What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • On the List

    front

    I got back to Glasgow last night just as the Pink List was being published by the Independent on Sunday and was thrilled to see my name there again – I’ve been listed for the last couple of years.

    Even better is that I’m not the only cleric on it this year – Jeffrey John and Richard Coles are also there.

    I am, as before, amazed by the company that I keep on the list – this time more diverse and a better gender-balance. The place of LGBT people in the world is changing. Too slowly for me, but it is changing with each passing year.

    There are plenty of people who wish I’d shut up about LGBT issues and that is not limited to those who disagree with me. The Pink List is a rare moment of affirmation and I’m hugely moved, as in previous years, to find myself upon it.

    , ,

8 responses to “What is a wiki?”

  1. Chris Avatar
    Chris

    I wanted to comment on your wiki post, but there is a gremlin preventing me – no box to write in, so no writing!
    [Comment now moved]

    This is what I’d have said:
    Great clip! A really clear description – can we get it incorporated into an educational package for the church? See http://scotedublogs.wikispaces.com/ for a good example of a wiki in use for over a year.

    Reply
  2. Tim Avatar
    Tim

    Yeah. Wikis have huge potential. When I was setting up my church website I sat down and thought:
    a) lots of pages
    b) easy editing
    c) uniform appearance across pages
    d) ability to allow some people to (not) edit certain pages

    End result was dokuwiki.

    The real trouble is still persuading people that they’re capable of contributing…

    Reply
  3. kelvin Avatar
    kelvin

    Yes, it is odd getting people to post on a wiki is very much harder than getting them to post a comment on a blog. Something about a fear of being the authorial voice.

    I think that it is fear of being contradicted and corrected, which is a shame, as whenever I post to a wiki, I’m hoping that someone can improve on what I’ve written.

    Reply
  4. Kimberly Avatar
    Kimberly

    Fabulous video. Thanks for linking it.

    I wonder if this is one of the ways we should be trying to respond to the Draft Anglican Covenant.

    Reply
  5. Stewart Avatar
    Stewart

    Wikis are great – look forward to seeing the St Mary’s Wiki developing (and adding to it!)

    Reply
  6. jimmux Avatar
    jimmux

    Thanks for a very clear explanation! Now that I understand how they work, I’ll be raising a discussion on how we might be able to use them on the National Postgraduate Committee of the United Kingdom. They seem a very useful tool for sub-committees which do a lot of work by e-mail.

    Reply
  7. Kennedy Avatar
    Kennedy

    I had a look at Tim’s church website and looked at the bit with the contributions from the congregation and saw this statement:

    ‘Please note: the content in this section is contributed by members of the congregation and should not be considered official statements by the Church.’

    I am a great fan of wikis for collaborative work, but I think this indicates one of the issues with ‘public’ wikis. These problems tend not occur when wikis are being used for internal usage or for a closed group. Open editing is very attractive but you need some form of management to ensure that defacement doesn’t occur or statements which might be damaging are published.

    Also, how do I tell the difference between ‘the Church’ and ‘ members of the congregation’? Are they not the same thing?

    Kennedy

    Reply
  8. Repeat post – wiki video | What’s in Kelvin’s Head

    […] First posted quite a while ago here. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Posts

  • What am I listening to?

    What is the Provost of the Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin listening to? Oh, thank you for asking – it has been a while since you enquired. Communards – Don’t Leave Me This Way Zelenka – Lamentations of Jeremiah Scissor Sisters – I don’t feel like dancin’ Ella Fitzgerald (with Paul Smith at…

  • Sermon 11 February 2007 – Blessings and Woes

    One of the most interesting characters that I have met in my ministry was a Jewish professor in one of the universities that I have worked in. He was often in the chapel and used to proclaim that he was fascinated with Jesus, but could never be a Christian because of what we had made…

  • Liturgy Classes

    I remember only two things from my liturgy classes from my training. I learned a lot more from our liturgical formation as ordinands, and I think that is generally what was intended at the time. However, the two things that I remember from the classes were both things that Fr Ian P said. Firstly, he…

  • Amnesty International

    The local Amnesty International group meets in St Mary’s every Thursday evening. Last night was the first chance that I have had to pop in and say hello since I arrived in St Mary’s last year. It was good to see the group alive and well. Letter writing campaigns were in full swing and several…