Mormon Bloggers

The May issue of the New Era magazine contains several quick-response (QR) codes that, when scanned with a barcode application on a smartphone, take you directly to videos, articles, and websites. For example, on page 3, there is a QR code that takes you to the video of President Monson’s address from the Sunday morning session of general conference. (If you don’t have a smartphone, you can access the same video on a computer by going to lds.org/go/511. Did you find these QR codes helpful? Do you think the magazines should continue to use them? What suggestions do you have to make them more helpful? Share on Facebook  Read More →

 I felt like it would be interesting to explore the potential benefits of technology on parenting — leaving parenting websites out of the equation due to their obvious role in helping parents.  You know that old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child”? Our world seems increasingly more hands off than it used to be, but perhaps it is all about changing with the times and adjusting. More hands off, maybe, but people are more accessible. Perhaps our “village” is enormous, perhaps our “village” can reach across the globe because of the technology we have, and perhaps we get to pick and choose who is in our “village”. My main example will be Facebook and blogs. I use these tools as an example because they are the tools I use in my life, but as you read, think about the other devices you use and how this same principle might apply. Both Facebook and blogs (and e-mail too) open our world, and provide us with access to advice, support, and empathy if... Read the rest of this entry »

Many congregations throughout the world face challenges trying to view general conference and other Church broadcasts in a timely manner. But new technology is changing that. Previously, there were two main ways for congregations around the world to view conference. Many stake centers throughout the world have satellite dishes to receive Church broadcasts. These satellite dishes and receivers are very expensive to install and maintain. It also requires members to travel–sometimes great distances–to stake centers where the dishes are available. A second way to receive conference was to wait several weeks for conference sessions to be copies onto DVDs and shipped to congregations around the world. Once the DVDs arrived, members would gather in Church buildings to view the DVDs. But Church technology employees are working on solutions to deliver conference and other broadcasts more quickly and less expensively. Today, videos of general conference are available online in many... Read the rest of this entry »

LDSTech reports that about half of the 17,000 LDS Church meetinghouses around the world already have Internet connections. Many more will get connected in the near future. The article states, “It’s clear that the Internet has become an important part of communication in the Church – not just for clerk software (such as Member Leader Services), but also for teaching the gospel, helping individuals with provident living, doing family history and temple work, administering in the Church, and ministering to those in need. In areas where members are remotely located, the Internet also reduces burdens related to travel and cost for meetings and training.” Having all the meetinghouses connected to the Internet opens new doors to how the Church can communicate quickly and efficiently with leaders in every ward and branch. It also opens new possibilities in how the Church can provide information and materials to auxiliary leaders, teachers, and individual members. What ideas do... Read the rest of this entry »

A few years ago, I wrote an article “What is RSS?” If you don’t understand RSS (Really Simple Syndication), also called “web feeds,” you may want to read that article first. This article explains how the LDS Church is providing RSS feeds and how you can use them to receive regularly-updated content such as audio, video, and text. Feeds contain titles, short descriptions, and hyperlinks to the full article or web page referenced. New content and links in the feeds are updated automatically so you don’t need to constantly visit a website looking for new content. To use feeds, you will need a news reader or feed aggregator that will collect, and display the content, such as Google Reader. For feeds that contain MP3 files or other media files (often called podcasts), you’ll need a music program like iTunes to subscribe to and listen to the files. The Church and Podcasts and RSS Feeds A lot of text, audio, and video content posted to Church websites... Read the rest of this entry »

I just read the Deseret News list of “Top LDS News Stories of 2010.” (I know, it’s old news, but this story is interesting nonetheless.) # 7 on their list summarized how the Church used the Internet and new technology to reach a wider audience in 2010. They mentioned the following: The launch in January of a new website for LDS youth (youth.lds.org). Store.lds.org, a new church online shopping site, opened for business in September, replacing the old LDS Catalog. A new handbook for leaders was released and made accessible for members online. (If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to read the first few chapters that outline the purpose of the Church, the priesthood, and leadership, and their relationship to the family. You can find the handbook in the Serving in the Church section of LDS.org. Or click here.) Familysearch.org was improved. Church websites mormon.org and LDS.org were redesigned and launched. A new website called combatingpornography.org was... Read the rest of this entry »

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal reminds us that many public libraries let you check out e-books for use on  e-readers, iPads, and Android tablets. The article offers suggestions on applications and processes for borrowing and reading electronic books. Amazon’s Kindle doesn’t allow borrowing e-books from libraries. Share on Facebook  Read More →

Back in the 19th century, President Brigham Young said, “Every discovery in science and art that is really true and useful to mankind, has been given by direct revelation from God. … We should take advantage of all these great discoveries … and give to our children the benefit of every brand of useful knowledge, to prepare them to step forward and efficiently do their part in the great work.” In 1972, President Spencer W. Kimball said, “I believe that the Lord is anxious to put into our hands inventions of which we laymen have hardly had a glimpse.” He then spoke about devices not yet invented in 1972 that would enable church members to connect with each other immediately. We live in an amazing world of technology, and it is essential for each of us to use it wisely and in the ways that God intends us to use it. In the October 2010 general conference, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf warned us about becoming distracted by media, electronic tools and gadgets... Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine the possibilities. Now that you see what Google TV can do, imagine Mormon Channel Internet TV through devices like Roku, Boxee, and web-enabled televisions. It’s coming. If you would like to know more or volunteer for beta testing, send an e-mail to AVDMTech@ldschurch.org. Share on Facebook  Read More →

The LDS Tech website (tech.lds.org) has just been redesigned to Help you identify which area of the web site you are most interested in. Provide more information on how you can get involved. Provide easier access to finding self support information. The new LDS Tech website has direct integration with the LDSTech Talent Profile (formerly known as the LDS Talent Pool), which lets you enter your skills and talents, see which projects you are most interested in, and sign up for particular projects. The LDSTech web site has three distinct areas: Contributing to Church technology projects. Learn how to easily sign up for a sponsored project. Get help using technology in your calling.  Learn how to find support options for the various technology products the Church offers.  You can also help others with support questions with your own answers to various questions. Learn about how the Church is using technology.  Read about how the Church continues to utilize technology to help the Church... Read the rest of this entry »

The folks at Google have created a few videos that teach basic computer skills. Teach Parents Tech lets you send a “tech support care package” to your parents with simple videos like: How to copy and paste text How to share photos and videos online How to make bookmarks How to take a screenshot How to transfer files between computers How to create a strong password Below is a sample video. See more at teachparentstech.org. Share on Facebook  Read More →

In continuing on with the countdown to Thanksgiving (only three more days to go!), I had to take a moment to take about my gratitude for technology.  We have been so blessed to live in an age of advanced technology, which makes it possible for us to accomplish so much in our lives.  I am especially grateful for it because it allowed me to finish my mission.  When I came home from the Ivory Coast, I knew that I would probably have a chance to go back out somewhere in the world, if not back to Africa.  However, when I had to come home from Canada because of the same thing happening, I thought that was the end of my mission.  Thankfully, I was quite wrong in my assumption. Just about a week after I got home from Canada, my Stake President arranged for me to visit the Referral Center to work there for a week on a trial to see how it would go for me and to see if it would be something I was interested in doing until I could be reassigned somewhere else in the world. ... Read the rest of this entry »