These cats on a treadmill are just so funny.
Happy Caturday!
Happy Caturday!
Theologian Thursday BONUS POST
Theologian Thursday now has its own PINTEREST BOARD.
Now you can check out all of the TT posts in one place--and see all the pretty images together.
Head on over and give it a follow if you like.
Now you can check out all of the TT posts in one place--and see all the pretty images together.
Head on over and give it a follow if you like.
Theologian Thursday: Tertullian (c. 160- c. 225)
Though never canonized in the Church (perhaps due to his brief foray into Montanism), Tertullian remains one of the most important early Church Fathers.
Tertullian may not have been the first to use the word, but he was the first to present a really fleshed-out idea of Trinity--using the Latin personae and substantia. His teaching of the three Persons' numerical distinction but substantive sameness in divinity is Nicene--a hundred years before the creation of the creed. However, it seems he also believed that before Creation there was no Son, as there was no necessity for the Word. This is what we call the Arian heresy.
What you should read:
Ratings:
(To read more about my Theologian Rating System, click HERE)
Gender Equality:
Tertullian basically hated Eve, because sin is apparently all her fault, and by extension all other women. He was all about policing their clothing (i.e. virgins should be veiled until they're married) and relationships (widows are sinning if they remarry). Apparently he didn't have much sway in this area though, which is probably a good thing.
Environmental Sensibility:
Tertullian was much more focused on the inner-life of the Christian, and said very little (or nothing) about caring for the environment.
Heretical Tendencies:
Gender Equality:
Tertullian basically hated Eve, because sin is apparently all her fault, and by extension all other women. He was all about policing their clothing (i.e. virgins should be veiled until they're married) and relationships (widows are sinning if they remarry). Apparently he didn't have much sway in this area though, which is probably a good thing.
Environmental Sensibility:
Tertullian was much more focused on the inner-life of the Christian, and said very little (or nothing) about caring for the environment.
Heretical Tendencies:
Montanism is now considered a heresy, even though many great Christians--including Augustine and current charismatic movements--have dabbled in it. Tertullian did not remain a Montanist, but it definitely had an effect on his thinking.
General Badassery:
Tertullian did a lot and wrote a lot, but not much is known of his life in general, so it's hard to say. St. Jerome wrote that Tertullian served in the African army and lived to be super old, but neither of those claims has been found true.
"He who lives only to benefit himself confers on the world a benefit when he dies."
Warby Parker and Social Media
If you've followed my blog for a while, you probably remember back in August when I posted about my Warby Parker glasses frames home try-on.
It was a really nice experience, and, prompted by yet another Social Media Management assignment, I wanted to talk a bit about the company's social media strategy and how that plays a part in doing their business--and doing it well.
Warby Parker is linked to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It has "share" buttons for Facebook and Twitter on each product page, which is typical enough.
But where the company really shines is in its actual interaction and correspondence with customers.
On their Facebook page they encourage people participating in a home try-on to post pictures if they need help deciding on a pair of frames. This creates a community of users--other customers comment and like photos and offer their thoughts, and Warby Parker admins also offer advice, complete with flattering compliments.
On Twitter, the people behind the company's account troll the #warbyparker hashtag and respond to just about every @ mention they receive.
Here's the response I got when I tweeted the Instagram photo of my try-on options:
(I did end up choosing the Sinclair--they definitely know their stuff!)
What makes Warby Parker's social media campaign successful, in my opinion, is that they take the initiative to really personally respond to every tweet, and every Facebook post. I don't know how they do it--probably tons of social media reps--but it makes all the difference. So much better than a Twitter account run by a bot.
I'm not sure if they have a way of identifying if individuals who have interacted with their social media accounts actually end up purchasing their product, but I know that would be a valuable metric to have.
Regardless of metrics, though, I think the pleasant experience of interacting with a company in such a positive way is what it's all about. Consumers have a good feelings toward the company, and that makes them more likely to make a purchase, more likely to stay loyal to the brand, and more likely to tell others about the company.
Well done, Warby Parker. You are a shining beacon of what corporate social media should look like.
Have you had a similarly great social media experience with a company? Let's talk about it in the comments!
UPDATE: After posting this yesterday, Warby Parker sent me this tweet thanking me for sharing my experience. Yep, they are on point.
It was a really nice experience, and, prompted by yet another Social Media Management assignment, I wanted to talk a bit about the company's social media strategy and how that plays a part in doing their business--and doing it well.
