Example of a popup using the new WordPress LDS Scripture Linker Plugin by DearScriptures.com

For some time I’ve been using the excellent LDS Linker WordPress plugin, developed by Joey Day, to automatically link all scripture references on TempleStudy.com directly to the Church’s online scriptures at scriptures.lds.org.  It worked very well, and continues to be one of the most popular WordPress plugins for LDS bloggers to link their scripture references to the online scriptures.

Recently I was thinking how much easier it would be to just hover your mouse over a scripture reference and see a popup with the scripture reference written out.  It would make reading the scripture references that much quicker in a blog post, rather than clicking a link to another site. 

A couple months ago I began some conversations with Steven Lloyd, developer of DearScriptures.com, the same person who developed the ability to search the scriptures via instant messaging (a feature I use often).  He began work on a WordPress plugin that would give LDS bloggers the ability to have scripture reference popups on their blogs.  Over the last month Steven has worked hard on the plugin.  He asked me for feedback, and I gave him some tips and suggestions along the way.

I’m pleased to announce that the LDS Scripture Linker plugin for WordPress blogs is now available for download and use.  Here is what the plugin does:

1. Any scripture references written in a blog post are automatically converted into a link when published.
2. The link contains a hidden popup with the scripture reference written out in full.
3. When you mouseover the link, the popup appears, displaying the scripture.
4. When you move your mouse away, the popup disappears.
5. (If you want the popup to stay, such as when you want to scroll longer references, click on the link.  To make it disappear, click on the “close” link.)

Below are a few examples of what this plugin can do.  The scripture references below were written out normally, without any linking or anything else done before being published.  The plugin does all of the fancy work.  Move your mouse over the references to see the popup of the scripture.  For longer references, click on the link, which will make the popup stick, and you can then scroll the reference; use the “close” link to close the popup.  (Note: This functionality only works if you are viewing the post on the website, and will not show in an email or RSS feed).

• James 1:5-6
• D&C 121:7-8
• Alma 32
• 1 Ne. 3:7, 15-16
• 1 Ne. 4:1, 5:8, 16:8

As you can see, you can string multiple references together, in different parts of the same chapter, or different chapters of the same book.  You can write out the scripture books in full, or use the standard abbreviations.  Even entire chapters are linkable.

The plugin also includes several customizable options on the administration interface:

• Customize the link hover color
• Customize the link click color (for references over 1000 characters)
• Customize the border color (IE only)
• Customize the scripture reference box background color
• Underline or not the scripture links
• Index the scripture reference text in full on Google, or not

I am very pleased with the work Steven Lloyd of DearScriptures.com has done with this plugin.  I am now using this new scripture linker plugin across all of TempleStudy.com.  It is particularly useful in posts which deal with the scriptures heavily, such as Matthew B. Brown’s excellent guest post about D&C 124.  Check out that post for a great example of this plugin in action.

I hope this plugin provides more value to you here on TempleStudy.com, and across the Bloggernacle where it’s used.  What are your thoughts about this new feature?  Any tips or suggestions?  Please tell us in the comments below.

New WordPress LDS Scripture Linker Plugin for Bloggers

General Conference live Twitter feed

In April I liveblogged LDS General Conference.  This time around I’m just going to include the streaming video feed and the Twitter stream.  Twitter is a bigger conversation of what is going on at Conference anyways.  Members around the world will be tweeting about Conference using the hashtag #ldsconf.  Feel free to join in the conversation.  (Note: If many anti-Mormons begin jeering the hashtag too much, I will filter it.)

As I did last time, I’m changing the look of the site somewhat for Conference.  The homepage, TempleStudy.com, will become the Conference page.  I’m “dimming the lights” so that the streaming video is easier to watch.  Below the video you’ll find the same auto-updating Twitter feed following comments about Conference using the #ldsconf hashtag.

I’m looking forward to hearing the Lord’s prophet and apostles speak this weekend.  Let me know if this mashup is helpful to you, or if there’s anything you’d suggest.

#ldsconf LiveTweeting LDS General Conference at TempleStudy.com

I will still probably post about my experience at the symposium, but it will be my own take and thoughts on what was presented.

Juvenile Instructor

Notes on Sacred Space Symposium at Juvenile Instructor

General Conference live Twitter feed

As I noted a couple days ago, I will be liveblogging General Conference.  This year I’m going full out and changing the design of the blog just for this occasion.  I’m dimming the lights, so to speak, to make a more comfortable Conference viewing experience.  I’m including the video broadcast from the Church, a liveblog commentary, and a slick live auto-updating Twitter feed that will be following the hashtag #ldsconf, all in one place.

I hope you will join me in listening in to Conference this weekend, and adding your own thoughts and comments as we listen to the prophets of God speak to us.

And no, this is not an April Fool’s joke.  You can get a sneak preview of what the liveblog will look like at this page.  (Note that the liveblog page will become the homepage beginning Friday night.)

Don’t forget, I will also be liveblogging the Mormon Studies Conference at UVU starting Thursday morning.  Hope to see you here for that great event too.

Sneak Preview of General Conference Liveblog

I will be attending the conference and liveblogging it using the innovative CoveritLive tool.  I’ll have my laptop and providing a running live commentary of the presentations as they happen, all available here at TempleStudy.com.  I’ve done this sort of thing before for FAIR Conferences, BYU Conferences, and last year’s General Conference.  You can tune in here at TempleStudy.com and get the gist of what is going on at the conference in real-time.  If there is a particular presentation that you’re interested in, you can come to the website just during that hour to participate and see the happenings live.  It won’t be a word-for-word transcript by any means, nor even a summary.  But it will be my impressions of what I think is interesting, or insightful, or worth taking note about.  You can send in your comments or questions too, and I can respond directly from the conference, all live.

