An interesting threadjack began this afternoon, and I see no reason not to continue that threadjack in its own post.** Shawn Bailey asked: How did everyone here initially find Times & Seasons or the Bloggernacle in general?
He volunteered his own history:
I got an invitation to join the LDS-law list in law school (sent to all law students at BYU, I think), but ignored it. When I went looking for the list as a lawyer, I found T&S within a few weeks of its founding. With one exception,* I had never heard of any of the permabloggers before, but I was immediately hooked.
*I had helped edit a book review Nate published in the BYU Law Review, and I think his name appeared in the email I received regarding the LDS-law list.
Shawn wrote his comment in response to Rosalynde’s remark, which was: “I didn’t know any of the bloggers at all when I began commenting, although I had heard of Jim Faulconer. (I knew one of the commenters, John Fowles, who turned me on to T&S in the first place.)”
Nate replied to Shawn:
Shawn: I set the ldslaw list up when I was a 1L at HLS and then emailed every LDS law student that I could find on the internet. I believe that I got one of the librarians at JRLS to get their IT department to send an invitation to every student in the school.
It seems like an interesting question. How did you find T & S? Was it through Nate’s spam-a-thon? Through a real-life discussion with Gordon? Through a google search? Or even through (gasp!) a link from BCC? (Nah, couldn’t be).
Feel free to take a second and share your story.
(We’ll then ask Frank to plot them all on a neat graph, and run little analyses on them, and turn those numbers into little Powerpoint presentations so that we can sell the site to Microsoft for millions of dollars).
—
**I removed the previous post after having some second thoughts about content which could be viewed as private.
Through Lyle, who told me about it around February 2004.
Kingsley told me about it.
Once upon a time, I was googling the term “gays,” and lo and behold, this site was ranked #1 for the entire internet! 6 months later, I noticed that there were occasional discussions about other topics, and I decided I could read those too.
Aaron B
July 04 – I was looking to see if there was any speculation on the internet as to who the two new members of the twelve would be. A quick Google search and I stumbled upon T&S and subsequently the bloggernacle. My work productivity has diminished steadily since.
I linger lots, but I rarely post.
The best connection I have made is an article Kaimi posted from a newspaper in England. It had an interview with a former school teacher in Bountiful. That teacher was my 70+ year old neighbor. She was shocked that I had seen the article.
My wife and I were at the computer and just for kicks I decided to google her name. One of the links that came up was T&S. We’d never even heard of it, but we clicked on it and found out Rosalynde Welch and Steve Evans were talking about both of use behind our backs.
It was all a little freaky, but we decided to guest blog anyway.
A year or so ago, Claudia Bushman told me she had been asked to guest blog on a site started by some Mormon lawyers. I had never heard the word blog before, so I decided to check it out.
A few months later, quite independent of Claudia, while chatting in the chapel aisle with one of the members of my ward, Gordon Smith, I learned that he was one of the lawyers involved.
Whoops, I mean both of “us” back in comment five.
I became interested in blogs and blogging. I researched blog platforms, determined at last minute that WordPress was the way to go and then realized that there might be other LDS bloggers out there as well. A google search or two later and I had discovered T&S.
I moved to the Seattle area and swiftly became friends with the Jacobsen’s (Nate O.’s sister and brother-in-law). One evening after dinner together, they mentioned that I should check out timesandseasons.org…
I think Greg first told me about it, or Kaimi. I can’t remember which, but it was early in the days of Yore when Brent was still around and Lyle roamed the Earth.
‘Nate’s spam-a-thon,’ but I can’t remember how I found it. Maybe from the link on Metaphysical Elders? But then I can’t remember how I found Metaphysical Elders.
Someday I’ll dip some little pastry into some perfectly foul hot drink and the memories will all come back to me. Until the, Frank’s graphs will have to wait.
I found it in a reference to 12 Questions with Ken Jennings.
In early Feb. 2004, Clark mentioned his blog on the AML list (or perhaps privately to me — I can’t remember). From there I found the Metaphysical Elders. The Elders hooked me on the idea of LDS blogging, and I checked out the rest of Clark’s links — eventually settling in at T&S because the number of comments made for great conversation.
