Will Embracing the Internet lead to Increased Growth for the Watchtower?

by jwfacts 74 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Juan Viejo2

  Finally - after years of shunning the greatest invention since the printing press, The Watchtower gives the Internet a big hug!

  Obviously the Governing Body has seen the "new light" that the rest of us recognized nearly 30 years ago and have decided to embrace the Internet as "a gift of Jehovah's loving kindness."

  Bottom-line: It's all about dollars and Euros. The Watchtower will put everything on the Internet, have the local Kingdom Halls buy some inexpensive laser printers, and have copies printed locally as needed.

  This might eventually backfire on the WT. I can see some talented anti-Witness hackers modifying text and photos on the Internet versions before magazines are printed locally and then watching local JWs passing the boogered copies off as being Watchtower originals.

  BTW - For anyone interested, here's my take on the recent letter announcing the changes: http://ex-jw.com/expanded-jw-org-mini-mags-announced .

  A PDF copy is included...

  JV
• 

  slimboyfat

  Presumably the vast majority of the 400,000 views figure is JWs logging on to jw.org to download the latest magazines. So the true conversion rate, in terms of new people finding watchtower.org and requesting a visit, must be somewhat better than the 100/400,000 figure would suggest.

  The only indication of a new Internet strategy in the letter is that they are going to combine their sites under JW.org. I can't see that will have a tremendous impact one way or another. But it does mark yet another retreat from their use of the "Watchtower" name in branding.
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  Black Sheep

  The Watchtower Ebook and Website Society?
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  Pams girl

  Im not internet savvy, and was a few months away from baptism when we got a laptop.......

  I typed in Jehovahs Witnesses and found this site! This happy accident lead to my freedom. If the WT goes global on the net, I hope many other "happy accidents" occur. It may be their downfall.
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  St George of England

  Over a year ago the CO told us that the WTS was stopping printing of the Large Print Study WT and that a brother would be appointed in each congregation to do the printing locally from the web site. We have about a dozen or more that use the Large Print WT.

  This has not happened yet but I suspect it will be the thin end of the wedge for local printing.

  George
• 

  sir82

  This "get your reading material from the internet" idea is strictly for current JWs.

  The other 99.9% of the human race who would visit JW.org would also visit many of the dozens (hundreds?) of sites critical of the WTS. People seek alternative opinions on the web all the time when deciding what car to buy, where to go on vacation, which doctor to go to....why wouldn't they do so when investigating a religion on the internet?

  The reduction in pages is purely a means to cut expenses, and nothing else.

  That said, door to door work will evolve modify but remain of the same kind. I expect more "special" campaigns, more emphasis on using cheap to produce tracts, and a heavy heavy emphasis on trying to start Bible studies on the initial call.
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  cantleave

  When I used the Internet to research talks and assignments, more often than not I would come across material that was contrary to Watch Tower beliefs. I didn't read / take any notice of it becuse I was a die hard dub. The general public won't ignore it, they will read this damning information and it will raise questions and doubts. The internet is not a good recruiting tool for the JW's, IMO it will be disasterous to the cult.
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  breakfast of champions

  The "beauty" of the door-to-door work is that it compartmentalizes any "damage" when the wall of Information Security is breached. For example, two publishers encounter a "rabid" apostate out in service, run away from the door as if their eternal salvation depended on it, and console each other over the terrible yet faith-strengthening experience. Thats about it. The "rot" or Informatoin Control breach has been contained.

  As they migrate to the Internet, however, they are essentially dealing with the Wild West. The publishers are no longer in twos, but isolated and vulnerable, perhaps even tempted to look at the forbidden fruit. Ideas spread and expand more quickly, and information control all but disappears.

  It was a move the absolutely had to make, but it does not bode well for them.
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  punkofnice

  Many of the R&F that I've seen at the kingdum hells are 'oldsters'(TM) and have no PC or the skills to use them. I guess this will cause them distress.

  There will be no increased growth due to the internet! If anything busy fingers will be visiting other sites in curiosity.

  Is this the GB shooting themselves in the foot?
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  exwhyzee

  Besty - 400000 visits and 100 bible study requests daily = 0.025% conversion

  Just because there are 100 requests for Bible studies per day doesn't mean that many are actually started. Of the ones that are started only a small amount are likely to follow through to baptizim.