Are we over-scheduling kids?
That was the question posed to me by WNYT’s Dan Bazile in his in-depth interview and piece on the tension between sports and family. Bazile wanted an in-depth take on my thoughts after writing “The Myth of the Elite Young Athlete” with the Albany Times Union.
Here’s the full interview with Dan Bazile:
I cannot hide this news any longer since the Albany Times Union published the story this morning: Jimmy Buffett will join the First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa in May. I’m very sorry to my family and friends for keeping this information private.
I’ve had to keep Jimmy Buffett’s news silent as I was contractually prohibited from announcing the news to anyone. Buffett recently bought a home in near by Saratoga Springs and plans to use it in the summer. Most of the conversation about Buffett joining the church was through his agent and daughter. Buffett’s agent confirmed that I could pass this along from the press release:
Mr. Buffett’s recent New York home purchase means that Mr. Buffett will be searching for a local church to join. We are pleased to announce that Mr. Buffett will join The First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa in early May 2015. Due to Mr. Buffett’s tour and concert commitments, Mr. Buffett will conduct further communication through Prestige Worldwide.
It’s not something I’m bragging about, but this is surprising. In response to my Times Union blog post on why church gun giveaways do not send a postive message, Breitbart.com sited my blog post.
The headline reads, “Pastor Quotes Daily Kos, Apostle Paul Against AR-15 Giveaway”: Continue Reading…
There is something common about negativity in social media platforms. No matter if the topic is politics, playoffs, or puppies people can default to negative comments as a defense.
I had an epiphany regarding my Albany Times Union blog and the tone of negativity in the comment section. In the interest of freedom, openness, and free speech I had unknowingly allowed my blog to become a swamp of negativity. I could receive anywhere between 30-100 comments on a post. I allowed just about any comment through my standard comment moderation process, as long as it wasn’t threatening or contained foul language.
The tone of the comments kept coming back to negative personal hang ups with other people. I was providing a platform for people to carry out their personal gripes. I realized that people can do that type of online attack anywhere: Twitter, Facebook, or even YouTube. Unfortunately, the same 4-6 people bickered, constantly. Other people stopped commenting on my blog because a few bad apples were ruining the bunch. Comments constantly got off topic. I had to change things.
Blogging is a challenge and maintaining your cool is key. By following a few simple tips, you can keep readers coming back and generate more interaction:
Continue Reading…
It is with mixed feelings that I announce that I’m giving up On The Bema in order to segue to AlanRudnick.org. I started On The Bema in 2009 to blog on issues regarding Christianity and culture. The blog racked up over 74,000 hits in its nearly 3 year life span. On The Bema accomplished as much as it can. It enabled me to share ideas that were featured on Christian Century, WordPress.com, and other blogging websites. Some of the most shared and clicked blog posts are:
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