Back from the Catholic New Media Conference in San Antonio. It figures that summer really hit its stride this weekend. Temperatures were always hovering around 105 and then let's throw in some of that humidity that San Antonio does so well. Which meant that no matter where one went there was extreme heat or frigid cold as Texans set air conditioners low, low, low to offset outside conditions. However, that's pretty much the norm around here.
For me the weekend was more about community and putting faces with names than anything else. That was definitely the most satisfying aspect as it turned out. So many email or blogging voices turned into real people ... imagine that! One of the most delightful was a person who I had filled out a survey for in preparation for her presentation ... Lisa Hendey who blogs at Catholic Mom and also podcasts at Catholic Moments. Such a gracious, charming person who is so warm and welcoming. Also a complete surprise to meet, but a delight, was Heidi Saxton whose books I have seen but never expected to meet in person. We clicked right away.
Naturally, there were too many people for me to properly acknowledge but who were so enjoyable to speak with: Sister Anne from nunblog, Danielle Bean, Pat Gohn from Among Women podcast, Catholic Matriarch (fresh from her time at A&M so we had that to talk about for sure!), Chris from The Catholic Company, Ian from Aquinas and More ... as well as those from my favorite Catholic podcasts: Jeff from Catholic Foodie, Father Seraphim from Catholic Under the Hood, Paul Camatara from Saintcast.
Then there is Patrick Madrid who thought he was simply taking the elevator to his car and found himself in the elevator with Tom and me. It was my chance to thank him for three books that I have found extremely helpful over the years, Why is That in Tradition, Where is That in the Bible, and Search and Rescue. His talk was excellent and I especially appreciated the fact that he took it to heart enough to not simply do a regular talk but to specifically warn us as Catholics and techies about the danger of letting technological toys becoming a false god. A surprise to hear him speaking about it but definitely something that I think it is good to keep in mind during a conference that is chock full of technology lovers. This reminded me also of his three-day conference coming up, Answering Atheism. Three days, name speakers and a very reasonable price. My schedule doesn't allow it or I would definitely go. Maybe next year ... and I can get the audio tapes of this year's conference (so he assured me).
Naturally there were many others ... for one thing, I was surprised to meet so many people who were just thinking about getting into blogging or podcasting. Although I would say this to those who said they had a blog or wanted to podcast, "but I don't know about what." Those things are simply tools. If you don't have a passion to share some writing or spoken subject with people then your ministry might follow a different path. It is better to passionately blog about the soccer team you play on than to be casting around for something to say about your faith. Your faith will shine through in your passion, no matter what it is that you are talking about, as those who listen to my Forgotten Classics podcast have found, possibly to their dismay.
I also enjoyed Father Dave Dwyer's talk which opened the conference. As the Pauline year was ending, he did a good comparison of St. Paul to today's Catholic podcasters and bloggers. As well, to anyone who has ever heard the Busted Halo podcast, which I also enjoy a lot, you know he mixed in a good deal of entertainment with the serious conversation.
I would say that the most problematic area for me was the seminars. Although I enjoyed Father Roderick's audio talk and Lisa Hendey's blogging talk, there seemed to be too little time alloted for people to properly cover their topics. As well, since there was a time problem the socialization times were cut short. I completely understand this dilemma since we run into it routinely ourselves in the Beyond Cana Marriage Retreats we do semi-annually. However, as many of the talks were somewhat unfocussed, not seeming sure whether to address complete newbies or go for the more advanced listener or, indeed, to go off topic altogether (Catholic Cloud guy, I'm lookin' at you ... I actually wanted to hear Twitter discussed not dropped to talk about the next big thing), this was a problem for speakers who were having to trim time. Perhaps next time they'll have fewer talks but let them be covered more thoroughly. As well, although I realize that SQPN is a mostly audio group, there was only one talk given about blogging. Though we are all looking forward, it is a mistake to not give blogs more attention as that is what a lot of the public is just beginning to become aware of. It doesn't seem like it from our vantagepoint of being at the cutting edge of technology, but it is all too true if you talk to your friends or fellow parishioners. Believe me, I know. If one was only a blogger and not a podcaster, this left many possibly floundering in a technology that didn't apply.
Don't think that I didn't get a great deal out of the conference. These are intended as constructive criticisms only. I think that a great many people may have gotten more from the talks than Tom and I did. As well, I valued a great deal the community gathering.
One of the most enjoyable parts of the weekend, was the relatively impromptu add-on of stopping in Austin on the way home to join the Darwins and the Fulwilers (Jen/Conversion Diary) for Mass and lunch afterward. For one thing, St. William is a really gorgeous church. I wouldn't have believed a new church would have been built with such care, beauty and attention. The photo on their main page simply does not do it justice. Built in Spanish style on the outside, the inside is graced with beautiful old German stained glass rescued from an orphanage, German or Czech style ornamental stenciled designs, a painting behind the crucifix that invites reflection and prayer, and many other features that you really should stop to see if you are ever near Round Rock (just north of Austin). Best of all though was getting to see the Darwins again after spending time with them several years ago. I'd forgotten just how much fun they are in person. As well, it was a pure pleasure meeting Jen and her family. I am a big admirer of Jen's blog. She's a writer that I simply can't equal and that reflects her thoughtful spiritual life and sparkling personality (its not all spiritual, after all ... just think of her scorpion stories!). Two hours was just not long enough to even begin to enjoy all the conversation. We had to literally tear ourselves away from the Darwin homestead (nice garden in back, too) and face the drive home.
It was an extra pleasant homecoming, as Hannah had thought about how to make it welcoming by vacuuming, sweeping, and having pizza ready for us eat. What a kid!
No comments:
Post a Comment