 posts) - I got sick. It was a bit of a ranty month and I got plenty of comments. The two most commented on posts were Pro Consistency where I argued that Christians should name their children before birth. (With hindsight I would have worded the post differently as it wasn't intended to cause offense. Provoke people, yes but not offend). On the other post I ranted;
I think often Christians already come across as bunch of right wing George Bush loving, Today Tonight watching latte sippers. You can be a Christian, believe in climate change, appreciate art, drink fairtrade coffee and vote left wing too.That post drew one of the harshest comments on my blog to date. Finally for July there was bad fashion number #1.
August (12 posts) - I smashed up my body not once but twice. I Got sick again but completed the mammoth MTS Challenge Conference which rocked even though I didn't go. I also began a new series of rants on how to use email properly.
September (22 posts) - With the completion of the MTS Conference it felt like the fog had lifted and I increased the number of posts to a high for the year. Christine crashed my hard worked on car. No one really read this post. This was contrasted with the 2nd highest read post in the history of my blog about Mark Dricoll and his 18 points in Sydney. Other topics covered included; How annoying Sydney people are, How to run a successful blog, more Driscoll, and still more Driscoll.
October (20 posts) - My email etiquette series continued . Christine voted in an historic election which saw her cop flack (mostly on facebook) for daring to suggest a vote for Obama. It really frustrated me but this made me laugh. Of course in a reoccurring theme for 2008 I got sick with the flu again. I wrote a review of one of the post powerful pieces of TV I've ever seen and in a popular post taught my mates how to clean a shower.
November (19 posts) - I swapped a friends lunch, took a weekend break, won some cash on the Melbourne Cup. Quite a few posts linked to other people's opinions rather than my own.
December (32 posts) - I've been going blog crazy this month. I've had long stretches of duty here at Jane in which to think, reflect and write. This has meant I've posted some of my most personal and juiciest stuff to date. I also posted one of my best bits of writing this year complete with a follow up. I've also written a some longer posts and introduced my 5 things posts an idea I thought of late one night while I was sick (again). December has been a good month.
Total posts for 2008 194 and counting...
tags blog, linkage, review, shameless self promotion, thinking, update
Happy Christmas...
25 December 2008
To you all and thanks heaps for reading.
For those wondering about the flurry of blog posts and crazy facebook updates in the last couple of days, I'm spending pretty much all of Christmas working here all day at Jane doing "duty". This basically means I'm bound to the campus here and can't leave for about 3 days.
Not to worry, I've been taking a few photos (the garden is at it's best this time of year) and watching some choice DVDs. Mum, Dad and Davo and Jonny came up for Christmas lunch too which was very nice. Jonny also made a cake from scratch and it was pretty bloody good. (Click for full deliciousness).
Anyway enough babble. Happy Christmas from Myself, Christine and of course Olivia.
tags blog, shameless self promotion, update
5 things you probably didn't know about me.
23 December 2008
- I have a cyst on the back of my head. Nothing bad.
- I went to Kip McGrath in High School for remedial work on my reading and spelling.
- I suffer with depression which comes and goes.
- I've worked for both the ABC and WIN Television.
- My pillow has a name.
tags blog, shameless self promotion, thinking
5 things you should know before you read my blog
- I'm a pretty sensitive person. I wear my heart on my sleeve.
- I have some sort of mild dyslexia. So please bear with all my mistakes.
- I'm often deliberately provocative. It's blog. It's my opinion. It would be boring otherwise.
- If I offend you it's possibly because I haven't been clear in what I've said. In which case you should email me.
- I try to make sure I'm the same person here as I am in real life. There should be no disconnect.
tags blog, shameless self promotion, thinking
I don't like Spam
21 September 2008
And I have a lot of it. If you would like some and aren't feeling the spam love let me know I can forward it too you.
Oh and if you are a spammer you are a stupid tool.
tags blog, stupid award
Successful blogging...
12 September 2008
My mate Jimbo has started a new blog. I thought I'd collect some tips for him on running a good blog.
- Be Part of a Community. You need to take the time to invest in the relationships online. I spent about 4 months reading and commenting on blogs before launched this one. Commenting on well-read blogs will also help tremendously. People are more likely to visit your blog if they see your profile popping up all over the place but don't over do it.
- Be controversial. Even if you have to back away from comments you've made after you've made them people will still come and read.
- Give it a personal edge and touch. Let your personality shine through. I don't ever pretend to be someone I'm not. What you see is what you get. Be authentic not myspace fake.
- Get linkage and promotion. This will eventually happen as you start to fulfill steps 1-3. You can ask popular evangelical blogs for linkage especially if you think that a post is particularly relevant to them. Use things like facebook etc to promote it. When launching a blog you need to have a holistic approach. Be well planned and thought through.
- People will read longer articles but only after you've made yourself more famous or sold them on the idea that your blog is worth reading. Good examples of this include John Piper and Mark Driscoll. If you are new keep em short and sweet.
- People always read shorter articles. We live in a world of short sound bites. People are used to reading short stuff that is to the point. If I post longer stuff people don't read it as much.
- Keep it regular. Whether it's once a day, a week, or a month you must stay regular. Make your commitment to blog before you start and stick to it. 99% of all blogs will fail because they aren't regularly updated and fade into the mist of the internet cloud (Ok I made the figure up but it is the internet people).
- Respond to comments. I'm rubbish at this but it's a good thing to do. It shows you are prepared to listen and modify your stance if necessary.
- Don't bag out bloggers, internet and blogging. This shows a lack of understanding and humility. If you are new to blogging maybe it might help to think of yourself as the equivalent of a pimple faced boy on his first day of high school. You are out to make friends and earn respect.
- Be careful what you say it may come back to bite you. Always think twice before posting. A safe rule of thumb when writing about people is assume they'll be reading what you write.
tags blog, friends, linkage, ministry tips, thinking
That last post was my 400th
09 September 2008
and I missed it. Also the 400 doesn't include the 171 posts on my old blog. It's been a long wild ride.
Speaking of which the Driscoll lecture that caused all the controversy is up on the Sydney Anglicans website free here for your downloading pleasure.
Sydney people are...
04 September 2008
Seumas: This is my friend Mike
Person being introduced to: Right so where you from?
Me: I'm from Hobart in Tassie
Person being introduced to : Oh! Hobart (downward inflection in voice) ... right... insert joke about Tasmania here... hee hee hee.
It's been getting to the point where nearly every conversation I have here in Sydney has been like this*. Honestly people Tasmania isn't the end of the world. I mean have you visited? Nearly every person I know who has been down has loved it. And yes there are Christians in Tassie and they rock hard.
Sheesh no more Tassie jokes they have been done to death and it's painful. Ok rant over.
*I should note that most of these people aren't bloggers
tags blog, friends, pictures, stupid award
no posts?
22 August 2008
When I don't post much it's either because I've been sick, busy, feeling crap or pushing all my creative energy in writing sermons... in this case it's been all four.
Gargle warm diet coke...
25 July 2008
I'm sick with a cold. A while back someone told me that the BEST treatment for a cold was to gargle warm diet coke. I kid not dear readers.
So in celebration of my cold I thought that we could compile a list of cold; relief, symptom treating, and preventions which I will then try all at once and document for you blog reading pleasure.
tags blog, shameless self promotion, update
firefox 3
24 June 2008
is great except for...
- The new interface...
- it's too dark
- there's not enough colour
- it looks too much like safari.
- there is currently a lack of compatible add ons.
- the addons that are available are buggy
tags blog, linkage, review, stupid award
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