The funny thing is that even though my awareness of blogs goes back to whenever it was that Instapundit left Slate’s Fray and began blogging, I never thought to search for LDS blogs. On the other hand, one of the first things I did when I first had access to the Internet was do a searches for “Mormon literature” (and thus found the AML-List) and Orson Scott Card (which led me to Hatrack and Nauvoo).
I’m really looking forward to the “How Did You Find The Post On How You Found Times and Seasons” Post.
My brother told me about it. He graduated from BYU in philosophy and physics and is headed to law school, so it’s not too surprising that he had heard of it. When I followed his link to the Ken Jennings/BYU College Bowl discussion, I saw that I had met several of the people running the show or posting regularly (Adam was a teammate, Russell was my editor once upon a time, and I even caught a few guest lectures by Jim F.). Since then, I have regularly observed more people from my past post here.
I was reading the news online about the whole torture memo written by a BYU law school graduate, and the article mentioned T&S.
I was reading the Volokh Conspiracy one day when it mentioned a new legal blog, Tutissima Cassis. Once I clicked over there, my descent into the bloggernacle was inevitable.
It is interesting how nobody ever really thought to look for Mormon blogs before they found this one. I know I didn’t.
In a Dec 2005 conversation with Melissa after church, she mentioned that Times and Seasons is where she sometimes writes.
I was listening to NPR and they ran a story about Justice Rehnquist returning to the bench after surgery, etc. The story mentioned that he even cracked a joke about the Mormon church. I was kind of curious so I thought that maybe I could find out what he said online.
The only place I could think of that might have it, was a Supreme Court-watching blog (I’d read about legal blogs in Student Lawyer a few months previously). So I started looking for Supreme Court blogs.
Then my easily distractable brain noticed a Mormon Legal blog. Several clicks later, I somehow I ended up here.
Never did find out what Rehnquist said ….
I think for me it was:
Volokh –> Good Oman –> Metaphysical Elders –> T&S
Nate’s lds law list e-mailed to the U of Utah law school –> recognized Nate’s name from a previous life, so I googled Nate’s name –> found A Good Oman –> Metaphysical Elders –> Times and Seasons.
I found it looking for ideas about visiting teaching. Last month our numbers were high for the fourth month in a row, so I challenged the guys to a duel, they have to cook for us if they lose, which at the time I was feeling pretty egotistical and braggy. Now I’m tired and I really don’t give a crap.
but guess what? Maybe I already said this, oh well, guys who haven’t gotten out in years are getting out. It’s turning into a big deal.
I am sort of disgusted that it took this to get them to do their home teaching. I want to say, “Okay, in two more years, we’ll have another contest and you guys can get out again.”
But I’m more disgusted with myself and my grandiose ideas and big mouth. I told my husband I would not be one bit sad if I got my voice box removed, and he said, “honey, probably nobody else would, either.” But then I’d be writing a lot of notes and smacking people.
I can’t believe I made that bet.
Googling LDS/Mormon “virtual ward” or “internet ward” or “online ward” (or something like that) because I’d missed so many weeks of church, stuck home too sick to go.
Still haven’t found what I’m looking for…though, certainly, some of you live up to and down to what can be found in many wards.
I became aware of Times and Seasons in January of 2004. I had been political blogging at the time and I had run across another blogegr who was LDS. I was curious and so I googled for “LDS Blogs” and found T&S. I read through some of the posts and comments and quickly decided that it was a waste of time. I didn’t visit again until six months later.
In July, my family held an open-house for my sister who was about to leave on a mission to Russia. During the open-house, I was speaking with Kent Huff, who is an old friend of our family, and Ben Huff’s father, and the topic of blogging came up. He asked me if I read the Times and Seasons blog and told me that Ben had recently been invited to guest blog. Ben had lived with my family for a couple of semesters before he left on his mission, and we were in the same ward at BYU after I got back from mine. I respect Ben a great deal and thought: “Well, if Ben is involved it must not be a complete waste of time…”
I got back on T&S to check out what Ben had written. I recognized several commentators, including John Fowles and Lyle Stamps, who had also been in my ward at BYU, and who I had not seen back in January. By August I had set up my own LDS blog and I’m still here…waisting my time more than ever.
I recently was able to meet T&S’s Kristine in person. It was a pleasure. Other than Ben Huff, she is the only T&Ser I have ever met (though sometimes I think Adam Greenwood looks an awful lot like someone I once played the game “Diplomacy” with once back in 2001).