Warby Parker is linked to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It has "share" buttons for Facebook and Twitter on each product page, which is typical enough.
But where the company really shines is in its actual interaction and correspondence with customers.
On their Facebook page they encourage people participating in a home try-on to post pictures if they need help deciding on a pair of frames. This creates a community of users--other customers comment and like photos and offer their thoughts, and Warby Parker admins also offer advice, complete with flattering compliments.
On Twitter, the people behind the company's account troll the #warbyparker hashtag and respond to just about every @ mention they receive.
Here's the response I got when I tweeted the Instagram photo of my try-on options:
(I did end up choosing the Sinclair--they definitely know their stuff!)
What makes Warby Parker's social media campaign successful, in my opinion, is that they take the initiative to really personally respond to every tweet, and every Facebook post. I don't know how they do it--probably tons of social media reps--but it makes all the difference. So much better than a Twitter account run by a bot.
I'm not sure if they have a way of identifying if individuals who have interacted with their social media accounts actually end up purchasing their product, but I know that would be a valuable metric to have.
Regardless of metrics, though, I think the pleasant experience of interacting with a company in such a positive way is what it's all about. Consumers have a good feelings toward the company, and that makes them more likely to make a purchase, more likely to stay loyal to the brand, and more likely to tell others about the company.
Well done, Warby Parker. You are a shining beacon of what corporate social media should look like.
Have you had a similarly great social media experience with a company? Let's talk about it in the comments!
UPDATE: After posting this yesterday, Warby Parker sent me this tweet thanking me for sharing my experience. Yep, they are on point.
Pinterest vs. Delicious
For my Management of Social Media class, one of my assignments is to compare two similar social media technologies. While the example given was social bookmarking, and I'm generally loathe to just follow the example, the Delicious/Pinterest dichotomy came straight to mind. I couldn't not write about this--I have too much to say, though I promise to keep it short.
I am an avid user of Pinterest (click here to check out my boards!) and have been since December 2010. I love that it's visual--there are so many beautiful and inspiring images! I could (and have) literally scrolled through pages for hours. The visual nature is especially nice because most of my pins are food. Curtis and I regularly plan our meals based on what we've seen on Pinterest lately (he has a great set of boards too). And nothing ruins a great recipe like a lack of a photo!
The only problem with Pinterest's visual MO is that if you have a page you want to save that doesn't have a picture, you can't pin it to your boards. I mean, apparently you can, but that's a weird cheater way. For this reason, Delicious is better for saving non-large-photo pages.
The other thing I like better about Delicious is that you can have private stacks. Pinterest does not (yet) have an option to create a private board for your eyes only, which is kind of a pain if you're wanting to pin Christmas gift ideas or other secrets. Apparently they're "thinking about" adding a private option, but we'll see. For now, all my secret bookmarks are on Delicious.
I could go on and on about the merits of each site, but what do y'all think? Do you use one or both of these? Which do you prefer?
Caturday: Cat hat edition
Some cats make great hats.
This week's video brought to you by my friend and classmate Sara.
Happy Caturday!
This week's video brought to you by my friend and classmate Sara.
Happy Caturday!
Theologian Thursday: Banned Books edition
It's unfortunately unsurprising that many challenges and bannings of books have been headed up by the Church--either as an institution itself or by its members.
In fact, from 1557-1966, the Roman Catholic Church had an index of prohibited books, which was a list of books and authors that members were restricted from reading in order to "protect" them from a corruption of their faith.
Quite a few big names made it in the index, theologian and otherwise, including some theologians I've profiled on this blog!
Here's a bit of an abridged list of highlights, adapted from a page on Fordham University's website.
In fact, from 1557-1966, the Roman Catholic Church had an index of prohibited books, which was a list of books and authors that members were restricted from reading in order to "protect" them from a corruption of their faith.
Quite a few big names made it in the index, theologian and otherwise, including some theologians I've profiled on this blog!
Here's a bit of an abridged list of highlights, adapted from a page on Fordham University's website.
Luckily, the Church no longer bans books in an official capacity, but that is a small boon when you consider how often Christians are entangled in book banning crusades even today. While I can understand the value of being a community set apart, that is no excuse for denying people their freedoms.
It all comes back to that simplest of arguments: If you don't like a book, don't read it.
You can't tell people how to read, how to think, or how to live.