LDS.org

[Calm]

This site says the graph is for once a month daily views, so it appears that it had 18.2 million visitors on June 1.

"The main takeaway is that it gives you a line graph with values for the number of daily unique visitors and the sources."

http://www.incomediary.com/how-much-traffic-website-gets

[Calm]

However...

"Every month LDS.org gets a little more than 25 million visits, said Jeff Isom, director of the LDS.org website, in one of the breakout sessions of the 2013 LDSTech conference. “It is believed to be the largest religious website in the world in terms of traffic, design, and content,” he said."

Jeff is a relative, really nice guy and totally trustworthy so I am going to take his word for it though it is three years out of date.

https://www.lds.org/church/news/ldsorg-improvements-make-site-more-user-friendly?lang=eng

[Ginger Snaps]

I hate hate hate the search engine on the lds.org site.  I'll go looking for a phrase I heard in a recent conference talk and get 50 conference talks from the 70s before the most current one comes up. And the scripture search doesn't  handle phrases well at all (even when I use quotation marks). 90,000 hits with one word from the phrase I'm trying to find.  I get better results going to Google, putting my phrase in quotes  and adding "LDS" to the search parameters. 

[UtahTexan]

I love the site.  I love the search engine.  I am appreciative of all the information I can find at my fingertips.

But, admittedly, I have always been the "glass-half-full" guy

[Calm]

2 hours ago, Ginger Snaps said:

I hate hate hate the search engine on the lds.org site.  I'll go looking for a phrase I heard in a recent conference talk and get 50 conference talks from the 70s before the most current one comes up. And the scripture search doesn't  handle phrases well at all (even when I use quotation marks). 90,000 hits with one word from the phrase I'm trying to find.  I get better results going to Google, putting my phrase in quotes  and adding "LDS" to the search parameters. 

Just in case you didn't already know...

You can limit it to lds.org by using "site:lds.org", I use google site search for all websites.

[Scott Lloyd]

On July 16, 2016 at 0:35 PM, Ginger Snaps said:

I hate hate hate the search engine on the lds.org site.  I'll go looking for a phrase I heard in a recent conference talk and get 50 conference talks from the 70s before the most current one comes up. And the scripture search doesn't  handle phrases well at all (even when I use quotation marks). 90,000 hits with one word from the phrase I'm trying to find.  I get better results going to Google, putting my phrase in quotes  and adding "LDS" to the search parameters. 

Does anybody really use in-house search engines when we have Google?

[Scott Lloyd]

On 7/15/2016 at 8:34 AM, stemelbow said:

When I pop up LDS.org I ignore the front page and go to where I want--scriptures, my account/ward info, pay my tithing (yahoo on that).  I rarely pay attention to the front page.  But some time ago I decided to, each time I opened it, view it as if I was viewing it for the first time, as someone who wasn't LDS. 

Ugh it's so annoying.  usually it has, what I'd characterize as, self-serving stories--stories used to say "you mean something".  And quite often Jesus or God aren't anywhere to be found. 

If I open it now the top stories on the front page are entitled:

Payer, it's your passport to peace

5 promised blessings for keeping your promises to remember

3 ways to help your children recognize, rely on the Spirit

How Counseling together might make you a better teacher

Watch Mormon Tab Choir Pioneer Day concert online

8 Missionary skills to teach your children now

Participate in the worldwide indexing event

I realize lds.org is not meant to be the place for those who aren't LDS and for the first interaction with LDS.  But I'm not ever a fan of the stories on it.  it feels like it misrepresents what I see as my faith.  And I realize there's probably a great deal of effort going into what stories to put in there.  Stories that really resonate most with members (which my explain why I'm so alienated in my ward).  Then again, I'm the odd ball in LDS environments.  Anyway, what's everybody else's take? 

I see Christ in each and every one of the topics in the above list.

This reminds me of complaints that Christ is never mentioned in LDS services when virtually the entire content of the meeting is about Christ in that it pertains to various aspects of His gospel. 

Edited July 18, 2016 by Scott Lloyd

[rongo]

On 7/15/2016 at 8:17 AM, stemelbow said:

I admit I see it differently than most members.  Your post supplies me more evidence that I'm the oddball and the stories are there because those who do it, know that's what members most want. 

