My post on wanting a shared calendar that isn’t hosted online has generated more feedback than any other post and that’s just fine as it was what I wanted – your input.

What it also did for most folks was to get them to question why I didn’t want an online application – otherwise generally referred to as cloud computing (CC). There are a number of reasons I don’t want it to be online and none of them are to do with shortage of skills or desire to learn or an unwillingness to take on new ideas. After all, in my professional life most of my customers use a variant of CC where we host their servers or apps.

The one major difference between my professional life and utilising CC for my Church is the security (the second is plenty of money!). At work we build the security in. Only the client or authorised external parties get access to the data and applications. By default this doesn’t happen in the public world.

Anyway, here is my take on why I don’t want to use CC apps for my Church … at present.

1. Security. I cannot guarantee that my data is private and won’t be shared / disclosed / otherwise let lose.
2. Longevity. I also cannot guarantee that any provider is going to be there next week let alone next year. At least with a standalone app I can keep it beyond its useful life if necessary.
3. Infrastructure. Currently the Church setup is such that it could go down and lack of access to the data would put them in a DOS situation.

Those are the three main and probably pertinent reasons aside from my personal (and likely irrational) dislike of CC apps. Then you get the likes of Bruce Schneier whom says it all so much more eloquently than I can.

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More accurately it is precisely one year since I registered the domain name. Checking back my first post didn’t happen for several weeks. The gap was due to my messing with the back end, trying to find a design I liked (those of you that have been here a while will know I’ve changed it several times since) and I was also surprised by the fact that the domain name was available.

Once I’d got over the initial surprise of having the domain name the next decision I faced was what to do with it. There was no doubt I wanted to create something with which I could give back and to that end a blog was the obvious choice. Despite being good with words I don’t consider myself a natural blogger and I am very much learning as I go along. I certainly wasn’t called to “blog for God” but at the root of everything I do for God is service and giving and consequently I’ve been thinking of how I could better share my expertise and life experiences.

So here I am, with my very own Church Technology blog. So why am I blogging?

• To give of my knowledge and experience
• To build relationships with other Christian Technologists
• To learn from others
• To create a public “to do” list for my life
• To become much more accountable through those that know where I’m at

In the last year I have built some fledgling relationships with other Christians and specifically with ones whom also have an abiding love of technology – be it a hobby or a profession in the Church or in the world. These are relationships I want to foster and I want them to last the remainder of my life irrespective of me blogging or not. Unfortunately most of these relationships will have to remain online as these folks are American, Australian and other far flung places.

The blog has also opened my eyes to the wider world of tech in Church and to realise just how partisan we in the UK are in our dealings with fellow brothers / sisters. To that end I am hoping to develop relationships with fellow UK techies, bloggers, etc and see if we can’t reproduce or become an affiliate of something like CITRT or similar. I’d like for Christian Techs in the UK to have access to MinistryTech and other such Church centric technical conferences. We may have all of these already but I haven’t found them yet.

So, here’s to another and my second year of blogging and especially here’s to a deepening of relationships, a strengthening of ties and of discovering or providing answers and help to one and all.

Happy 1st Birthday ChurchTechy

I am constantly amazed at the number of respected magazines, technical authors, bloggers, etc that appear to be “in bed” with some of the better name security software vendors.

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The more observant of you will spot the banner that has sprouted in the top right hand corner of the site.

I am pleased to put my (small) voice in the blogging world behind the efforts of Internet Evangalism Day and can only hope that you will at least visit their site for idea, encouragement and as a means to help you focus. Either as an individual or within the broader setup of your Church.

Whilst it may be too close for you to organise your Church or push it in front of your leaders I’d still encourage you to visit and see what they have to offer – you just may come away with an idea that will help you and your Church to grow.

I try to be green – or at least as green as I can and I do my best to ensure I don’t wantonly waste electricity or resources. I’m even trying to get my children to understand the need to turn off their light(s) or taps, etc.

But somehow earth hour to me smacks of silliness.

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