The Mormon Messages channel on YouTube is an official source of information regarding the LDS Church, its practices, and teachings. A new video (ebedded below) regarding the reasons why the LDS Church builds temples has been created in order to inform the public regarding this sacred practice, including discussion by LDS and non LDS experts in ancient scriptural temple practices. I applaud this proactive approach using current technology / media solutions particularly in anticipation of questions which the public may have regarding HBO’s episode of Big Love which portrays the sacred temple ceremony on national television.
The LDS Newsroom has also published a statement regarding this episode and documented other instances when negative publicity regarding LDS Church practices have proved to have little impact on Church affairs.
I don’t know about you, but I have been surprised lately with the availability of online multimedia content. I’m not just talking about the popularity of YouTube with user-contributed content or downloading music from the Apple iTunes Store. I’m talking about traditional media entities offering professionally written content on their web sites. Radio stations such as National Public Radio (NPR) not only have recorded podcasts of their broadcasts, but regularly suggest additional content for their listeners to find on their web site. Do you hate missing the KSL Greenhouse Show on Saturdays? Like many other sites, you don’t have to miss it if you subscribe to a podcast on the station web site. Offering a mix of traditional and new media sources, here are the top sources for online news, ranked by the number of visitors (from Ars Technica):
Yahoo News
MSNBC
CNN
AOL News
New York Times
Gannett
ABC News
Google News
USA Today
CBS News
While most of these sites are offering short video and/or audio clips, some media sites are now offering premium content that they normally reserve for television or radio (together with new advertising). Did anyone see the NCAA Basketball finals on CBS.com? Did you miss seeing who was eliminated from American Idol on Fox? (you can also see their recent performances on their web site)
Most of these sites are using Adobe Flash streaming technology (like YouTube), but others are starting to use HD video plugins such as those created by American Fork, Utah company, Move Networks, including ABC, Discovery, FOX, ESPN, and Oprah.com. BYU Television, also using Move Networks’ HD video plugin, is one of the first stations that has around the clock broadcasting content on their site. In comparison, the lds.org site will host transcripts, video, and audio downloads of LDS General Conference once they become available, but BYU.tv promises to include live HD video of for all morning and afternoon sessions. LDS Church members in Utah may not appreciate how rare it is to be able to watch Conference in your own home around the world as it is being broadcast.
In my last post, I mentioned that people who frequent YouTube may not know about the current efforts of the LDS Church. But did you know that the Church has a channel on YouTube since October 2007?
Elder Russell M. Nelson, one of the apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) Introduces JesusChrist.lds.org, a new website about the Savior Jesus Christ.
In my