First came World News and Prophecy in printed form, then the weekend seminars (see sidebar, page 2). Now in 2005, a third phase has been launched with wnponline.org.

During meetings in January with the managing editors of the Church publications, two exciting new technologies were discussed: blogs and podcasting. Both are now being used by the Church.

New Technologies

Blog is short for weblog. A weblog is a Web page that displays, in chronological order, the postings by one or more individuals and usually has links to comments on specific postings. Blogs are being used in a growing number of ways by businesses and individuals to publish and obtain information via the Web.

Breaking news can be gathered quickly. News items can be referenced with related hyperlinks, personalized with related commentary, then posted to the blog. For all the power the technology has, it is relatively easy to use.

A podcast is simply a short audio program, 5- to 15-minutes long, with a specifically focused message. A podcast can be produced from any location: a professional studio, a home office studio or a remote location. With a broadband connection, the podcast audio file can be uploaded to an Internet site and instantly made available to anyone with an Internet connection—anywhere in the world. The potential for preaching the gospel is enormous.

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a powerful technology that lets readers subscribe to online content and receive notification of new postings within as little as 15 minutes of being published. Subscription is free and is available when a reader first enters a Web site or blog or reads an e-mail offer.

Through these new technologies, content can be published, promoted and accessed by millions of new readers around the world at little or no cost. This audience can be developed and rapidly drawn to the content of a blog or Web site.

Longitude Blog

The wnponline.org site is a dynamic site with news, short commentary and special features. Plans are for fresh content to be posted daily. The blog format allows rapid posting of breaking news stories and commentary. Posted entries carry related and timely hyperlinks to other articles from news sources providing further information and background.

The blog is called Longitude, and it is designed to help chart a proper course in today's world, always knowing where one is—and where one is going.

The Longitude blog also employs the technology of podcasting. Computer users can use special programs to automatically search the Internet for audio broadcasts—podcasts—that match specified interests. These can then be listened to on a computer or transferred to a portable MP3 player so they can be listened to anywhere.

How Do I Access the Blog and Podcasts?

To read the Longitude Blog, go to www.wnponline.org/longitude. Postings are ordered newest to oldest, from the top, down.

To listen to a podcast, look for the PodCast-WNPonline logo in a blog posting. If you click the logo, the audio file will begin playing on your computer. Or, if you have an MP3 device connected to your computer, you can click-to download the MP3 file to the device for later listening.

For your convenience, you will also find on the left side of the wnponline.org opening page a complete list of current and archived Longitude podcasts.

RSS subscription software allows you to subscribe to blogs and podcasts and receive notification of new postings. For complete information on the software available and how to use it, go to the wnponline.org and click the "How to Use" icon.

As mobile bandwidth increases, it will become easier to also download MP3 podcasts to mobile phones and other new portable technologies. It is our goal to be positioned to provide content to this rapidly expanding audience for these new media—around the world—via the Web. The costs are minimal and the opportunity for maximum exposure is very high, making this a very smart investment in future media delivery.

The wnponline.org site will provide access to the archives of past issues of World News and Prophecy as well as the current one. The initial design and construction of the site has been done by Les Booth, a United Church of God member living in West Lafayette, Indiana. UN

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Phases One and Two: Printed Publication and Seminars

World News and Prophecy was inaugurated in 1998 as a publication for United members and others who had a desire to understand world events in the light of Bible prophecy.

Over the last seven years the writings and perspectives of this journal's writers has reached not only our members and coworkers, but is actively read by many in the greater Church of God community. Readers gain information and perspectives about the future based upon today's events that are offered in a balanced, well-researched manner.

Content has been continually added to provide a balanced perspective on world events. The most recent addition is a feature titled "A Page on the World," which gives the audience a book review on literature of note.

The last column of the magazine is titled "This Is the Way," based on Isaiah 30:21. The goal of this column is to take note of people, organizations and nations that truly are making a difference in the here and now; and mark their example as seeds of what will bloom in the Kingdom of God.

WNP Weekend Seminars

Two years ago, the editorial staff decided to take World News and Prophecy on the road to local churches in special weekend seminars. The goal is to give a congregation a focus on prophecy and world events in a special Sabbath format. Congregations have the option to invite Good News subscribers to the seminars.

The staff strives to reach two or three congregations a year. These seminars allow the audience to meet the writers and allow the writers to understand the makeup and needs of the audience.

Pastors whose congregations would like to host a seminar can contact Darris McNeely, the managing editor, at darris_mcneely@ucg.org. UN