Members Sharing Gospel Online

In the September Ensign, Breanna Olaveson writes of the changing landscape of Mormon messaging on the Internet. While the cyberscape (I think I just coined a word)–the virtual landscape– was largely negative 6 years ago, disenfranchising seekers and dismantling even the understanding of some members, it is now in reverse trend.

Six years ago 80% of search engine results for the term “Mormon” were negative or inaccurate. Today the situation has improved. In some countries, Internet search results for “mormon” are now up to 80 percent positive.

Why the significant change? In addition to official Church Web sites, unofficial Web sites sharing positive information about the Church are spreading across the Web. Individuals are using blogs to share their values and gospel messages are making their appearances on social networking sites. In short, because of how members are using it, the Internet is also helping bring people to the missionaries.