Found an Exponent II at my mother’s house Christmas 2003. Read and re-read it several times and grew nostalgic for the good old days doing paste up on light boards, data entry on punch cards, and attending discussion groups with some amazing and wonderful women back in the day when there were 2 Cambridge wards and one singles ward in the Longfellow Park chapel. Googled Linda Hoffman Kimball and found her guest posts on T & S.
Steve Evans, in my home ward, invited me to his blog, BCC, and he had a link to Times and Seasons, where I saw Kaimi’s name, and also Nate’s, so there you go, that’s how I came here.
I think I was searching for material for Gospel Doctrine class, I don’t remember exactly. But I’m pretty sure I came across Baron of Deseret, Intellectualisibistionismist, and BCC before I eventually found T&S. When I would look on some blog’s sidebars with other blogs, I just kept linking and linking and linking all over the place until I became comfortable with the 900 or so that I now read.
It was a startling discovery to see Russell Arben Fox’s name on the blogroll because that was the same name as my best friend’s older brother. Then there were the two Blorgies where I met a lot of the crew from here and BCC and now we’re all best friends!
Link from AML-List – which, despite William Morris’ efforts (which are pretty good), still needs a blog format, or at least a message board of some sort. The mailing list thing just isn’t fully condusive to some of the conversations that occur there. It would also be really fun to have all those AML people on a single blog.
By a singular coincidence, J. Max Wilson, I have played Diplomacy once in my lifetime, in 2001. It was with my brother-in-law, David Spigarelli.
Through Clark Goble’s “Mormon Metaphysics” blog, which I checked out due to being on the AML-list
(which was because of Gideon Burton telling me about the AML-list, which was due to me being at BYU, which happened because I’m LDS, which was because my parents were converted young, etc. etc. going back to Joseph Smith and then to Jesus, then Adam and then the creation. So, I discoverd T&S because God created the world. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.)
In the days before this blog, I met Adam at a VRWC meeting. I met Nate at the same meeting. Nate and I now work together. (I attest that Nate can spell correctly when it’s important that he do so.)
I think I was led to this site from the LDS-Law list, which died the day that someone used it to announce the existence of Times & Seasons.
I was led here by one of Nate Oman’s many sites. I had casually read Metaphysical Elders and a couple of other sites where his name popped up. But I linked from some list of LDS Law articles, I don’t recall the name, some Mormon Law Blog, or something.
I had taken a LSH class from Jim F at BYU as a freshman (before transferring), which I enjoyed immensely, was familiar with Nate through his sites, and had Law (and specifically CLS) in common with a few others. Natural fit, although I don’t say much.
Remember that old adage. Do you know where your kids are? Surveillance rules.
My friend, Sid Sharma, told me about the site.
I want to hear more about Mark Martin’s December 2005 discussion with Melissa (#18). If I go to New England and prevent that discussion, will Mark’s comment disappear?
I was on Nate’s lds-law list, I suppose through his spam campaign, but I didn’t find out about T&S that way. Rather, my friend Ben Spackman kept sending me links to various discussions, and every time I came here there was an interesting thread going on, and I got hooked that way.
I was searching for information about the Indefatigable Galapagos Mouse
No, really it was Jonathan Green (comment 15) who forwarded the link he got from his brother. I think that was Bill’s introduction as well.
And I need another time sink like I need another hole in the head, but a bloggernacle-wide Diplomacy game is something I might go in for.
Of course, I like all of you currently, so maybe that’s not such a good idea…
Amish Robot => A Soft Answer => Times and Seasons. Back before this design, and while Kaimi still had his old blog.
Would it be a gospel-centered Diplomacy game? I’d only retaliate once I’d been betrayed three times (or was it four? Must consult D&C). The catch being that I would then be guaranteed victory, by Providence (I think. Really need to consult D&C).
It could get a little dull, everyone holding while waiting for someone else to be treacherous.
J Max Wilson,
You must be one of those Wilson’s that I’ve heard so much about (all good). Do you know the McLaughlins? McLaughlin is my wife’s maiden name–she and Ben Huff are first cousins (though I think he’s loath to admit such a close relation because of her rogue husband). :>)
I’m pretty sure it was through A Soft Answer.
