To the webmaster / editor,

Just had a thought about the articles that SydAngs produces on this site. There are lots of great articles from lots of well known writers here. I think the idea that anyone can review a book and get their review posted on this site is great.

Perhaps this could be extended to articles or reflections on life issues in a more personal perspective (without reviewing a book)? Like maybe something like ‘in-depth’ but anyone can submit an article to be considered. Perhaps there just needs to be some more promotion if SydAngs is already open to this? Or perhaps you need a dedicated section to ‘articles by Sydney Anglicans’ with articles by ordinary Sydney Anglicans, not just the well known ones. This would be more personal and the way things are going, I think it’s the right time to do this. People are looking to hear from ordinary people and not just people at the top of the hierarchy. At the end of the articles you could also have a comments section for discussion of the issue.

I think that would help this site become even more ‘Sydney Anglicans’ than ‘Sydney Clergy’. Let’s make it more about ‘Sydney Anglicans’?

Hey Simon,

That’s a great idea - one which we already do. But your comment hightlights the fact that people aren’t aware of it, so it bears repeating.

Sydneyanglicans.net runs a section of our site - right next to the Indepth section - called Insight. These are a collection of articles contributed mostly by readers of the site, or people directly involved in the stories. We’ve even drawn them from particularly interesting posts on occasion.

Insight articles tend to be interviews or first-person observations and reflections on topics close to the hearts of particular readers. They are your ... well, insights.

Anyone who would like to contribute one for consideration can email me their idea and I can give them some pointers, or simply send me your article for consideration.

Yes, Sydneyanglicans for Sydney Anglicans - not a bad thought, Simon.

Cheerio,

Mark

Hmm great news then! As you have suggested I think perhaps you need to write on the site somewhere permanently and somewhere easy to find (in ‘Insight’ and outside that section e.g. front page banner ad or something where you wouldn’t find ‘Insight’ to cover your bases and encourage greater awareness) that SydAngs is open to considering articles.

I think having a comments section (like you’d get in a blog) would also be great so the readers can interact with the author and this is a more thorough experience and will encourage delving into the topic further. Although you could post something in the forums, I wonder if directly under the article is easier for ppl and encourages more comments. Perhaps the comments section could be directly linked to the forum discussion. So it doesn’t matter whether the discussion is in the forums section or under the article, they both work as one if you know what i mean? Sounds techy but SydAngs give me the impression they are techy and would be up for a challenge?

Thanks for the suggestions Simon.

We can certainly add some more ‘awareness’ advertising regarding the Insight section; I’ll discuss it with our webmaster.

In regard to comments, we’re actually in the process of evaluating our use of forums, commenting and their interconnectivity. We’ve actually got the necessary modules installed on our system to do what you suggest. However the biggest step is ensuring they’re implemented in a way that preserves the character of the site. We’ve been reviewing our monitoring process and the policies we work by for the past month. These will have to be thoroughly worked through before we introduce / change our services if we’re going to improve the overall experience of visiting the site.

But keep the suggestions coming through - we value the Sydneyanglicans.net brains trust immensely.

Can I praise this blog...of all the conservative blogs..this one is the mist Christian. in that unlike Stand Firm and Virtue online, there is very little uncharitable language. As St paul says , “ If I have the Faith to move mountains, give my body to be burned and have not love.....”