If it's any consolation to you, I can't stand the front page stuff on lds.org, either. It's right in line with what I call the "People Magazinization of the Ensign" (oh, to have the Ensign of the 80s back!). Lots of pictures, very little text, way too many "I'm single/divorced/porn-addicted/name withheld articles. And I'm as active a member as it gets. 

My grandmother used to say that everyone in the world is weird but me and thee, and I often wonder about thee . . .  I'll share the oddball-ness with you on this one.

[Scott Lloyd]

2 minutes ago, rongo said:

If it's any consolation to you, I can't stand the front page stuff on lds.org, either. It's right in line with what I call the "People Magazinization of the Ensign" (oh, to have the Ensign of the 80s back!). Lots of pictures, very little text, way too many "I'm single/divorced/porn-addicted/name withheld articles. And I'm as active a member as it gets. 

My grandmother used to say that everyone in the world is weird but me and thee, and I often wonder about thee . . .  I'll share the oddball-ness with you on this one.

Again, I don't see any of that in the topics listed in the OP. Prayer? Keeping sacred covenants? Reliance on the Spirit? Gospel teaching? Missionary work? Facilitating family history research to promote salvation for the dead? None of this is Christ-related? Come on!

I even see it in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir thing. I just returned from three weeks of traveling in central Europe with the choir (not as a singer but as a journalist). It was stated again and again that the choir is an ambassador in making friends for the Church and in opening hearts and minds to the reception of gospel truths.

[rongo]

8 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

Again, I don't see any of that in the topics listed in the OP. Prayer? Keeping sacred covenants? Reliance on the Spirit? Gospel teaching? Missionary work? Facilitating family history research to promote salvation for the dead? None of this is Christ-related? Come on!

The contents change. I agree with stemelbow on how they often are. Even for the "good" ones, I'm not into social media and I never watch video clips online. Nor do I use the sound-bite video clips the Church is heavily promoting (much of the front page content we're discussing is of the sound bite video clip variety) in lessons. I'm more old-fashioned.

And I didn't say they aren't Christ-related.

[Scott Lloyd]

1 hour ago, rongo said:

And I didn't say they aren't Christ-related.

But stemelbow did, or at least implied it.

He said, "And quite often Jesus or God aren't anywhere to be found," and then, to illustrate, listed the current topics on the home page.

As I said, I see Christ in every one of those topics.

[stemelbow]

2 hours ago, Scott Lloyd said:

I see Christ in each and every one of the topics in the above list.

This reminds me of complaints that Christ is never mentioned in LDS services when virtually the entire content of the meeting is about Christ in that it pertains to various aspects of His gospel. 

Oh I get one can squeeze Christ out of each of them, if one is aware of what the topics are saying.  But I'm talking about first timers.  When first timers show up, perhaps those who aren't Christian at all, I'd question whether Christ is at the center at any of these.  Indeed, each one can apply well to any other religion, not even Christian.  For instance, "5 promised blessings for keeping your promises to remember"--there's no mention of Christ, or whose promising, but keeping your promises is found a virtue in other religions and even atheists aspire to it. 

BTW, I don't mind too much that Christ is not front and foremost, but it's odd considering the religion. 

[Scott Lloyd]

A prophecy of the scriptures (perhaps it is a directive as much as it is a prophecy) says that everyone shall hear the gospel in his or her own tongue. Perhaps we could broaden that to presenting the gospel message by whatever means that people find culturally appealing or intellectually accessible -- reaching out to them wherever they are, as it were, especially youth.

If people can be reached and hearts touched via quick video clips, brief how-to articles and X-ways-to-do-such-and-such lists, I'm not going to condemn it, even if it isn't my particular cup of Postum, any more than I am going to complain about the fact that my son had to learn a foreign language to fill his mission to proclaim the gospel.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Scott Lloyd

[rongo]

Tweet My Gospel, eh?

I guess we should be working on getting the word out through vines . . .