I didn’t realize until now that this was a Mormon Lawyer Blog–I’ll have to tell my hubby, he is the Lawyer in the family. I was researching about Brigham Young’s thespian days for a grad class I’m taking at Valparaiso University. My teacher is doing a book on early US drama- Anyway. I ended up here. Just for you Lawyers out there, you might be interested to know that there are about a dozen LDS Law Students here at the Valparaiso University Law School. The last few years they have been recruiting heavily and – Oh we have a bunch graduating in about 2 weeks looking to start their careers- Are you looking for young smart, LDS associates- try the Valpariso Ward.
My goodness, Adam, that really was you! I thought that it was just my imagination. It was the only time I ever played Diplomancy as well. I worked with David Spigarelli at MyComputer.com and he invited me along with two or three other co-workers to play Diplomacy with you all. David was a great guy and I havem’t heard from him for a long time. I hope he is doing well.
Jack, I’m not sure if I have ever met any of the McLaughlins. We had dinner with Andy and Danielle Huff just a few weeks ago. If you are in Utah, we should get together sometime. I’m in Orem.
I logged on quite frequently to LDStoday to keep up to date with church news. I think one of the articles listed last year had a reference. Until then had never heard of ‘blogs’ or ‘bloggernacle’ – and it took me a couple of weeks to find out what the terms even meant!
Why do I keep coming back? Nice to be able to read comments and writings from saints who still want to live the gospel and yet have questions, and hear them sensibly (most of the time) discussed.
Matt Evans told me about it.
Way back in March of last year, when T&S was still pretty new, I saw a link on Volokh to Nate’s other blog, and followed the link from there to Times and Seasons. I even blogged about it at the time, absolutely floored that there was a Mormon presence in the blogosphere that I hadn’t been aware of.
I was trying to find text from the original Times and Seasons newspapers online, but found this instead.
I wish it was something more dramatic like…
I found some printouts of T&S on the top of the “neglected printouts” pile near my cubicle, an arctic breeze from the air conditioning vent above flipping the pages as if to invite me to read them. The site name and banner graphics had not printed because of a postscript error — the list of authors had been rendered in a symbol font. I started reading and soon found myself reading and re-reading those loose sheets…and then spent hours searching the internet for the source…
(Name that movie?)
I think I may have run across it before in searches but I never started really looking at it (or any of the rest of the bloggernacle) until Kris W. (whom I knew slightly from an email list) posted some links from her blog.
I followed the link at mormanity last summer to discover ‘Zelph Examined’. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Face to face referral from Ben Spackman.
Jim F. threw out a shameless plug for this blog in the middle of philosophy class.
I am a retired school teacher and now a professional grant writer and was looking for grants for a school district in Utah and in my search this site came up and I find it interesting and rewarding.
I came across Times & Seasons last November-ish after doing a search for the Malay Peninsula limited geography theory. Please forgive me if this sounds over-the-top, but this winter I sometimes felt like the bloggernacle was a godsend for me. At a time of real spiritual angst, it was so helpful to read about the issues discussed faithfully, and so reassuring to see that intelligent, informed Mormons don’t necessarily leave, as I think some ex-Mormons might have me believe.
I even applied to law school solely so that I would be taken seriously around here. (Just kidding–I had other reasons too. I think.)
In January and February I was rather addicted. I felt guilty for spending so much time on the internet at work, but my job is so excruciatingly dull that it was hard to tear myself away from the bloggernacle. In early March my boss chastised me, so I stopped doing anything non-work-related (i.e., anything interesting) on the internet at work, and since I don’t have an internet hookup at home, I barely lurk anymore. Now my job seems even more boring. (I’m convinced that it’s worse than document review, if you can imagine such a thing.) I should have quit my job rather than quitting the bloggernacle…
Nathan Mark Smith–
Ben Spackman exists in real life? Cool.
I first heard about it when my brother-in-law, Eric James Stone, was asked to be a guest blogger.
Anna,
I’m glad that you found this to be a good environment for you. We get enough hate mail from both sides of the aisle (“you’re too liberal! you’re too conservative!”) that it’s nice to hear from people who have found the site to be an enjoyable place.
And I hope that you enjoy law school. I liked it quite a bit.