Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The value of our online Catholic community: a linkup!

Good day all! As I continue to reflect on my experience at the Catholic New Media Conference, it got me to thinking...

I so value what I receive from my online faith community, i.e. all of YOU. I also met some people at the conference who I "know" via podcasts and Twitter that I consider part of my Catholic community. Whether it be in a podcast, or on a blog (such as this one), when you share your life online with others, you feel bonded to them in a special way, even if you never or rarely see each other in real life. This has gotten even more pronounced for me in the past year as I have become active on Twitter and linkups on other blogs.

It makes me feel so...very ME to be a part of this community. My Twitter handle is @CatholicTiffany for a reason. That's a gigantic part of my identity, and it feels good to have people accept that about me. When I was a child (you knew it was coming, it's THE TIFFANY ANECDOTE, the train derails temporarily and you sigh, settle in, and hope that I remember where I was originally going with all of this...), I never felt as if I belonged in the community of which I was a part, namely school. My family, yes, that was always a warm and supportive environment, but the only other piece of the puzzle that I had when I was growing up always felt...not quite right, sort of like a handknit sweater in which you accidentally knit one sleeve longer than the other (not that I would know anything about that *delicately clears throat*). I hid a lot of things that were important to me because I feared that I would not be accepted because of them:

I'm a reserved person. I was voted Shyest in my senior class if this is any indication of the exact state of affairs. I didn't know my male counterpart when we went to get our photo taken for the yearbook, because, you know, we were SHY. We had never talked to each other before.

I'm Catholic and proud of it.

I like to read and I'm a bit of a nerd. Hence the subsequent librarian thing.

I knit in public.

I'm a belly dancer. I do that in public too. Yes, it's modest and family friendly, I promise.

I'm a wife and mother, and I believe that these roles are instrumental in the morality of our society. As is a chaste religious or single life.

Any one of these things could make people who don't know me scratch their heads in wonder (or perhaps annoyance) but I finally know that those who take the time to get to know me, whether in real life or online, appreciate and accept me for all of the above. And I adore you. :)

And so this week I want to celebrate our online community. A few quick plugs and then I'll get to the heart of this post. I listen to a lot of Catholic podcasts, and my CNMC socializing has garnered me a few mentions amongst online friends who have my utmost admiration:

Catholic Weekend is one of my favorite podcasts, I've listened for years. In episode 195, the CNMC Wrap-up, Maria Johnson mentions the Catholic Librarian, and let's just say that I nearly snorted out my tea in surprise and joy as I listened. I'm just very subtle and lady-like that way.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Fr. Darryl Millette at the CNMC, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He has a podcast called The SportsFathers in which he and other priests talk about current sports goings on, and yours truly gets a shout out in his most recent episode, #24!.

Ok! Do you have a blog or podcast? Yes? Write a post and linkup so that we can all get to know each other better! You can write about:

(1) How you got started in social media (don't forget to mention how we can find you on there), or

(2) How you started your blog or podcast (and don't worry if it's not Catholic focused, you can still linkup!), or

(3) Why you value our online Catholic community.

Don't forget to include a link back to this blog, many thanks! All right, you are officially set loose...

8 comments:

  1. Think I stumbled on your blog through Facebook, though I forget where exactly. You have a great upcoming reading list. I review Catholic books (and other things) on my blogs and have had the pleasure of reviewing "In Him Alone is Our Hope," and "Walking With Mary." If you're ever looking for good Catholic books to read check out my site, http://stuartsstudy.blogspot.com

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    1. I will, thanks Stuart! Thanks for stopping in!

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  2. Hi there! So nice to find your lovely blog and read this post! I'm kind of in the middle of something in the next few days ( I know! Shocking...I'm so not a scheduled blogger! :) but I hope to join in on your link-up from www.equippingcatholicfamilies.com. Nice time et you!

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    1. Sounds great, Monica! Would love to have you!

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  3. Great to find you. Follow you on Twitter and loved the CNMC I went to last year in Arlington and this year in PA. I've been blogging only about a year and a half and try to post 3 times a week. Love to have guest bloggers, especially conversion, reversion, healing and miracle stories for Joy Stories tab. Will keep in touch.

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    1. Very nice to meet you, Nancy! Send me a message on twitter! It's so easy to lose track of who is who on there. :)

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  4. Hi Tiffany! I missed the link-up (got behind in reading all my blogs) so thought I'd post a comment. I've been blogging since 2006. I've had a blog longer than I've had Facebook or any other social media. My blog has evolved a lot over the years I've been blogging. It's been for Catholic topics, just stuff going on in my life, and much more. I haven't been blogging a whole lot recently except to post pregnancy updates roughly once a week. My blog is Journal of a Nobody. I also blog at Catholic Sistas: www.catholicsistas.com. I love blogging there and being involved with that website, it adds a lot to my Catholic community. Speaking of which I'd say my Catholic community is really strong. We have lots of Catholic friends where we live and an active parish with lots of opportunities to get involved. Online I am part of a very active Catholic group of moms on Facebook, plus several local Catholic women in my area also created a Facebook group and they use it to ask for prayers, pray for each other, and arrange weekly get-togethers (including a monthly adoration hour followed by some social time together). Then of course, I mainly read Catholic blogs, so I feel a part of the Catholic blogosphere even if no one knows who I am. :)
    I enjoying reading your blog, Tiffany! I think I've commented before and told you that I am also a Librarian at a university library. I am a cataloger though, so I'm not out teaching classes or doing reference hours like you. :)

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    1. Hi Kerri! Thanks so much for commenting!! I have loved reading everyone's testimony about their involvement in online Catholic community, very inspiring! It's nice to know that we have each other.

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