This is a blog designed to record the work I’m doing towards a part-time PhD at Loughborough University.

My interest lies in how religious organisations are exploiting the internet as a way of providing information, building communities and promulgating messages.

From this aim come several research questions:

  • To what extent do churches see themselves in a role as information providers to external audiences?
  • To what extent do churches see themselves in role as information providers to their internal audience?
  • To what extent are churches exploiting the internet to promulgate faith-based messages, to engage all generations of the potential audience or to provide a place for those without a traditional congregation to meet?
  • To what extent are UK-based internet users connecting online for religious purposes and does this mirror, or differ from, offline populations and interactions? Are existing communities being enhanced, new ones established or is there a mixture of both?
  • To what extent is the internet, with its perceived lack of boundaries and unregulated content seen as an appropriate medium of communication by the established Church?
  • To what extent does the internet provide a place where difficult or taboo subjects can be raised within a faith based environment (for example, issues of sexuality) facilitating interactions that would not otherwise take place face to face?

Plan of action (version 1, at least)

1. Evaluate the relevance and usability of UK church websites:

1.1 Investigate and assess existing methodologies for evaluation

2 Examine the use of other media and draw conclusions concerning the most appropriate methods for managing information provision to external audiences and the churches’ own membership.

3. Investigate online community participation in the UK, establish baselines for the level of interaction and compare and contrast this with faith-based communities.

4. Investigate the provision of information on religion by public library services.

5. Examine the extent of church library facilities and the policies which govern acquisitions.

6. Assess the Church’s attitude towards the internet; its facilitation or otherwise of Web 2.0 initiatives and authority views on these initiatives.