If you don't know what a vine is (and I wouldn't, if I hadn't taught middle school the last four years), they are 7 second clips that people record hoping to go viral. That's about where attention spans are now ---- even the lds.org pablum is too much for young people's attention spans. I think the Church (families first) should try to combat this trend instead of embracing it.

[stemelbow]

12 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

A prophecy of the scriptures (perhaps it is a directive as much as it is a prophecy) says that everyone shall hear the gospel in his or her own tongue. Perhaps we could broaden that to presenting the gospel message by whatever means that people find culturally appealing or intellectually accessible -- reaching out to them wherever they are, as it were, especially youth.

If people can be reached and hearts touched via quick video clips, brief how-to articles and X-ways-to-do-such-and-such lists, I'm not going to condemn it, even if it isn't my particular cup of Postum, any more than I am going to complain about the fact that my son had to learn a foreign language to proclaim the gospel.

I'm guessing marketing ploys go into what makes the front page.  But, I'm just saying I'm not fond of the result. 

[Scott Lloyd]

25 minutes ago, stemelbow said:

Oh I get one can squeeze Christ out of each of them, if one is aware of what the topics are saying.  But I'm talking about first timers.  When first timers show up, perhaps those who aren't Christian at all, I'd question whether Christ is at the center at any of these.  Indeed, each one can apply well to any other religion, not even Christian.  For instance, "5 promised blessings for keeping your promises to remember"--there's no mention of Christ, or whose promising, but keeping your promises is found a virtue in other religions and even atheists aspire to it. 

BTW, I don't mind too much that Christ is not front and foremost, but it's odd considering the religion. 

That's just it. I believe Christ is front and foremost in those topics listed, in that He is the very reason they exist. The are meaningless without the essential connection to Him.

On the "5 promised blessings," did you even bother to click on it? It's not just about keeping promises, it's about keeping sacred covenants we make with God and Christ. When you click on the link it immediately takes you to an article titled, "Remembering the Savior."

Even the link itself has the title superimposed over an artist's depiction of Christ breaking bread at the Last Supper. And what's that I see above the words of the title? It's the name "Jesus Christ."

And you're saying Christ is not "front and foremost" here? I don't get it. What's the punchline?

 

 

Edited July 18, 2016 by Scott Lloyd

[Scott Lloyd]

22 minutes ago, rongo said:

Tweet My Gospel, eh?

I guess we should be working on getting the word out through vines . . .

If you don't know what a vine is (and I wouldn't, if I hadn't taught middle school the last four years), they are 7 second clips that people record hoping to go viral. That's about where attention spans are now ---- even the lds.org pablum is too much for young people's attention spans. I think the Church (families first) should try to combat this trend instead of embracing it.

As I said, "If people can be reached. ..."

If you can persuasively show me that the current tools and methods are utterly failing in the ultimate aim of reaching people and touching their hearts with gospel truths, then I'm right there with you.

And by the way, these aren't the only methods being used. Let's employ a variety of means with the expectation that some will be effective in some circumstances if not in others.

 

 

 

Edited July 18, 2016 by Scott Lloyd

[Scott Lloyd]

15 minutes ago, stemelbow said:

I'm guessing marketing ploys go into what makes the front page.  But, I'm just saying I'm not fond of the result. 

What is the result that you're not fond of?

As I said, "If people can be reached. ...."

[stemelbow]

2 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

What is the result that you're not fond of?

As I said, "If people can be reached. ...."

I mean the result of the messages and the look that it currently has.  I suppose if more people are reached it means something.  But I dont' know if more people reached means more conversions, or more what exactly. 

[stemelbow]

21 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

That's just it. I believe Christ is front and foremost in those topics listed, in that He is the very reason they exist. The are meaningless without the essential connection to Him.

On the "5 promised blessings," did you even bother to click on it? It's not just about keeping promises, it's about keeping sacred covenants we make with God and Christ. When you click on the link it immediately takes you to an article titled, "Remembering the Savior."

Even the link itself has the title superimposed over an artist's depiction of Christ breaking bread at the Last Supper. And what's that I see above the words of the title? It's the name "Jesus Christ."

And you're saying Christ is not "front and foremost" here? I don't get it. What's the punchline?

