Missionary Work and Metadata-The Final Paper!

Here is the link to my final paper discussing Missionary Work and Metadata. Obviously this paper is not inclusive of all possible platforms using metadata, or all forms of metadata. My goal was to discuss ways in which descriptive metadata could be used more effectively, from an official church point of view, as well as with members.

As I wrote this paper I gained a greater appreciation for the creativity that metadata allows us, and what an amazing tool this is for all organizations and denominations, and especially as a tool for sharing beliefs that are personal and important with others.

I'd love to hear any feedback and your thoughts as to what could be done to more effectively use metadata!

Working Outline

Below is a rough working outline that will form the basis of my paper regarding metadata and missionary work in the LDS Church. 

1. Intro-Thesis: With the increasing focus on online missionary work within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, members need to be aware of the benefits and use of metadata in order to truly establish a reputable online community.
2. The need for personal connections and sharing in the online community-a lot of this will be backed up by Jeff Jarvis’s Public Parts
3. What this means for the LDS online missionary efforts-especially how analyzing metadata could allow them to in part analyze the growth of online missionary work (see below study)
4. How metadata through various platforms will enable them to do this-Case study Folks in Folksonomies: Social Link Prediction from Shared Metadata
5. What the LDS Church could do to support this-altering their Sharing the Gospel and Sharing via Social Media pages, suggesting appropriate labels for each platform, links on Mormon.org to pages already created by users.
6. What members of the Church need to be doing-appropriate tagging, reference to each other in posts, etc.
7. Conclusion

Missionary Work by Digital Means - for Kelsey

I decided to do the altruistic scholar assignment for Kelsey. It seems like her posts have been revolving around using digital means to do missionary work, so I wanted to help find some sources for her that show what the Church is doing in terms of an online presence and online outreach.

I know that you have to be pretty careful when finding websites regarding the Church because there is a lot of anti literature out there that is less than helpful. However, here are a few resources I found that might help:

1. Forums: LDS.net contains a lot of forums of people discussing beliefs. I searched through a few of them, and most of them seemed to be conversion stories. There were a few that had something to do with investigating the church in the title. Kelsey might use this to analyze the use of forums for investigation. It is much less threatening to pose a question online and view responses than it is to meet face to face with the missionaries, for example. It might not always be as effective, and there is always the risk of getting biased and incorrect information, but I think we have to recognize that it is definitely a major way that people are finding out about the Church. There is also, of course, Mormon.org and the profiles there. I think observing the way people are asking questions and what questions they are focusing on could really help in your research.

2. Blogs: In this post, Kelsey mentioned that she wanted to explore some blogs that were branded LDS and see how they were received by those who are not LDS. Whenever we start talking about Mormon blogs, naturally Mormon mommy blogs come up. There are so many aspects to explore here, including DIY culture. This article is a young feminist atheist who loves reading Mormon mom blogs, one reason being that they portray motherhood with respect. I found it incredibly enlightening, especially seeing it through a nonmember's eyes. Here are a few blogs that I found that you might want to look into:

• Stephanie Nielson's blog http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/. This woman was mentioned in general conference and is one of the most well-known mommy bloggers that I am aware of. She has a very wide readership, LDS and non-LDS alike. 
• Another pretty popular one, C. Jane Kendrick http://www.cjanekendrick.com/. The unique thing about this blog is that she is very open about her LDS faith, highlighting the brand you were talking about when discussing Public Parts. 
• This Deseret News article lists some more Mormon mommy blogs and talks about why they are so prevalent and popular.

3. News Articles: At the very least, these articles can get you familiar with what is being publicized about the changing rules for missionaries and some researchers on the subject. I really liked what these articles had to say about how the world is changing, so missionary work must adapt to the changes and move along with it. 

• Here is an article I found in the Religion News Service that talks about the changing nature of missionary work in the LDS church.
• This article is probably the most comprehensive overview of the recent announcement. 
• This Wall Street Journal blog post about the announcement notes the radical change from missionary policy. It also mentions Dr. Burton, so that's pretty cool! What I also think could help would be to read through some of the comments on the blog post and see how these changes are being received. Maybe there will be some leads to some other sources for you. 