I’m looking forward to the conference, and hope you will take the time to participate with me online.  If you want a reminder of the event, you can enter in your email address in the “Event Reminder” widget in the sidebar of TempleStudy.com.  An RSS feed of the event will be available at this address.  If you will be attending the conference, you can help with the liveblog and commentary.  If you have a laptop, I can invite you to be a panelist (let me know if you’re interested).  Or, if you just have a cell phone, you can add your comments by Twitter.  I propose a hashtag for this conference’s Twitterers, #mormonstudies.  Any tweets sent with that hashtag will show up in our liveblog stream here on TempleStudy.com.

Of course, the day after the Mormon Studies Conference ends is the commencement of the church-wide semi-annual General Conference (April 4-5, 2009).  I’ll be liveblogging that too, like we did last October.  I always look forward to watching General Conference, and it makes it even better being able to take notes, and communicate with others also watching Conference.  You’ll be able to watch conference live here, see our liveblog coverage, and Conference Twitter activity all here on TempleStudy.com.  The twitter hashtag that was established last October, which I imagine will be used again, is #ldsconf.  You’ll notice that some twitterers are already writing about the General Young Women Meeting right now using that hashtag.  One twitterer jetsnow notes, “President Monson gives a shout out to facebook, blogging and text messaging in the #ldsconf YW session!”  I wonder what he said!

Let me know if you have any questions about these liveblogs.  I look forward to participating in them with you.

Liveblogging Mormon Studies Conference and General Conference

A Wordle created from all the text of TempleStudy.com posts in 2008. Click on the image to see a larger version. Made at http://www.wordle.net/

One year ago today I published my first post on TempleStudy.com, my first blog.  And it has been quite a year.  During 2008 I expanded my learning on the temple in leaps and bounds, and was able to share some of that with you as well as learn from you.  I met countless new people and made many new friends.  We shared new thoughts, interpretations, and discoveries with each other.  I attended for the first time several conferences and liveblogged them.  I’ve been humbled by your kindness and charity.  I was blessed to touch the lives of numerous people as you sent me emails expressing your thoughts and feelings.  You have touched me too, in multitudinous ways.  And the growth has been tremendous--nearly 100,000 people have visited the website from 170 countries around the world generating over 220,000 hits.  Over 500 people have subscribed by RSS feed, and another 254 have subscribed by email.  It’s been an amazing experience.  I hope your participation with me and our commenters has been fruitful for you, and has given you more insight into temple studies and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

To commemorate this anniversary of TempleStudy.com my dear wife was very kind and made a Wordle of all the posts from this past year.  For those of you who are not familiar with Wordles, it is an online tool that you can use to input text and generate a word collage with the most commonly used words shown larger, kind of like a tag cloud.  So you can see in this image where our focus was this past year.  Fun to see.  My wife printed out a copy and framed it for me to hang on our office wall.  She’s the best!

For those who are wondering where I’ve been the last month or so, I haven’t left.  The blogging has slowed down a bit.  I think I can blame some of that on our beautiful new baby boy that was born at the end of September.  He’s been a joy to our family, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  But it did shift my priorities a bit though, and gave me time to rethink things.  I will continue to blog about the temple, but it may not be as frequent.  I want to expand my learning into other areas, in addition to temples.  Not that TempleStudy.com will go too dormant, but I like the sentiments addressed by Sharon Otterman in her New York Times article on slow blogging.  Blogging is becoming a form of expression, and a channel of inquiry and thought, not a 140 character Twitter feed.

So while TempleStudy.com might not fill your daily appetite for news on the temple, hopefully the posts that are published here will be full of meaning.  I look forward to sharing new insights on the temple, and learning more from you throughout 2009.  Please feel free to send me your thoughts and findings.  I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for a wonderful year!

TempleStudy.com One Year Anniversary

LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah

In my most ambitious liveblogging yet, I’m going to attempt to liveblog General Conference.  I must admit, this will probably be more of a notetaking project for me than anything else, but it might turn into something interesting and fun if we start getting other people participating online here (like you!).  You will be able to enter your name, and your comments, all live and in real-time.

Clearly, I will not be rewriting everything that is being said.  The Church’s English video stream will be embedded alongside the liveblog, so you can watch and listen while participating in a discussion and commentary about what is being said at the same time.  If you visit TempleStudy.com over the next two days the homepage will display the video and liveblog and nothing else to distract.

I am looking forward to learning at the feet of the Lord’s prophets and apostles over the next two days.  How blessed we are to live at this time, and to be instructed by prophets, seers, and revelators!

Update 10/5/08: The liveblog notes from Conference are below. Click on the circular replay button in the center below to read them.

Liveblog: 178th Semiannual General Conference

Liveblog: Third Nephi Conference at BYU – Part 2

Liveblog: Third Nephi Conference at BYU

Unfortunately, I did not have a good wireless signal in the conference room, and so the quality of these videos is poor, being broken into parts and some are missing.  But I learned a great deal about what to change for my next liveblogging/broadcasting to make it much better, so in that way it was beneficial.

Julie Smith:
Part 1

James Faulconer:
it failed to record, unfortunately

Adam Miller:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Jenny Webb:
Part 0, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

Joseph Spencer:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Robert Couch:
Part 1

Videos: Mormon Theology Seminar Conference on Alma 32