 

 

I hear ya.  When I mentioned that particular headline I did because it also says Jesus Christ.  But the headline itself can be applied to anyone.  And as I said, I'm not concerned that Christ is not all over the place on the front page.  I just think it's a little odd. 

[Scott Lloyd]

1 minute ago, stemelbow said:

I mean the result of the messages and the look that it currently has.  I suppose if more people are reached it means something.  But I dont' know if more people reached means more conversions, or more what exactly. 

So when you say you don't like "the result," you're not speaking of effectiveness at reaching people, attracting investigators, fostering conversion. You just don't approve of the packaging.

Again, I say, "If people can be reached. ..."

By the way, I'm still puzzling over your citing the link taking the visitor to an article titled "Remembering the Savior" as an example of lds.org not putting Christ "front and foremost." What am I missing here?

[stemelbow]

4 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

So when you say you don't like "the result," you're not speaking of effectiveness at reaching people, attracting investigators, fostering conversion. You just don't approve of the packaging.

Again, I say, "If people can be reached. ..."

By the way, I'm still puzzling over your citing the link taking the visitor to an article titled "Remembering the Savior" as an example of lds.org not putting Christ "front and foremost." What am I missing here?

I admit I'm being overly critical and picky here.  I haven't offered any fixes, if they are needed, either.  I've never really got caught by the stories and headlines myself.  As I've watched over the couple of months past, the stories and headlines aren't really my cup of tea.  But I acknowledge they are probably there because they've, whoever it is who decides upon the website, look and content, figured it works best.  What I mean by the 5 blessings headline, it can apply to more than Christianity and yet it is the only one tied to Jesus Christ.  Of course I agree if you click it and see the article it's far more Savior-centered.  But then I have to ask, why not just title the headline as the article? 

[Scott Lloyd]

9 minutes ago, stemelbow said:

I hear ya.  When I mentioned that particular headline I did because it also says Jesus Christ.  But the headline itself can be applied to anyone.  And as I said, I'm not concerned that Christ is not all over the place on the front page.  I just think it's a little odd. 

It can't be applied to anyone -- not with the name "Jesus Christ" directly over it. And when you click on the link, it is immediately obvious that it does not apply to just anyone. It applies to Christ and the covenants we make with Him.

Of all the examples you could have selected to illustrate your point, this one is probably the worst.

[Scott Lloyd]

3 minutes ago, stemelbow said:

I admit I'm being overly critical and picky here.  I haven't offered any fixes, if they are needed, either.  I've never really got caught by the stories and headlines myself.  As I've watched over the couple of months past, the stories and headlines aren't really my cup of tea.  But I acknowledge they are probably there because they've, whoever it is who decides upon the website, look and content, figured it works best.  What I mean by the 5 blessings headline, it can apply to more than Christianity and yet it is the only one tied to Jesus Christ.  Of course I agree if you click it and see the article it's far more Savior-centered.  But then I have to ask, why not just title the headline as the article? 

For crying out loud, the link title includes the name Jesus Christ.

I'm giving up on this conversation. I have pressing work to accomplish.

[stemelbow]

2 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

It can't be applied to anyone -- not with the name "Jesus Christ" directly over it. And when you click on the link, it is immediately obvious that it does not apply to just anyone. It applies to Christ and the covenants we make with Him.

Of all the examples you could have selected to illustrate your point, this one is probably the worst.

Well, that was the issue.  One mention of Christ and yet the headline itself doesn't seem to be Christ.  Why the headline is not the same as the title of the article is beyond me.  But I'm belaboring here.  I also acknowledge Christ doesn't have to be everywhere to be noticed.  It could also be that He is mentioned and yet not really stand our or mean a whole lot.  I admit for me personally, the latter seemed to be true. 

And ultimately I think Rongo said it best, above, "I can't stand the front page stuff on lds.org, either. It's right in line with what I call the "People Magazinization of the Ensign" (oh, to have the Ensign of the 80s back!). Lots of pictures, very little text, way too many "I'm single/divorced/porn-addicted/name withheld articles. And I'm as active a member as it gets. "