Yes, I really do want to hear from readers!

In which tmatt asks busy readers to offer feedback (questions even) about Rational Sheep's future

Well, there went that plan.

I had hoped to write a new post in which I responded to comments and questions about the video and post that ran the other day with this title: “‘Our Home Is Different’ -- talking tech with the Orthodox.”

Alas, it’s been a week and there have been zero comments that address the content of the video. Did the lecture fall flat, or what?

I have to admit that I am disappointed, because there is nothing in the world that I enjoy more than interacting with readers (and students) who ask solid, even pushy, questions. It’s a great way to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of the work I’m trying to do. Frequently, reader questions point toward issues that need to be addressed in the future.

In this case, I will admit that I had an agenda with that specific post (other than offering something quick that helped me survive day one of a nasty mystery cold that knocked me down for days).

You see, I wanted to know if, in Year II of this project, I should strive to produce more audio and video material. For example, if my “Exegete the Culture” class makes a comeback — working with the Orthodox Studies Institute at Saint Constantine College — should I try to post recordings of a few lectures? Also, the Substack team is now offering new ways for content creators to host live audio chats — which I plan to try in the months ahead.

Ah, but live chats require folks with whom to chat. Correct?

Thus, please allow me to react to the silence that followed last week’s lecture post.

To put this in journalism terms, I will try not to bury the lede.

* People are really busy. That’s the bottom line. It’s easier to scan a written post than it is to listen to a lecture.

Response: I understand. I frequently file the URLs for videos of lectures, interviews and podcasts to view them later, especially if I am planning to use the material in a syndicated column or a Substack post.

* This lecture was simply too long. It would have been better to have posted a shorter version of this material or to produce a set of short clips with clear descriptions of the content in each. Ah, but that would require tech help.

Response: Many of the most popular features in the podcast-YouTube world are even longer than this recording.

* A moment of candor? All of those popular super-long videos are recorded by figures who are, to one degree or another, digital celebrities — either with the world in general or with specific online niche audiences.

Response: I am not one of those people. My main credentials are in print journalism, which is a fading world favored by old folks. Ditto for my work in the world of religious academia. That said, I am also not a religious scholar or minister. I’m a columnist and mass-media prof.

* Here is a concern that I think about quite a bit. Do I need to produce more material that is “fun” or, to respond to tips frequently given to Substack creators, more “personal”? Rational Sheep consistently deals with issues that are rather heavy, or even plain-old depressing.

Response: Ah, but this video may be the most personal item I have ever posted. Thus, I was anxious to get responses to this kind of “personal voice” content. There is some humor in the video, mixed with lots of serious talk about serious family issues.

* The timing was bad. I thought that people would have more time for this kind of feature during a holiday week. Why? In my experience, the folks who welcome my work are not serious sports fans (like, well, moi) who would have been distracted by a siege of football games.

Response: Yes, but this was a VIDEO, which would limit some of the ways that people could consume it. What if there was an audio version of this material? That would allow people to listen while driving, walking, cooking, sewing, etc.

* The video was recorded in an Eastern Orthodox setting and the word “Orthodox” was in the title. This pushed away the non-Orthodox.

Response: However, in the religious podcasting world, some of the most popular voices are clearly identified with a specific form of faith. As I said earlier, many are clergy. And people who click PLAY and listen to at least 10 minutes of the lecture will hear me stress that my goal was to talk to the Orthodox, but in ways that would help other people, as well.

* Did I mention that people are really busy and seem to be getting busier?

In some ways, the growing Kingdom of Substack is adding more and more material that is competing for readers’ previous time. As I have stated many times, one of my goals at Rational Sheep is to help readers find crucial articles that they need to see — focusing on the topics at the heart of this project. Consider yesterday’s post: “Backing up to think about After Babel.” I want to serve as an antenna that helps pastors, parents, teachers and counselors tune into important signals.

In conclusion: Cue the sad violins (turn up this embedded humor reference)?

Pity isn’t my goal here. I want to know what I can do to add Rational Sheep material that people can use and even enjoy.

The big question: If, in the future, I venture into audio and video offerings, what form should they take?

What about the “Crossroads” podcasts with the Lutheran Public Radio team? Readers: Are you listening to them or simply scanning the posts that I write to accompany them?

Is there a 20- or 30-minute limit in the world of podcasts by non-famous people?

Who would take part in a monthly audio or video chat? I lean toward audio, since — as the embedded video demonstrates— I have a face for radio.

Also, I had been planning to offer these Substack chats for the inner circle of paid-option Rational Sheep readers, which has grown a bit in the past month. (Many thanks, folks!) Would that approach work or do the odds for chat success increase with the MUCH larger world of free-option readers?

Oh, and this again: Does anyone have any questions or comments about the Nativity Lent video?

#DUCKING.