I hope this helps at least a little bit! Good luck with your research. 

Moby Dick and Metadata

Since returning from my mission, I've struggled finding the balance of continuing to share the gospel, without being too preachy or over-zealous. Our conversations in class and the recent conversation within the Church has really sparked my interest into how digital tools can allow us to share the gospel in a manner that is very warm and approachable.  Lots of efforts are already being made to educate others in how to share the gospel online, as well as efforts to go ahead and start sharing!  Throughout this semester, I've come to realize the necessity of connecting with others. Sharing doesn't amount to much if you're not sharing it with the right group and making connections with those that share your passions. In regards to the LDS community, I believe that metadata will be a key component of efforts really taking off and significant progress being made. If those already invested in this work cannot connect with each other and cannot be found by those searching, it will not amount to much.

Moby Dick is one of the larger books I've read lately, and if I'm being honest, it was sometimes extremely difficult to remember everything I read and where it was found.  Yet the book is methodically organized, with short chapters and the heading describing what is contained-tedious as that topic may be. Melville writes, "What then remains? Nothing but to take hold of the whales bodily, in their entire liberal volume, and boldly sort them that way. And this is the Bibliographical system here adopted; and it is the only one that can possibly succeed, for it alone is practicable" (ch. 32). Just as Melville sorted through his narrative the same way a whale is sorted through, so must we sort through the information we share about our religious beliefs.  Through the use of labels, titles, hashtags, etc. the content shared by members of the Church can be more easily recognized for what it is. As the parts are more easily recognized, so will the whole, or the larger whale. Without the smaller parts being extremely clear as to their function and purpose, it will not point people towards the larger goal.

The beauty of metadata is that it is a way of curating and gathering information that can continue on. There is no limit, the information can continue to evolve and expand. Melville shares similar thoughts, "Finally: It was stated at the outset, that this system would not be here, and at once, perfected. You cannot but plainly see that I have kept my word. But I now leave my cetological System standing thus unfinished, even as the great Cathedral of Cologne was left, with the crane still standing upon the top of the uncompleted tower. For small erections may be finished by their first architects; grand ones, true ones, ever leave the copestone to posterity. God keep me from ever completing anything. This whole book is but a drought-nay but the draught of a draught. Oh, Time, Strength, Cash, and Patience!"

This is a momentous moment for missionary work for the LDS Church. Leaders of the Church recognize that this is a process that will continue to change, and will not be perfected or completed soon. We must make sure that our initial structures, as the first architects, are stable structures upon which others can build. Instead of millions forming new structures, we need to group together and build upon that which already stands.  I believe that the use of metadata and of using various curation tools to link these various sites and people together will help hasten the work in a very powerful and necessary way.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on how metadata can strengthen and spark collaborations, especially in regards to missionary work!

Review of Public Parts by Jeff Jarvis

Also reviewed on Goodreads.

Public Parts by Jeff Jarvis is a really easy, yet interesting read. Jarvis uses personal and cultural examples to illustrate the importance of public sharing, and also highlights the challenges in separating public and private life. Jarvis's arguments in regards to businesses being more open in sharing ideas and interacting with their customers is especially strong. While I personally do not agree with publicness online to the extent that Jarvis does, I found that his logic for the most part made a whole lot of sense!

Jarvis really does make this an entertaining and easy read. He discusses the history of publicness and highlights the benefits of being public online. He addresses the concept and definition of privacy, and how that relates to the business world. Towards the end of his book he discusses the need to protect publicness and in a sense calls for support in this cause.

I think one of the strong arguments Jarvis makes is our need to make connections online. He writes, "The people we want to meet are a connection away.” While I have reservations about needing to be completely public online with our personal lives, his argument for the needs companies have to make connections online made sense. The online presence a company has now has a large affect on it's brand, and is something companies need to acknowledge. 

Whether or not you agree with the argument Jarvis makes, it is good to be aware of it. The digital age truly is changing the way we live our lives, and we need to be aware and informed on the issue of privacy. The digital world has expanded to the point where it can no longer be ignored.