While in Sydney I was fortunate to meet up with a few web site developers for some a couple of emerging church groups, plus some EC bloggers whose sites I’ve been following for some time. I was gratified that they were so willing to meet with me, even travel from suburbs to meet with me in the city or way up in Castle Hill. I would like to thank all of you (you know who you are) – your willingness to talk with me is a show of real support for my project, and has made this gig, and the life it takes from me, easier. Best of all, I had loads of fun sharing food, coffee and conversation with you – you’re all great people to meet, regardless of the meeting’s purpose.

Despite the small number of interviews, I left the harbour city with much to think about, and many questions to explore, including these four:

1. Most of the bloggers interviewed began their blogging as a way to reflect personally on their ministry, church involvement, general life. For some, blogging was a tool for developing strong writing skills and habits. Their involvement in the online EC conversation came later, as they began to read more blogs and develop a small audience of authors of other sites. So their blogging has always had a personal focus. Others, however, chose to blog in order to engage in the EC conversation as a priority, and their focus is on online discussion, more so than personal life.

The online EC conversation is built by people who enter the forum with a view to develop personal online identities. It presents a questions to me: is this an important aspect of the EC conversation – that it is deeply personal and reflective on individual experience? Is this what sets it apart from other forums of discussion on the EC, or Christianity more generally? Does it require its members be open to share personally?

2. All web-page creators rely on web-based programs to develop their sites – e.g. TypePad, Typo3, Mambo and blogger.com. Authors’ opportunity to construct unique pages that reflect their personality and online goals is dependent on their access to the right hardware (computers and ISP subscriptions that are big and fast enough) and knowledge about how to employ and configure the software available. There are some major differences in this access among bloggers interviewed. The question for me is: how would this affect their participation in the online EC participation? Does the EC blogosphere require certain access to tools and tech savvy to be engaged in it? Are some people marginalised by their lack of access?

3. Emerging church groups interviewed struggled with the decision to present themselves online. There were ethical questions posed about whether having a web page or web-based community would be seen, and would later develop into, a desire to “market” the group. A characteristic of the emerging church movement seen here is that EC groups “don’t market”. We’re not about saving souls, we’re not about getting bums-on-seats, we’re not about big-is-beautiful and being popular. On the other hand, their decision to produce online content came from a response to hearing people wanting to find out about them, and wanting to go online to do that. I would like to be able to research further, and reflect on, whether there is a developing EC marketing ethic, and how ECs should present itself in public spaces like the Internet, that sets itself apart from traditional and contemporary forms of Western Christianity.

4. It also seems that EC groups, so far, aren’t really interested in creating an online community, except for their everyday members to stay connected when they have to be away – a response to staying in community with an ever-mobile population. It seems that the EC conversation enters offline communtiy life only indirectly – people who “happen to be” members of certain EC communities offline, may engage in the online EC conversation, but definitely don’t respresent their community in the blogosphere or anywhere else. Is this a requirement of the EC blogosphere, or just my own small research experience of it? What would happen to the EC blogopshere if only EC communities were represented, represented by formal “media & communications” officers?

These are just questions floating in my head, refusing to be held down – so excuse me if they sound stupid to you. Actually don’t excuse it, tell me how and why they’re the wrong questions to ask. If you think they’re good questions, let me know too.