Blogging the Archbishops: Canterbury and York on the web

At the beginning of this series about the the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, I asked them both about their understanding of blogging and the virtual world. Neither of them is actually a blogger in person (although a number of Bishops do blog, some regularly, some intermittently; this one is a weekly audio blog). But the Archbishops of Canterbury and York co-ordinated the launch of their new websites at the beginning of the year, with the aim of projecting their beliefs and activities in a somewhat more personal format to a wider audience. They include their biographies, but also their personal interests and passions - poetry and Russian literature for one, and York City FC for the other. I'll leave you to figure out which is which.

Their websites are bright and modern in design, and while they aren't exactly matching sites, they have a similar style and structure, suited to their own personalities and styles. The Archbishop of Canterbury's site uses shades of blue and grey, creating a sense of his contemplative style; the Archbishop of York is more extrovert with vibrant, fiery reds. Each site includes videos, RSS feeds, a 'contact us' form and photo gallery.  The only glaring omission is a blog! Although I guess it would be impossible for their small staff-base to negotiate a comments section...

A Lambeth Palace spokesperson said: "We recognise the huge potential and increasing importance of web based communication and see it as central to ensuring that the messages of both Archbishops and the Church of England are widely heard. Through our new websites the Archbishops will be able to reach out to fresh audiences through use of video, audio and other facilities. More adaptable and user-friendly websites will make it easier for people inside and outside the church to access the Archbishops and their ministries, and to better understand the part which both Archbishops play in our national life and in the wider Anglican Communion."

Go read:  Archbishop of Canterbury    Archbishop of York 

I hope this series of posts has been enjoyable for you.  The next Cambridge Consultations will take place in Cambridge on the 7^th-9^th May 2008, and the theme will be Human Rights in a Dangerous World. 

Comments

[Mark]

( Just an Erratum note, not a Comment )

Oops !
Bad links to the ABs - they have been prefixed with your URL:

http://maggidawn.typepad.com/maggidawn/2008/03/www.archbishopofcanterbury.org
http://maggidawn.typepad.com/maggidawn/2008/03/www.archbishopofyork.org

[Peter Kirk]

Your links to the archiepiscopal websites are broken. Probably you need to add "http://" at the beginning of them.

[maggi]

thanks mark and peter!

[Pseudonym]

Thanks for this series, it's been very interesting. And special thanks to the Archbishops for their time.